Category Archives: Food/Recipes

November 20, 2012 · 10:36

Lighten Up The Load..

on Thanksgiving.  If you can.

We had a Thanksgiving dinner when our son, Sam, was on leave from the Army last Sunday.  I was at my art conference and wasn’t getting home until Sunday evening, so Pops was in charge of making the food.  Oh boy.  It was all yummy,  but the poor man……… Lets just say…..How can I be nice here……I love him.  Things get a little out of hand when the going gets going.  He was so exhausted when it was all said and done.   I asked if it was worth it.  He said no.  But that it was great to have everyone here.  But we could have peanut butter and jelly with the same people here, right?  And Pops would have been able to enjoy Catch Phrase with us in the living room instead of losing his pretty little head in the kitchen.   Is it worth it?  (My head is always thinking about  stuff like this. )   Why do we make SOO MUCH FOOD?  And it’s not only so much food but it is so much heavy,  decadent food.  Can we cut corners somewhere?  I have a  new friend who just told me they never have the huge dinner.  Never.  They do their own thing and don’t think a thing about it.  Good for you, Sarah.  People time is the most important, right?

In my world????  (What is that?)  I wouldn’t cut fat cause I happen to know fat is good for you.  Good organic, local fat, that is.  I would cut sugars and omit some of the bread/noodle/white potato  stuff.  I KNOW. I KNOW.  Stuffing is SO GOOOOOOODD.  Why not eat the stuffing and forget the other starchy things.  When you look at a plate of thanksgiving food, really it looks so…well..ugh.  With the exception of a tiny section of green beans maybe and a quarter size of red tarty stuff ruining everything around it.

After Thanksgiving…bring to boil the carcass and  simmer for  two days or more. The longer the better.   Pour broth in glass containers 2/3 and freeze for future use for soups, rice, or any good thing.  It is the best thing ever.

Below are three recipes for lightening up the sugar.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Most casseroles call for at least a cup of sugar.  This calls for  2 T.  We had it and we loved it.

  • 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large), scrubbed
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for the preparing the pan
  • 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar unrefined.
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and pierce each one 2 or 3 times with a fork. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Scoop the sweet potato out of their skins and into a medium bowl. Discard the skins. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the eggs, butter, coconut palm sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture until smooth.

Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole.  Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pan and sprinkle the top with the pecans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a bit puffy. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN CAKE BARS WITH CREAM CHEESE ICING

(No flour and small amount of honey as sweetener)

CAKE BARS

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 c. almond butter

1/2 c. raw honey

2 eggs

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t. vanilla (pure)

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cloves (optional

pecans or walnuts.

350 degrees.   8 x 8 pan 30 minutes

ICING

2 package cream cheese, softened organic.

1/3 c. honey

2 t. vanilla extract

Mix. Spread.

WALNUT CHOCOLATE CHUNK ICE CREAM

(No sugar added. Dairy free)

This is really good.  But if not eaten day of, it gets really hard in freezer but still tastes good.

1 13 oz. can of full fat organic coconut milk

1/4 c. chopped walnuts.(soaked and dried if possible)

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Pinch of salt

1/4 c. finely chopped dark chocolate.

10 drops of stevia

splash of vanilla

Heat coconut milk until smooth.  Stir in walnuts, banana, salt vanilla.  Pour into glass container and cool.  Add chocolate and stevia.  Freeze, stirring occasionally.

I pray safe travels, loving family time, and relaxed digestive state for all.

God bless,

Karen

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October 29, 2012 · 21:28

Was It Really All That Black?

No, it really wasn’t all that black.  The weather,  however,  sure added to the drama.

Buster Brown, the nasty billy-goat,  went bye-bye.  I think the only thing that is dark about that is  he was keeping our beloved Great Pyrenees company while she guards the chickens.   She may be suffering from loneliness a little bit but we plan to supply her with another playmate soon.  She like to lick the chickens to death if she doesn’t have anything else to think about.

The butchering of the turkey was pretty uneventful as well.

This is what you will be having for dinner.

This is what we’re having.  You wanna come for dinner?

  I hope my family doesn’t mind getting feathers stuck between their teeth as they chew the  stringy,  tough turkey.   She only weighed out at 7.8 lbs.  She’s been running around here for the past 5 months so we are pretty confident the meat wont be too succulent.

Pops and I decided that we will leave the meat chickens to the Amish for processing.  They can do 150 chickens an hour.  We did 1 turkey in the same time.

Ugly? yes.  But we know exactly where that turkey came from.  We know what it has eaten.  We know the kind of life it lived.  She was queen of the guineas.  She ruled.  Please  make an effort to know where your turkey came from.

ART SHOW

I am participating in an art show in a few weeks.  If you are in the area, please stop by. The opening reception should be a grand time.  Can you guess which painting on the invite is mine?

It would be the second one in from the left.   The tree.

Gathering Humility

Ferns in Christian art symbolize humility.  I like that.

I pray that your week is a good one.  I pray for healing for all those that need healing.  I pray for safety, courage and strength for our service men and women.

God bless,

Karen

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October 26, 2012 · 15:44

Black Friday

It’s here.

I am the queen of dread.  I am like George Costanza on Seinfeld.  George complains that he dreads all events no matter what they are.  Even dates with the hottest women.    That’s me.  There has to be a fear tied to it.  As I reflect on it, I guess it must be a fear of not being prepared or not being accepted.  Or I wont be able to handle my part of the responsibility.  I fatigue easily and I fear I will crash in the middle of it.  Where’s my bed?  Waaahh.     I am always glad when I am there.  It is just the leading up to it.  Do you ever feel that way?

I dread today.

We are taking Buster Brown, our intact buck, to the auction house. He is just a little more than we can bear.   Another one of those farmin’ things that are hard to do.  Pops stayed home today to help out with the Black Friday events.  The weather has contributed to the mood of the day.  Dark. Dreary. Rainy.  So, if you will, imagine two suburbanites hunched over a picnic table in the middle of nowhere. Dark. Wet. Rainy.  Most likely not clean.   Yelling at each other for not doing the right thing when in fact neither of the two know what the right thing is.  There you go.

We are going to butcher our turkey this afternoon.  Pops and I.  By ourselves.  We have never done anything of the sort.  In our lives.   We have planned the deed to take place at our campground which over the culvert and through the woods.

Campground

Far far away from any living creature on our farm.  We don’t want them to suspect they are next for goodness sakes.   We just hope the guineas don’t follow us since Miss turkey is their leader.   I have taken down You Tube instructions and think I have it down in my head.   Just take it easy and don’t get in a panic,  I tell myself.

On another note we had a fabulous salmon dish the other night that I’d like to share.  Good fall meal.

Fall Salmon Delight

Serves 2

Using the best found ingredients

1/4 c. whole almonds

3 T. butter

1/2 c. chopped apple

1/4 c. golden raisins

1 t. fresh thyme

1 t. fresh rosemary

1 T. fresh parsley

Zest of half orange

1 t. sea salt

1 t. pepper

2 t. olive oil

2 salmon filets

Toast almonds.  Add butter and cook until browned.

Add apples, and raisins.  Cook until raisins plump and add herbs and zest.

Season filets with salt,  pepper and oil  and bake in oven on 350 for 20 minutes.  Or grill.

Remove from pan and top with yummy topping.

Serve with your favorite fall veggies.

I will fill you in on the Black Friday results in my next post.  I’m not really that scared.  I think plunging my whole arm into a goat kinda desensitized me.

Have a super weekend.

God bless,

Karen

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October 1, 2012 · 21:53

Food. Good.

Who doesn’t love food?  Boy, oh, Boy.   There are  a lot of things I can’t or shouldn’t eat.  I stay true to those “rules” most of the time.  When you can’t eat the easy stuff, the convenient stuff, you figure out ways to make the wholesome stuff taste good.   As I have said in the past, my cooking is very simple, using few ingredients since most ingredients do not work for my health.

Whole foods.  The name of the game.   Pops and I wonder sometimes why we bother going out.  Our food here is always better than even the finest diners.  Why?  Fresh.  Local.  Homegrown.  Organic.  Simple.  Unprocessed.  REAL FOOD.    I do miss bread though.  A lot.  I am bankin’ on sourdough bread next to my bed when I am in heaven.  You watch.   With butter.

What makes fine restaurants so good?  They keep their recipes simple, fresh, and high quality ingredients.

Tonight we had scrumptuous munchuous.  Man, it  was good.   And simple as it gets.  HEALTHY.

PORK TENDERLOIN

Sprinkle tenderloin with fresh basil, coarse sea salt,  minced garlic.  put several slices of bacon over top and drizzle with olive oil.  Pop in oven 375 degrees for an hour.  Done. Perfect.  Delectable.

Remember……where the pork and bacon comes from makes HUGE difference in flavor AND health.

GREEN BEANS
Sautee in generous amount of Ghee (clarified butter) fresh green beans, chopped sweet red pepper, onion.  I don’t boil or steam beans first.  Done.  Perfect.  Delectable.

NOW……for a secret yummy…..

Since sugar…and dairy…and gluten…and, and, and,…. are no nos, I am continually experimenting to get a dessert acceptable for us (me).  Try to make a dessert without the above ingredients.  Impossible, right?  Darn near.  Well,  yes, it is impossible.   But we can make significant improvements on the status quo.  So, usually I end up making a fruit thing.  A crisp, or cobbler.  But fruit being the base.  I use the minimum sugar (organic coconut palm unrefined sugar) that I can get away with.  About 1/3 -1/2 cup for a 9 x 13 pan. of whatever I am making.     We top with ice cream (coconut milk based for me and ice cream with the least amount of ingredients for others).  And then,  a bit of home-made caramel sauce  drizzled on top.  THAT is the secret yummy.  Oh my goodness.

The best flavor IN THIS WORLD.

I make it with the whole she-bang.  But I use the better ingredients.  Every little bit helps.

EASY CARAMEL SAUCE

1 C.  organic coconut palm sugar

1/2 C.   organic heavy whipping cream

4 T organic butter

Pinch of sea salt

1 t. vanilla

Heat on med low heat the first three ingredients.  Whisking continuously until all is melted and thickening.  5-7 minutes.  Make sure granules are dissolved.   Add salt and vanilla stir and put in jar.

We wait for weekend night to enjoy our very special  yummy treat.  Since the sugar thing has to be few a far between for me, dessert is very special and we like to make that a part of a wonderful night home on the weekend.

Enjoy!

On a different note…I was driving home one night last week at dusk and a fog came rolling in that was wild.  It was deep blue.  Like an ice fog or somethin’ .   That is what it looked like to me.  It was warm out but it look like an ice fog sheet.  I know that doesn’t make sense.  But I took a picture with my phone and the contrast of the fog and my headlights was very cool.

By the way, I did not manipulate this photo.  The contrast was really quite something.

This was with headlights off:

I find great joy in the atmosphere.  Dont you?

You have yerself a great Tuesday.

God bless,

Karen

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September 25, 2012 · 09:46

New Acquaintances

Persimmons and Coyotes.

Persimmons. When our excavator showed up on site about 4 years ago, he was amazed at the number of persimmon trees we have.   He said in his travels around the county he just doesn’t see them much anymore.  A dying breed?  The trees are tall so hand picking is not really an option.  They are not big trees like oaks or maples but they are tall.  They are ripe when they fall to the ground on their own.  What people do is lay blankets at the base of the tree and shake the tree and let all the persimmons fall to the blanket.  Or of course,  you can just pick them off the ground as they fall themselves.   This year is the first year in 5 years that we are getting a noticeable harvest.

persimmon

They are not as pretty as this typically.  They are the size of  a really large grape and they usually look like a rotten really large grape.  This one was special.  They have too many seeds to just eat with effort.  Every bite holds at least one seed.  I would describe the flavor as being warm and cozy.  Like that of an avocado.  Velvety.   The problem is with all the seeds, I’m not sure what to do with them.  You can buy persimmon pulp in the freezer section but how do they get all those seeds out?  I have had persimmon pie, cookies , etc.  and all very good.  But it seems it may take me 24 hours (or more) to make a batch of cookies.  They kind a scare me.  I pick them up, bring them in and watch them as they sit on  my table.  I watch them and think about them.  Shady (the wonderful man who works for us) would die if he knew this.   They are gold to him.  I should either have him take them home or teach me not to be scared of them. Please, let me know what you do with them.

Coyotes.   We have had lots of visitors lately.   And while I have seen a couple here and there since we have owned our property, I have never seen THE  pack.  But, oh my goodness, they are here.  They usually are heard beginning right past dark and off and on until dawn.  It is rainy this morning so it is still darkish. They think it is still dark.  So they were still out making lots of noise as late as 8:15 this morning.

This pack wasn’t taken by my camera, but when our pack yell it sounds like there is every bit the number found here or more.  They howl when calling the pack together or when they all are  assembled.  And it is LOUD and monstrous.  A few weeks ago,  the pack had to be within fifty yards of our house.  Shrieking , and terrifying to imagine coming upon a pack.

People rarely see the pack assembled and I hear the pack can attack humans but it is very rare.  And it is rare for one to attack a human too.  I walk with my dogs so I don’t fear at all that one would attack, but every now and again, I think about what would happen if I rounded a corner and a pack was there staring at me.

I read they travel on established trails.  Pops spends all his time making trails. At this point them coyote could travel around our established trails and never cross over the same one. Why leave our property and explore ever again?   Keep on making them there trails, Pops.  Coyotes love you.

We enjoyed the wonderful Italian Sausage Ragout this weekend .

Sausage Ragout

It was SCRUMPTUOUS.  Perfect for a fall rainy night.  Served with Sourdough bread.   Please, look at the “Recipe” page for the recipe.

May God bless you and keep yours safe,

Karen

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September 17, 2012 · 19:17

This and That… And Other Tails.

Meet This and That, and Obie.

At the beginning of the month I followed my son  6 hours to college.  He couldn’t fit everything in his car.  Bless his little soul.   I love going to his school.  Small liberal arts college that has a wonderful, small, quiet atmosphere.  With artistic creativity oozing from its fiber.  My cup of tea.    Anytime, son.

We visited an art gallery where the owner keeps abandoned kitty’s in the back room.  I could think of worse things hangin’ in the back room.  I brought 3 home.  For the barn.  We need them as cold weather looms.  Mice.    Obie (Short for the school’s name,  Oberlin) came to live with us.  She is a scaredy cat.  Hides every time she sees you. Scared of her own shadow.  We have never had an animal like that.  You’re goin’ to have to get a life, little Obie.  You’ll get run out on a rail around here with that complex.

Little scaredy cat, Obie

And we have This and That.  They are identical black twins.  Can not tell them apart. They are as affectionate as Obie is not.   They are settling in and we love having them join the team.

This and That

Other great,  great news.  Our oldest son is getting married.  No, I am not old enough to have a son that old.  Pulease.  We are just trusting that he can handle the responsibility.   Just kidding.  He is old enough.  I am just not old enough.   His love is wonderful and I could not have picked one better for him.  We love her and look forward to a life with little Eric and Emily’s running around.   They have chosen to have the reception here at our farm.  When we bought this property I thought a wedding would be yummy here but having three boys never thought I would have the opportunity.   But yeah.  We get to do it.   We need to get busy……..

This couldn’t be our little Emily and Eric.  They haven’t matrimonied yet.   I borrowed from internet. Shhh.

Lastly, I read in a magazine for locals near Indianapolis…..I could not believe my eyes.. They were advertizing best restaurants for their burger toppers and one of them was Fermenti Artisan’s at the City Market.  IT IS A DELI THAT SPECIALIZES IN FERMENTED FOODS.    First ever I have seen this.  People are catching on, folks,  and if you want health in a jar, fermented foods is a must.   I cannot urge you enough.  If you aren’t from this area, please look in your health stores.  And just give it a try.  Please?

God bless,

Karen

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September 14, 2012 · 18:15

Fermentation Is The Key To Paradise

Good Morning!

I lay flat on my back with a torn disc. Very minor compared to past experiences.  I really need to leave the heavy lifting around here to someone else.   I have lots of time this morning to leisure in my thoughts.

I think I’ll go to a place that will (prayerfully) be of interest to you.  Eeek.

When my body was ailing from all the toxins from sugars and antibiotics and processed foods, the first thing my doctor taught me was to get a leg up on fermented foods.  What in the world.  Fermented foods were a popular way of preserving foods for cold months way back when in the era I should have lived.

You can ferment foods for all different effects and reasons.  You may be familiar with the process of making wine and beer and other alcohols.  A fermentation process is used to change the sugars in the grains and fruits into alcohol.

Sourdough bread goes through a fermentation process whereby the  wheat mixed with water goes sets off a breakdown of enzymes converting the so-an-so’s into something or other.   Bacteria cultures come about (I have no idea what I am saying here) and it makes the bread taste sour.    This process is done mostly for flavor purposes.  Only has minimal health benefits over regular wheat bread.  But  bottom line it taste AWESOME for all you gluten people out there.  Love, love,  love the  taste of sourdough bread.

These are not the culture processes I want to talk about today.  The fermentation foods that are power packed, probiotic filled,  life saving wonderment.  That is what I want to hit on.  The stuff saved my health.   And what started out a science experiment and dislike for the flavors, turned in to a lifeline to well-being.  My body craves the stuff when I don’t have it.

So what are they?

They are clean, preferably organic (we want cultured food not cultured chemicals)  foods that when left to their own devices produce their own good bacteria (probiotics) which when live in our bodies fight off any incoming bad bacteria to ward off illness.  Our bodies have naturally occurring good bacteria which do that.  But the stress and compromise that we subject our vessels to negate many good things in our bodies.  Also, fermented foods are pre-digested, meaning during the culturing process the food has started to break down itself so the digestion, by the time it hits your stomach, is easier.  Our bodies are asked to digest some really hard things.  Like foods with chemicals and foods with stripped nutritional value.  Our bodies simply do not know what to do with it.

If you:

eat processed foods

eat sugar

take antibiotics( they kill not only bad bacteria but ALL bacteria.  If you must be on them, take over the counter probiotics with them so you are not depleting all of your fightin’ buddies)

drink alcohol

any chemical laden foods

….you most likely have a compromised immune system, which means you are lacking good bacteria.

My dr. gave me lots of necessary steps to take but this cultured food deal was, in my mind and body, the most important.

The three cultured foods I eat religiously are:

YOGURT AND KEFIR.  Both of these are cultured milk products.  They are full of probiotics.  You can make them your self with culture starters or good yogurt.  Or you can buy from the store.  Buy ORGANIC, PLAIN  yogurt or kefir.  You are only wasting your money if you purchase fruity stuff.  The sugar and other stuff that is added makes it useless.   Add your own berries or what have you.

COCONUT KEFIR WATER.  Young coconut water store-bought.  Use a kefir starter which you can by at health food stores or online.  I buy online at http://www.bodyecologydiet.com.  You can get all culture starters there.  Buy her book while you’re at it.  Her book saved my life.  When I drink it, it turns my skin translucent.  Beautiful silky.

Coconut Water

You just add kefir starter and coconut water into glass crock with rubber gasket (they get the best seal) and sit on counter for 2 days.  It will taste effervescent.  A little champagney.  After all, it is fermented.  It is a treat!  Stocked full of yummy bacteria.

Finally and most importantly,

Cultured Veggies in glass crock

CULTURED VEGGIES!!!!!.   This is it, man.  I’m tellin’ you what.   It is like gold.  I am starting to see this stuff at my food store and it is sold for 10.99 a pint.  10.99 A PINT.   I have to buy it when I am out and it is gone in three servings.  ugh.  When I make it, I make 10 litres at a time.  And since it is naturally preserved I can take all the time I need to gobble it up.   This past   year I invested in the old german ceramic crocks that they used in the olden days to preserve their “kraut”  in the old dark cellars of yesteryear.  They come in sizes from a gallon, I think, up to 10 gallon crocks.  They are very cool.  I bought two- 10 litre crocks.  Very heavy duty.

German Ceramic Crock

I will post the Cultured Vegetable recipe on the recipe page.   I can just say that it would be very worth your while to make it.  There are many great recipes out there.  I have settled on one that I have used for 7 years that works for me.

To your health!

God bless,

Karen

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August 19, 2012 · 22:01

Day is Done, Gone the Sun.. Part II

When we entered the barn early, early in the morning I felt like I was a character in  Charlotte’s Web.   They (the goats, chickens, guineas and turkey) were quiet and tucked in.  Their eyebrows  raised with curiosity.  “What are the people doing here this early?  Is something the matter?  Are they coming to take us away?  Who are they going to take?  Where would they take us?  It is still dark outside.”

When we grabbed our first chicken, then they knew.  “It is the chickens they are after.”  Then all heck broke loose.  All the animals were running about, back and forth, this way and that.   I just had to remind myself, this is farming.  This is what it is.

Loadin’ up the truck

Off to the Amish farm we go.  It took about two hours to get there.  Pops and I drove separately because we cant figure out how not to.  It would be too complicated. What if,  heaven forbid, one of us wanted to go somewhere different than the other while we wait for the birds to get their haircut and other stuff.   So, we followed each other there.

Amish farm bright and early

The farm was lovely.  I don’t know what it is about farms, nature, animals. But when you  put all that together I feel like I am going to burst with joy.   I was so taken with this farm.

They were unloading chickens from two other vehicles.  One guy brought 275 chickens and the other brought about 20.  All I could think about was what if they gave me their chickens back instead of mine.  Their chickens we dirty and skinny.  Ours were the “suburban” looking chickens.  Clean, plump, shiny and new.  Beautiful color.  “I don’t want their chickens,”  I said to the kind Amish man.  He said, “You’re not getting their chickens.”  I said “ok”.

We got our chickens back.  26 of them.  Weighing in at 4-5 lbs to 7 lbs.  Some of them are monsters.  We got them home and I am starting to feel a little queasy about eating these things.  The day was extremely emotional for me.  By the time I got home late in the afternoon I was physically ill.  It was like the day the goat died at my hand.  This farming thing is really emotional.  I know I will get use to it as time goes by but this was the first time I have ever eaten an animal that I have raised.

Pops kept making me take photos of the chicken.  I have decided I don’t like taking pictures of food.  Seems really odd to me.   I will take them, but it makes me feel the same as when someone makes me pose for a photo.  It is unnatural.    I am weird.  But aren’t we all?

We grilled the birds and ate them.  OKAY.   So what did they taste like?  The white meat was perfect.  The dark meat was a little chewy.  Not tough.  Just chewy a little bit.   We attribute that to free ranging.  Running around here gaining muscle on their little bones as opposed to force-fed birds in confinement.  The flavor is outstanding.  And we are happy about it.  It was and has been an adventure.  It would be really cool to find someone closer to process them and I think we probably could do it ourselves but that discussion is for another day.  We will enjoy for now.

God bless,

Karen

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August 15, 2012 · 20:58

Day is Done, Gone the Sun.. Part I

…For my meat chickens.  Tonight, we pack ’em up and down the road they go.  They are called Freedom Rangers.  Sounds like a motorcycle cult, don’t you think?  They have grown to be beautiful birds.  The roosters are now crowing their little heads off and wreaking havoc on the hens already.  The hens scream bloody murder when they are chomped on  the neck by some mean ol’ beak.  There are clearly too many roosters out there.

Freedom Rangers – Day 1

Freedom Rangers- Day 100

We will take their food away tonight at beddy bye time.  And in the dark of night around 4:30 we will sneak in there while they are sleeping and load them in cages and take them about 2 hours  from here to those mean ol’  chicken people.  They will be ready to be picked up by 3 in the afternoon.

It will be a little odd to take my first bite out of something we raised.  This is our first time doing this.  I am confident that the results will be satisfactory.  I will let you know next post!  Wont that be something?  Animal today. Culinary review tomorrow.

Speaking of culinary review, we had a delish dish this weekend that included (shhhh)…. chicken. ( I dont want them to hear me)   I  WILL  be making this again.   Please enjoy.

Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk. (again, I forgot to shoot photo.  I cant remember to do that.  I will try harder.)

When I say coconut milk, I mean the real kind in a can.  Thick and yummy.  Not the processed junk that you can drink.

So simple and totally health right.  Serve over rice or pasta.

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground cayenne

1 t. ground turmeric

1 t. ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

4 skinless chicken breast.  You can use any chicken part you want.  I used 6 skinless boneless thighs.

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 T. Minced ginger

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

3 tomatoes chopped and seeded

1 can of coconut milk

1 bunch chopped parsley

Mix all spices in a bowl and dip meat in spice covering both sides.  Cook chicken in oil in skillet until done.  About 10 minutes on each side.

Remove chicken from pan and add into pan  onion, ginger, peppers, and garlic.  Cook until tender.

Mix in the tomatoes and continue to cook 5-8 minutes.  Stir in the coconut milk.  Mix thoroughly.  Serve over chicken.  Garnish with lovely parsley.

Beautifully spicy!

Since I try to properly combine food for easier digestion, I served this dish without pasta or rice.  Mixing the starch (rice, pasta) and protein ( chicken) is not good.  So, I served it with another veggie on the side.  For leftovers, I took the sauce left over and served it with green beans over rice. 

Wont you check back next time for Part 2 –  The Field Trip to the Amish Farm.

My experiment with flying laundry late at night.

Have yerself a super day.

God bless,

Karen

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Filed under Farm, Food/Recipes, Health/ Nutrition

July 27, 2012 · 10:08

The Ever Lovin’ Tomato

That’s what I call a lovey tomato.

Tomatoes are starting to roll in at a fast clip.  If you are growing them you might concur.     My sister showed up last fall with a colander full of orange cherry tomatoes.  While I dont have any experience really in cherry tomatoes, I did recognize these tasted different.  Like candy.  Truly.  I have never tasted anything like it.   I spent the better part of the winter and early spring researching (I am the queen of research) the origin of these little gobblie things.  The best I could tell, they were Sun Sugar.

Sun Sugar Cherry Tomatoes

I bought 3 plants to fill our tummies and I am going to turn into an acidic something or other if I am not careful.    And while mine are sweet, I am not convinced mine are as sweet as hers.  I am eating probably about 50 a day.  Poppin’ em like sugar.  That is a good way to develop food sensitivities.  Eating too much of one thing.  Like wheat.

I have found SUPER easy ways of preserving tomatoes that are literally as easy as throwing them at the freezer.

Pop whole tomatoes with skins on in gallon freezer bags and throw in freezer for future use.

Sundry them.  Cut them up in half and lay cut side up  on cookie sheet and pop in oven on 200 for about 6 hours.  Until they are leather hard.  Not brittle.  Transfer to zip lock bags.

I do not go through the hassle of peeling my tomatoes.  I’m not sure why people do.  Peels in my sauces have not caused a problem for me or those whom I share with.

Last week I shared with my family a super easy luscious  pasta that went like this:

Pasta from the Shieling

When tomatoes are roasted they sorta have that “tang” of sun-dried but more subtle and yummy with olive oil.

Serves 4.

Cut 6 good-sized tomatoes in chunks and lay on cookie sheet.

Drizzle with generous olive oil.

Sprinkle with generous amount of minced garlic.

sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Roast in oven at 275 for a 2 hours.

Add it to your favorite pasta (Tinkyada is  a hands down wonderful gluten-free pasta.  My people can’t tell the difference.  Give your body a rest from wheat this time.)   doused in olive oil and garnish with chopped fresh basil and shaved parmesan.

Please enjoy!

My neighbor’s horse  going eye to eye with a  monster insect.

Pops and I keep thinking about horses.  We have miles of trails behind our house.  We know they are lots of work,  but what isn’t?  What I don’t want to do is invest in a money pit.  I keep being told that I can’t simply have my horse out on a hitching post and  just get on him whenever I need to move about on our property.  Isn’t that what the cowboys did?  Do you have an opinion on why we shouldn’t?  I would really like to hear.

Have a super blessed day.  You are loved beyond measure.

Karen

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