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Cooking

Ideas to Help You Drink More Water

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Water as I diet and get healthy, water has been vital to making my weight loss quest successful.  So I have been developing new ways to flavor water. DIY flavor water.  My kids also could not wait to try the DIY flavored water as well.

Here are some homemade flavored water ideas.

  • Melon
  • Strawberries with lemons
  • Mint
  • Cucumbers (try mixing with melon)
  • Apples
  • Peaches
  • Berries
  • Bell of Hot pepper/with red pepper flakes
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Cilantro or basil with cherry tomatoes
  • A drop of hot sauce

Try these flavors with your water, it will add a fancy fun element to the same old, plain everyday water.

  • chill the water in the fridge
  • then add ice before serving

wow guest by having a pretty way to serve flavored water in vintage glasses and pitches.

**Also freeze ice cubes with flavors inside

Cooking, Parenting

Hunger Hits Home

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So Tasty Tuesday this week is a little different.  Our Kids  they have food, they know what a full belly is.  They are lucky we have food and I cook for them,  but many many children do not have a meal or food in their bellies. Our American children go hungry every day, we have the ability to end this, now by 2015

When we feed out dog $35 bag of dog food in my case it is 2 dogs… Kids go hungry.
When we spend $50 to go out to eat ..Kids Go hungry
When I spend $7 on cheese .. Kids Go Hungry

I am pledging that I will donate Going out once  a month … to those kids.. Will you join me?

Let help and lets Stop the hunger..   Please watch  Hunger Hits Home on Food Network April  14th 8/7c .. Please check out Share our Strength

Please watch and Donate..

If you want to organize a bake sale  Please Join the Great American Bake Sale  .. to donate to the kids

Bloggers I ask that you share  this on the bottom of your recipe posts.. “Let help and lets Stop the hunger..   Please watch  Hunger Hits Home on Food Network April  14th 8/7c .. Please check out Share our Strength ”

Cooking

Sausage and Onions #TastyTuesday

Sausage and Onions  So in my family no one likes cooked green , yellow, or red peppers.  Which can make Sausage and peppers a hard meal to make, but I love the sausage flavor.  So I omit the peppers and make sausage onions without the slime peppers.  I serve it as a soup, on noodles and traditional on a roll

Sausage and Onions

  • 3 Onions- quartered and sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic sliced
  • 1 -2 lb of sausage  Links (for soup you can also use loose sausage)
  • 1 lb of mushrooms sliced
  • 1 bottle of beer
  • 1 can of whole tomatoes (I prefer red pack tomatoes)
  • 1 can of broth Chicken or vegetable
  • Add black pepper ¼ tsp
  • 2 tbls of hot sauce (I like Franks) Optional
  • Bacon slices (optional)
  1. 1 brown sausage, and bacon  in pot , remove and drain- leave dropping in pot
  2. Add to pot  chopped onions, garlic sauté, mushrooms,  till golden
  3. Add tomatoes
  4. Beer  and one can of broth, pepper and hot sauce
  5. Put in crock pot scraping all the goodness droppings off the bottom)  cook for 4 hours
  6. Now you can add more both and make it a sausage soup, of serve on noodles or rolls

Variations:

  • add the peppers back in ,
  • sausage soup add potatoes,
  • add kale at end of cooking 20 before finished

I do the soup because I don’t want the carbs from the noodles of the bread.

Here is a printable version is this recipe Sausage and Onions

Let help and lets Stop the childhood hunger in the US.   Please watch  Hunger Hits Home on Food Network April  14th 8/7c .. Please check out Share our Strength

 

Cooking, Product Reviews

Sesame Chicken Legs #TastyTuesday

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My kids love chicken legs.  They are great because no cutting of meat is necessary.  So I am always thinking of new ways to serve my family chicken legs.  I recent learned that the local Philadelphia Target near me is now carrying fresh Gold’nPlump chicken which is  all natural, wholesome, delicious chicken.   Gold’nPlump also offers chicken legs so I came up with a new way to serve them to the kids and they were a huge hit.

Sesame chicken legs

  • 1 package of Gold N Plump  chicken legs
  • ½ cups of soy
  • ¼ of Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbls olive oil
  • ¾ cup honey
  • 2 tlbs of spoon of toasted sesame
  • Clove of garlic
  • 1 tsp of ginger

  1. Parboil your chicken leg in water for 15 minutes till cooked thoroughly.
  2. Mix remain ingredients in a zip lock bag to make the marinade
  3. Then place cooked  chicken legs in the marinade
  4. Let legs marinate for 30 minutes
  5. Heat a sauté pain us a little oil or butter in pan to avoid sticking brown the chicken legs slightly.
  6. Then pour marinate in pan and allow the chicken to finish cooking allowing the marinate to reduce and thicken to use as a sauce
  7. Remove and serve with favorite side.

For an printable version of  Sesame chicken legs recipe

Disclosure: I received the chicken legs form Gold’nPlump but the opinions in this post were my own.

 

Cooking

How to make Pickled Cauliflower Salad

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How to make a Pickled Cauliflower Salad :  that you can make an eat an minutes.  It also stores well so you can have Pickled cauliflower as a great healthy side to any meal.  This Salad is spicy, vinegary and crunch making you want more pickled cauliflower.  Bonus you can add any vegetables to the cauliflower and have a in season pickled salad.

Spicy Cauliflower Salad

  • 2 cups vinegar
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 tbls of sugar
  • 1bulb of garlic (5- 6 cloves) Peeled
  • 2 bay leafs
  • 1 tbls red hot pepper flakes
  • 2 tbls of salt
  • 1 head of Cauliflower
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 bell pepper  (any color , green, red, or  yellow)

  1. Put all the wet ingredients (vinegar, water. sugar),  ½ the red pepper flakes, Bay leaves, and garlic peeled
  2. Bring water /vinegar/ sugar /garlic to a boil
  3. Add the Cauliflower, celery, and carrots, 1 bell pepper
  4. Bring winger/ water  to a boil  again reduce heat and cook for 10 min (till cauliflower is tender to a fork)
  5. Remove from heat and allow cauliflower salad to cool 5-10  minutes
  6. Drain liquid reserve the cauliflower liquid for future use or store the Pickled cauliflower in .
  7. Put the salad in a bowl sprinkle with remain hot red pepper flakes and sprinkle with salt and add ½ cup of liquid  chill in fridge for 1 hour. Pickled Cauliflower saladI did buy a great storage container form Ikea for the cauliflower salads to keep in my fridge.

 

Tip;  Use remaining liquid  add 1 cup of water  1 could of garlic and  add green beans  bring to boil and store green beans in the liquid for a spicy green bean treat. Pickled green beans.

If you would like an easy print out version of this recipe.  click here  Cauliflower Salad

check out my other salad posts:   Pickled Squash

pickled squash recipe

Easy Sriracha Dressing

Chipotle Dressing Copycat

Easy Asia Coleslaw

easy aisa coleslaw salad

Have a great day !

Cooking

Cabbage Casserole Healthy St. Patricks Day

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St. Patrick’s day is this weekend. I grew up eating Corned Beef and cabbage,  my mouth is watering.   I love corn-beef and cabbage but  I am trying to be healthy.  The vegs cooked in the corned-beef fat add flavor and unwanted calories.  So I came up with a way to get the flavor with out the fat and grease.   The key is the cumin, which gives the depth of flavor.

Cabbage Casserole
• 4 potatoes peeled sliced thin 1/8”
• 1 head of cabbage remove outer layer slice thin
• 3 carrots sliced thin 1/8”
• 7-9 Brussels sprouts sliced
• 1/2 can of chicken stock (healthy) or ½ stick of butter
• Cumin (sprinkle)
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Slice potatoes place on bottom of dish
3. Layer cabbage then carrots
4. adding salt pepper , cumin to taste each layer
5. Layer potatoes, cabbage, carrots finish with Brussels sprouts.
6. Pour butter or chicken broth over top
7. Place in oven and cook for 30min or till fork tender

Here is a printable version of Cabbage Casserole

Grab a pint and luck of the Irish to you !

Cooking

Broccoli Cheese Soup #TasteTuesday

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So all weekend I promised my husband my Broccoli cheese soup.  This soup is perfect for a cold night. Which was good  because I forgot to call the oil company and we ran out of heat.  So after sitting in a cold house all day wait for my husband to fix the heat, 99* after the oil truck came.  I rewarded him with  broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl.  I know with my health living this was not a great choice.  So I had a cup”ish” and  avoid the bread.  I also Immediately pack the extra soup and sent it to a neighbor.  Using my trust weight watcher 1cup scoop I make 2 small plastic containers for my hubby to take to his job.

Broccoli cheese soup

  • Broccoli 2 heads
  • ½ gallon of  milk
  • 2 pints of half and half
  • 1 block of sharp cheddar 1lb
  • 1 onion
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 ½ sticks of butter
  • 1 tsp of cumin
  • 1 tbls of worshire sauce
  • 1 tbls of hot sauce
  • 1 tbls of soy sauce
  • 1 ham steak (optional)
  • 1 chicken breast cooked(optional)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 10 Bread Kaiser Rolls (optional)

 

  1. Melt 1 ½ sticks of butter,
  2. Chop onions, place in pot  with butter cook until soft, add salt/pepper
  3. Add flour over onions making a rue with opinions butter and flour
  4. Add milk, half and half, cumin, worshire, soy, hot sauces,   stir until flour breaks down and blended
  5. Wash broccoli, cut up discarding stems, add to pot with milk
  6. Bring to a almost low boil (watch milk so as not to separate)
  7. Cover turn on low stir in occasionally so the soup does not burn on bottom
  8. Cook until broccoli is tender with fork
  9. Carefully mash broccoli with potato masher, (or use a blender)
  10. Add ham/ chicken heat till they are hot
  11. Add cheese and stir in.
  12. serve in a bread bowl optional

Makes 10-12 servings.. This is a very heavy recipe

Then call your Cardiologist.

 

 

Cooking, Product Reviews

Banana Bread and Coffee Chat

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Banana Bread and Gevalia Coffee,  Great in the morning.  This is my favorite  banana bread I have been making it for holidays and as hostess gifts for years.  My kids love to wake up have a piece of Banana bread and head off to school.  It is best if the bananas are very ripe almost black,  they are sweeter that way.

One of my favorite things to have with my coffee is Banana Bread.  Here is my recipe for great tasting bread, you kids will love it as well .

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 3 large or 4 small bananas (ripe)(brown spots are fine)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Baking Spray or butter to grease the pans

Baking the Banana Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Using an electric mixer beat oil and sugar in large mixing bowl for 2 min
  3. Add eggs and vanilla to oil/sugar, beat well with mixer (I was making a dbl batch use 2 eggs for one batch)
  4. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder into batter, mix for 2 minutes (if you don’t have a sifter light spoon in flour so it is not heavy)
  5. In separate bowl mash (with a potato masher or large fork) peeled banana with cinnamon (like chunky baby food): add to batter and mix to well blender
  6. Pour the banana bread into 2 well greased loaf pans 9x5x3″ or 1 pan if you like a bigger slice
  7. Bake for 37-40 mins for 2 loaves or 42-45 for 1 loaf (watch them once they get golden take them out as long as the toothpick comes out clean)
  8. Let cool for 10 min before taking out of banana bread loaf pan and cutting. Also can be frozen

Variations:

  • ½ cup chocolate chips, add once the batter is already in loaf pan.. if you add chips mix in with mixer they tend to go to the bottom of the loaf once you pour in the pan.
  • Smaller personal loafs which I make more at the holidays teacher gifts ..take about 37 min to bake , you can make 4 small loves from one batch of batter
  • Banana ripe but no time to make the bread, freeze the bananas for later . The bananas tend to not be a chunky but the taste is the same. FYI Banana turn black when frozen they are still good

I am doing my 1st webchat with a Gevalia. If you could join me for support I would love it.  Want to talk BabyPop, my blog, baking,  and coffee.   Join me Today 10-11 am for @Gevalia coffee chat

Thanks to Gevalia for the great talk.

Disclosure: I did receive product  for the chat but the opinions in this post are all of my own.

Cooking, Parenting

How to Make Bread in a Bag

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How to Make Bread in a Bag:  Every year for the last 4 years, I make bread for the church on fat Tuesday it is for the Ash Wednesdays meager meal with soup and bread.  Then on Ash Wednesday I go in and make the same bread with about 10 kids int he after school program. This Bread is made in a bag and is very easy to make.  It is a great set up ahead and have the kids make kind of project.  The recipe has been passed to me from a lovely women in my church MM Harris, she has spent many years teaching the children in our congregation.  She has been make this bread with the church for years. So this year MM and I will be making many loves at home and working with the kids to make the bread.

This is not a religious recipe, MM just loved it because it was fun to make with kids.  I cant recommend it enough to try making this bread with kids you know.  Super easy Bread.

How to Make Bread in a Bag

Bread in a Bag

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 package yeast
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup hot water(125-130 degrees)
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1 gallon freezer bag with a zipper lock
  1. Combine 1 cup all purpose flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, dry milk, and salt in a freezer bag.  Squeeze air out of bag. bread in a bag  
  2. Shake and work bag with fingers  to blend ingredients.
  3. Add hot water and oil to dry ingredients.  Reseal bag, and work again with fingers. bread to make with kids
  4. Add whole wheat flour.  Reseal bag and mix thoroughly. bread to make with kids
  5. Gradually add enough remaining all purpose flour to make a stiff dough that pulls away from the bag. 
  6. On a floured surface, knead dough 2-4 minutes  until smooth and elastic. kid friendly bread
  7. Cover dough, let rest 10 minutes.
  8.  Roll dough to 12×7″ rectangle. bread in a bag
  9. Roll up from narrow end. easy bread
  10. Pinch ends and edges to seal. 
  11. Place in greased loaf pan, cover.
  12. Place shallow pan on counter filled with boiling water. 
  13. Place a baking sheet on top, place covered loaf pan on top of baking sheet.
  14. Let rise 20 minutes or until double in size. easy bread
  15. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until done.easy breadTip: When making these loaves I made 1 in a bag and I did use my mixer w/ dough hook for the other 2 the results are the same. So If you are making alot of loaves of Bread you can also use a mixer with a dough hook, when kid power kneading is unavailable

I love to make this bread anytime of year it is a great hearty bread  easy to make and lovely with butter or I like it warm with Honey.

This is MM she is the lovely lady who gave me this recipe.

easy bread

For a Printable version of the Bread in a Bag

Check out my Pintrest Bread board for others ideas for bread.

 

Cooking, Parenting

Making Sushi with Kids Tasty Tuesday

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This past week my son asked to make Sushi.  It has been about 10 years but I took out my Sushi supply’s and bought the sushi rice  business.  Make sushi at home is a fun family activity and my kids love to cook.  It took about 2 hours to make this meal, so it is great for rainy afternoons. I did not use raw fish since sushi grade fish is best left to professional sushi chefs.

Supply:

  • 2 Sushi Mats (1 for an adult and kids)
  • wooden spatula
  • sharp knife

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sushi rice
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 3 tbs sugar
  • 2 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 package seaweed sheets (I like seasoned)
  • roasted sesame seeds

Fillings (all sliced in thin strips)

  • intimation crab
  • smoke salmon
  • avocado
  • cream cheese
  • cucumber
  • carrots (blanched)
  • onions (grilled)
  1. Rinse the rice make sure that the water runs clear and make sure their is no rock or debris left in the rice
  2. Place rice, water, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt in pot  Cook for 15 minutes then leave covered for 15 minutes.
  3. Allow rice to cool slightly
  4. Cover sushi bamboo mat used roller in plastic wrap
  5. Take the seaweed paper place on sushi mat using a wooden spoon spread the rice on 1/2 the paper long ways about 1/8 thick or less
  6. (note the rice is sticky keep a glass of water dipping the spoon in the water to release the starch)
  7. Decide if you want the seaweed on out side of the roll or inside ( like inside rice on out side if so flip the rice side down)
  8. Add the filling on the top of the seaweed (on the 1/2 that is not covered in rice)
  9. Use the mat  start rolling at the filling side using the mat to make a tight roll (tip, dip you finger in water and run along roll Like wetting an envelope)  the keep rolling till the roll is all rolled together.
  10. Sprinkle out side of roll with sesame seeds
  11. To cut dip knife in water and cut in 1″ pieces

Philly sushi roll: salmon cream cheese

California  sushi roll : crab, avocado and cucumber

veggie: carrot, grilled onion,cucumber

crab salad: make a crab salad with mayo in roll

Make you own combo.

Suggest side is a spring roll which the kids love making as well.

I love make Spring Rolls I was inspire by PartyBluePrint Blog  I adapted the recipe from thers omitting the basil.  I made the filling and my daughter rolled the wraps.  The kids loved playing with the rice paper.

I recommend buying sushi ingredients, sushi supplies, and rice paper at the same time at an Asian market much more reasonably priced.

Enjoy making it a  Sushi Family Night!