Irony

I didn't disappear!  Simply had a long day yesterday, but I'm here and I have a great recipe for you today!  You will love it!  I wish I had more/ better pictures, so this coming week, that is what I'm up to:  making sure I have improved pictures of this amazing recipe!

Yesterday happened to be very busy, and I was out running some errands.  I took my 3 year old with me and we drove around town with the top down on my convertible.  Sometimes he likes it and sometimes he doesn't.  He wears a hat in the car and will wave to people, it's pretty darned adorable.  He thinks he's such a big guy helping with the groceries or the errands, and it's nice to spend some one on one time after months of struggling with school and things.  We're cruising along yesterday and "Winter Wonderland" came on the radio.  We were singing along and grooving a bit, when the irony hit me.... Here I am, driving in beautiful 72 degree weather, warm, bright sunshine, top down, wind blowing, tee-shirt and sunhat during the Christmas season, and singing along/ imagining the "winter wonderland."   It was so funny, I just started to laugh!  Christmas for us former northerners is FILLED with memory of snow, cold weather, dreary days, dark afternoons, and Christmas lights kissed with icicles.    It's a time of family and friends, heavy coats, warm boots and mittens, sitting by the fire and drinking hot cocoa.   So, "Winter Wonderland" brought back a lot of those memories and I was sucked into the past for a few moments.  Reality, however, has a different tune... it somewhat sounds like the Beach Boys "Kokomo"...
*(not my video, follow the link to visit that person's channel)

and many days, it is really like that!  I've had warm sunny days with a drink in one hand and tanning lotion in another, while sitting in the warm sun.   I've been to the beach in the middle of December when we had one of the coldest winters in decades and it was 30 degrees, and in the middle of August when it's pushing 100.

As we continued to drive, Mannheim Steamroller came on
*(not my video, follow the link to visit that person's channel)

and inspired my 3 year old into "magics."  I started imitating him and asking what this was because it was so cool... When, he interrupted me and said, "No mom.  I do the magics.  You do the car driving."   Oh.  Got it.  I'm not allowed to do the magics.   That being said, with the warm weather and the mixed messages from Florida's nature of warmth and green everywhere, it can be more difficult to get that old "Christmas spirit."  I see lights and trees and somehow, they seem out of place.  I bought a fake tree one year and sprayed it with "pine scent" from an air freshener can.   That didn't really do it.   My children have rarely seen the cold or snow around this time of year.  The few times they have, it's because we were visiting relatives up north.

So, if you have any ideas on how to bring Christmas spirit to "Kokomo,"  let me know!  I'd love to hear your ideas on how to make a warm weather Christmas more festive!

In the mean time, here's your recipe, which, by the way, is NOT (it is but it's not) edible!!!!

Wait, wait, wait.  A recipe on a food blog that is not edible?  What am I doing?  Well......

If you have a girl or guy in your life that has dry skin, or loves lotions, you are going to LOVE this recipe.  I developed it years ago, but talking to my mom yesterday she gave me a great idea to spice up my old recipe.
If you have very curly hair, a little bit of this worked into the curls away from the scalp makes them shiny and bouncy!  I know, I used it on my son's kinky curls for years and he never woke up in the morning with tangles!

Island Lotion

REAL cacao butter (link provided for reference, not advertisement) - this is NOT cocoa butter (ok it is... but sometimes people confuse it with a premade lotion or marketed product... you're looking for a RAW version, with this spelling you'll get much better results!)
http://www.nuts.com/nuts/cacao/raw-butter.html

real, cold pressed, minimal processed coconut oil (refined if you do NOT want it to smell like coconut,
UNrefined if you like the smell of coconut) - The company I'm linking here, I really like a lot, however they do not pay me to advertise for them, so again, this is a reference, not an advertisement, but I do think their company has great products.

Food grade flavoring of your choice.   (I have NEVER used this site, however, think I would love to try it.  My local store has many of these in stock however, so this is reference for you!)  Any flavor or scent you enjoy - if you like chocolate cheesecake, get that flavor.  Find something that goes with chocolate or coconut, however, it doesn't have to be that way, many times the raw ingredients, their scent fades and you are left with the flavoring scent.

Here's the idea:  You choose your favorite scent for your 'lotion'.  You can buy a mold (for soap) if you want it to look pretty, or you can use an ice cube tray, miniature cups, or a mini muffin tin.

Take 2 parts cacao butter and one part coconut oil and SLOWLY, VERY SLOWLY, and VERY LOW TEMP, start to melt them together in a pan.  Keep the temp VERY low.  I cannot stress that enough.  And DO NOT use the microwave.  I understand it's quick, however the microwave will kill the natural properties of the oils.

Once the mixture is completely liquid, pour in a few drops of flavoring - or as much as you want or like!  If you love a strong smelling lotion, add more, if you are not so keen on smelling like a bakery, or spice rack, then use less (or none at all).   The product without the flavoring, has a sweet, light coconut chocolate scent that disappears shortly after you apply to your skin.   After you add the flavoring, stir a few more times to incorporate the scent and then pour evenly into your molds of choice.

Allow to cool over night (if you're in warm sunny Florida, you might want to cool these in the refrigerator, otherwise, room temp is fine.

When they are solid, press down on one side and they should POP release out of the mold (or depending on your mold you may just be able to invert the mold and they will fall out.)  If you are having trouble DO NOT IMMERSE THE BOTTOM IN WARM WATER!  They will melt faster than you can get them out of the mold.  Simply hold the mold in the palm of your hand for a few seconds and then try again to press on the top side and see if it will pop.

I suggest use right out of a warm shower.   Roll in your hands a few minutes then rub ALL over, a little bit goes a long way.  I like this best on freshly shaven skin, or on very curly hair.  If you used an adorable mold, perhaps these can go into gifts or stockings this year (provided the fireplace isn't on....)

Do remember...
1.  They will melt once the room gets warm.  I store mine in the refrigerator to avoid warm days or accidents.
2.  They do not taste as good as they smell, however ARE SAFE TO EAT!  **
3.  They are WONDERFUL for people with eczema (so long as they are not allergic to the ingredients)
4.  Can be used by people who are sensitive to chemicals, additives, and coloring.
5.  Can be used on curly hair to tame the cold weather frizzies.
6.  Make great gifts


**Yes, they will smell great.  Yes, you may be tempted to think, "Ok, just one bite."  Go ahead.  It tastes pretty gross.  HOWEVER, it has no added chemicals, or unpronouncable additives.  It is made out of ALL FOOD GRADE MATERIALS.  If your two year old gets into this and takes a bite, you will not have to call poison control and ask what to do next.  It IS made out of natural fats which people use in foods, and too much of this can cause stomach upset, just like eating too much of any food.

So, please, try to refrain from eating it, but definitely enjoy this without worry on your skin, your baby's skin and for the whole family during this cold weather season with lots of dry skin!

Wrap in wax paper or a pretty tin to give as gifts or store.  Be particularly aware of the melting point of this lotion, it can quickly ruin pockets or purses if left there in warm temperatures.

The best part of all this?  It's gluten free AND sugar free and you didn't have to write the company to make sure they didn't add gluten to the lotion your skin is absorbing.   I made this mistake once and am very careful now.  I used a lotion that had wheat added for a thickener (all natural and organic!) but gave me very itchy skin.


I hope you enjoy this recipe and today's dose of irony -- Snow songs and sunny days and a food blog recipe that you can't eat!

(pictures coming soon!)

Until then, enjoy a sight of the season!  Yes this is MY humble abode (not that you can see a whole lot of it!)

Welcome to the Holidays!

Well, it's begun.  The insanity everyone calls the "holiday season".   We celebrate Christmas around here, and typically Christmas BEGINS on the 24th and goes until January 8.   It's not unusual for our tree to go up around the 20th and just when the radio quits playing carols, that's when our festivities begin with big meals, presents, visitors and the festive mood of family and celebration.  Unfortunately for us, the rest of the world goes back to reality on Jan. 2 (sometimes on Dec. 26) and then we look crazy still wearing our red and green and singing "Silent Night."   This makes for a strenuous relationship with the outside world.  So, more and more every year our little Christmas only lasts a few days.  Some people really get into it and do gifts every day, some celebrate on the day then again on the 8th.  I think a lot of people just wish it would go away by the time the 25th rolls around.   We used to do the grandparents one night, other grand parents another night, our family another night, friends another night, you get the idea.  Nowadays, it kinda fades into the past once we hit Dec. 25 at 1:00 p.m.

One big tradition that I've always had is Monkey Bread for Christmas morning breakfast.   I've been making Monkey Bread for about 15 years.   Imagine my absolute crushing disappointment to not be able to eat it.  The first year I couldn't have it, I refused to cook anyway, because I was so emo about not being able to eat anything I loved.  Well, that did NOT fly with the kids.  They wanted their classic Christmas breakfast.  The next year I broke down and made the whole thing (thinking, falsely that now I had things in my arsenal and I'd be fine with it.)  Wrong.  I ate quite a few bites of it.  And then got sick.  However, it was really good!  While it lasted.....

Do I have a great gluten free alternative to Monkey Bread?  Not yet.  You just cannot replicate the chewy, gooey, smooth texture of wheat and sugar in a sugar free, wheat free dish.  It just (mostly) doesn't happen.
However.  I do have something that IS delicious, sweet, gluten and added sugar free that perhaps may become a NEW Christmas tradition breakfast!  This dish does have fruit in it, and if you're avoiding that because of natural sugars then, I'll have more coming up that you can try.  So, don't panic yet.  But for  now, we're going to be using pears.

I LOVE pears.  I made pear everything one year, pear lemon, pear ginger, pear chocolate (YUM), pear orange, pear cinnamon, pear apple cranberry.  You name it, I made it.  This particular recipe I did come up with on my own however, if you find that your Aunt Martha made this in 1967, please don't call me and say I must have broken into her house and stole the family recipe.  I wish I was that good.  No, this came to me in a pear craving.  That's it.  Unless Aunt Martha answered my telepathic cravings with her recipe in my head... well then I got it from her.

Ginger Pear Cobbler

5-6  ripe pears chopped (not brown though)
28g (1oz) grated fresh ginger **NOTE
pinch salt
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tsp cinnamon
4g (1/8 oz) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp NuNaturals Stevia or 10-14 drops liquid (or NONE at all if your pears are sweet!)
2 tBsp lemon juice
26g (1oz) chopped almonds
26g (1oz) craisins (optional - remember regular grocery store adds sugar, Wholefoods has a kind with no added sugar)

(yes I see the disparity of the 28g/1oz of ginger and 26g/1oz almonds - this kinda gets my argument of we need to go back to metric but what do I know.  I like ginger, I eeked a bit more into the mix.)   =)

Topping
56g (2oz) crushed almonds
1tsp salt
142g (5oz) GLUTEN FREE OATS ***NOTE
56g (2oz) sugar free maple syrup
56g (2oz) room temp or softened butter (or coconut oil)


**Note:  something I learned the hard way.  Fresh ginger is kinda solid feeling, like a carrot.  Older... aging ginger can get soft.  I have nothing G rated to compare that too... OH like a twizzler!  For a bunch of people who are eating sugar free, I'll be really impressed if you remember what twizzlers feel like.  LET'S just say, more like the texture of an aging tomato?  I'm not doing any better huh?  Either way... OLD ginger is HOT, and very juicy, it tastes great, however, fresh works better here.  It's sweeter, easier to grate and has very good flavor without being overpowering.

***Note:  Some people find they react to oats.  If you make sure you are using gluten free oats, sometimes you will find you can tolerate them... sometimes not.   Either way, if you are able to tolerate oats, make sure you get gluten free.  They are farmed and processed differently as to avoid wheat cross contamination.  I ALWAYS advocate for GMO free and organic.

Directions:

First, chop your pears into 1/2 to 1" cubes into a bowl and pour the lemon juice over them, fold gently.  Add everything else (not topping,) fold that in as well.

Now.  Here is where you have a VERY, VERY difficult choice.  IF you are a raw foodie and you want to eat this cold....you can.... follow the directions for raw.  If you want this warm and bubbly and crispy on top out of the oven... follow the regular directions.  Really, it depends on if you can wait and let it set all night and risk waking up to find an empty pan in your fridge, or if you want to pull it out of the oven and turn around to get a plate and find the pan empty and still piping hot.  Your call.

FOR BAKING:
Preheat your oven to 425f.  Butter a glass 8x8 pan and pour in your pear mixture.  In separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients for topping, then add in the wet ingredients, mixing with a fork until crumbly (I recommend using butter here.)  Crumble the mixture over your pears.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.  Try to let it cool at least 5 minutes, serve with heavy cream poured over the top.


FOR RAW:
Pour your pear mixture into a glass 8x8 pan.  In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients for topping, then add wet ingredients (coconut oil works here but not quite as flavorful as butter.)   Mix with a fork till crumbly.  Pour over the pear mixture and PRESS together (not too much, don't squish the pears.)  However, you do want to create kind of a cookie 'cover' for the pears.   Place in refrigerator covered to let flavors meld!  Chill overnight or until you can't stand it any longer.  Eat from pan.  I mean... serves about 8 - if you're super generous....
(you can still pour cream over it, it's delicious!)

Here's the real problem.  Because the cobbler was hot out of the oven... I got pictures of it.  The other one.. well, it didn't last long enough to get a picture.  In fact... the topping never met the pears - or the refrigerator for that matter.  We just ate it from the bowl with a spoon and then a spoonful of pears,  spoonful of topping, spoonful of pears, spoonful of topping.... well, you get the idea.  It didn't last.


So, here's hoping you can blow the kids out of the water with this healthy and delicious breakfast!  Or just hide in your room with 2 bowls and a spoon and lock the door.

Whatever.

Here's all the stages!  I was able to chase my kids away long enough to get decent pics!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS and enjoy!

Free Friday - Chicken Kale stew

Welcome to Friday! It's the weekend and today I'm going to give you a great recipe to feed the family as well as freeze for a few lunches next week. My hint was that you were going to need a slowcooker. If you are starting with nothing but a bunch of ingredients and a raw chicken, then yes, you need this. But if you're swinging by the store on the way home and grabbing a rotisserie chicken, then no, you don't need the crock pot. This particular dish is a great, warm, comfort food, filled with hearty veggies and rich proteins. No sugar and no wheat, it's the perfect cold night stew. I realize we're headed into spring and don't worry, I'll be pulling out more recipes for salads and maybe a few cakes, but for now I was really looking for something nutrient dense and this definitely does it.

The ingredient list isn't complicated but it is full. The method isn't crazy but it can take a little bit. If you're in a hurry, make this stew ahead of time. It tastes great after being in the fridge overnight and freezes very well. I used my 6 qt pot and found it was a little too small. If you have a stock pot, definitely use that.

Also, straying from my usual butter obsession, today I've put a new ingredient on the list: coconut oil. Coconut oil is supposedly VERY good for you, has all these magical abilities and in general will save the world someday. Unrefined will give your food a light coconut magic taste and refined will just give you magic. I used the coconut oil in my chicken stew instead of butter because there's been some recent discussion about how butter is bad. I disagree to a certain extent, however, I do think I probably eat too much butter. So, if you can make the splurge (coconut oil is NOT cheap) then go for it, it's good fat.

Let's get started!

Chicken Kale Stew:

Ingredients:

3 oz butter or coconut oil

8 oz carrots chopped

1/4 onion or bunch of spring onions chopped, including green tops

3oz chopped garlic (about 1/2 head garlic)

2 stalks of celery chopped

2-4 cups water

2 tablespoons of chicken soup base

bag of frozen mixed veggies - your choice/favorite

14 oz of fresh chopped kale - I buy a huge bag already chopped

2 cans cannellini beans

teaspoon of thyme (or if you have it fresh 3 sprigs torn up)

8 large basil leaves torn

1 whole cooked chicken, pulled apart into pieces/chopped into 1" pieces

Start with some oil/butter in the bottom of your stock pot. Throw in onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook on medium heat till the carrots start to become tender. Add the soup base and 2 cups of water, and the frozen veggies. Stir and start to bring the pot back up to medium heat cooking the veggies. Add in the basil and thyme, beans and kale. Stir until the kale is fully incorporated into the soup and turning bright green, adding water if necessary to cover everything. Finally, add the chicken, bring the stew to a boil (add more water if you find it to be a little thick). Gently boil for 15 min to help blend flavors and serve hot. This is where your stew will end up tasting better the next day, by letting it sit overnight (refrigerated), reheating will awaken some of those flavors that weren't quite ready when it was fresh. But it still tastes great right out of the pot.

Enjoy!