5 Things That Are Saving My Life ... Right Now

 This is that in between time of year in Wisconsin.  Snow is melting, but we'll probably get at least one more dusting.  It's too wet to start gardening, but floral graveyards of last year are appearing uncovered showing dead leaves, stems, and dirt.  I planted some bulbs last fall, so I'm hoping they survived the squirrels and cold and will be coming up soon.  On the plus side, we had gorgeous weather this weekend.  Blue skies and forty degree temps.  So nice in fact, that my cat tries to bolt outside anytime I'm going in or out the door.  He wants to explore the yard and wander around the snowbanks.

I'm feeling more active on the weekends, but still pretty drained on weekdays.  Here's what's is helping me stay sane right now.

1. My weighted blanket.  When my depression was in full swing, I was frequently up at 2 in the morning for an hour, usually two (or more) and once I woke up, it was nearly impossible to get back to sleep.  Even with antidepressants, I was still having problems sleeping through the night.  It was so frustrating!  I've never been a person that struggles with sleep, but I was tired all the time.  For my birthday in February, my husband bought me a weighted blanket.  It made all the difference in the world!  I still occasional wake up in the middle of the night, but now it's usually around 4 (and I get up at 5 work anyway) so I either lay there for half an hour or so and fall back asleep, or if I have a bunch of stuff to get done, I just get up.  At $200, it's a big investment, and I was skeptical, but it was seriously worth every penny.

2. Cooking.  My husband is like the ultimate finicky eater, and while I used to make two separate meals, he's now on his own most the time.  But cooking for one gets old.  Especially old is eating leftovers for like a week straight.  So, one of my girl friends and I came up with a plan.  She works in the hospital below the nursing home I work at, so the days she and I are both working (she works days, PMs, and nights) I pack both our lunches.  In return, she buys breakfast on the weekends if we go out.  Having someone else to cook for has inspired me to try new recipes and eat healthier too.  It's been so fun to get back in the kitchen and eat new things.  Yesterday I made yellow curry for the first time.  And the realization that I'm willing to make more of an effort for someone else than for my own body is not lost on me neither.

3.  My cat.  Sure he can be annoying.  But he's the most fluffy giver of unconditional love you will ever see.  He's sitting on my lap right now in my office, while I type this.  He gets up with me no matter what time it is, and if I crash at 7:30, he's laying in bed right next to me.  When my husband worked nights and I was home by myself after work, I would have been super lonely without the cats (we have two, but the other one is not nearly as much of a snuggler).  Seriously, if you're depressed or anxious, there's nothing like snuggling a cat or watching a dog run around and play to boost your mood.

4. The weekend.  I know, I know, everyone loves the weekend, but I've gotten a bit of a routine down that seems to really help me cope with life.  I try to schedule any errands during the week, whether on my lunch break or after work.  Then on the weekends, I just bunker down and spend the time at home.  I get all my laundry caught up, vacuum, clean, and plan meals for the week.  Then I just relax.  Lay in bed, drinking tea and doing devotions, reading books, catch up on blog reading, send some letters to friends.  I may meet up with a friend for lunch or a visit on Saturday, but I try to keep Sunday for rest and reflection.

5. Medication.   Last, but certainly not least, I'm on prescription anti depressants, and I take two supplements for my anxiety/ depression.  And I don't know what I would do without them.  I remember days where someone would call in at work, and it'd just push me over the edge and I'd start crying, because I would be putting so much time and effort into the schedule and then one call in would through everything into a mess.  We've had two nurses move to other jobs and have lost quite a few of the high school CNAs to the start of softball, but I've been able to keep my cool much better now.  I know the medication plays a big part in that.

How about you, what's saving your life right now?

Summer Salads

Summer is salad season.  And I firmly believe salad counts as a meal.  I pack it for lunch on the regular.  But, leaf salad gets a little boring and creamy pasta salads are tasty but they aren't exactly on the nutritional up and up.  So, I'm always on the look out for more healthy choices that still taste delish.  Here are three I've been eating this summer.

Kale Blueberry Salad

Kale Salad with Blueberries from Natasha's Kitchen.  I've never been a big lover of kale.  But this recipe makes it so flavorful,and softened it up just enough that it converted me.  The blueberries and dried cranberries give it a hint of sweet, the slivered almonds and carrots- a little crunch, and the apple cider vinaigrette pulls it all together.  Note, her original recipe doesn't call for almonds, but like I said, I think they add a little extra crunch.  Just, add them at the end with the blueberries and onion.  And you have to make sure you let it sit a couple hours so the flavors meld.

Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is one I've been making for years.  It's easy to make.  Traditionally Caprese is made with Roma tomatoes but I like to cut up a pint of cherry tomatoes, toss in some basil leaves, and take a cup of mozzarella pearls or a mozzarella ball and cut it into chunks, then toss with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil and add a little fresh sea salt.  You can eat it right then and there, or it'll keep nice in the fridge for a day or two, but to be honest, I don't think I've ever had any last that long.

Artichoke Rice Salad

This Artichoke Rice Salad may not look like much but it's pretty tasty.  I made mine with red rice.  And I use whatever color pepper  I have on hand.  The recipe says let it sit for three hours.  But I think it's better if you let it sit overnight and really give the flavors a chance to develop.  And don't skip on the fresh parsley.  It really does add to the salad. 

 So there you have it, my three salad champions of the summer.  Got a recipe to share?  Put the link in the comments.  

Big Bowls Hearty Vegetarian Meals Class Review

I love Craftsy.  I've talked about it here and here and here and probably even some other times.  I just made Babka (using the recipe and techniques I learned in the artisan bread making class a few years ago) for Easter brunch this Sunday.  The other day I was checking out my Craftsy profile and realized I've enrolled in thirteen different classes!  But I've only taken two all the way through.  So, I decided I should go back and finish some of the other ones!

I focused my attention on Big Bowls Hearty Vegetarian Meals because this class was a little out of my comfort zone, but not beyond my skills.  When I signed up for the class, I was in a bit of a food rut and looking for some new ideas.  This class definitely supplied them.  It was six different lessons- each featuring a whole grain topped with unique veggies and proteins along with homemade sauces or seasoning mixes.  In this class you learn how to cook farro, wild rice, beans and rice, bulgar, black rice, and quinoa.

I made the traditional style beans and rice and was really impressed with the tips provided and step by step instructions.  I also made the farro recipe which was topped with a savory mushroom ragout.  It was super tasty and it was fun to use a new type of mushroom.  The black rice with Mediterranean peppers was good, but not a favorite.  I guess I'm just not that big of a fan of cooked peppers and tomatoes.  The wild rice bowl involves marinating and baking tofu, which I'm interested in trying.  I've never been a big fan of tofu, but think a marinade might help.

The recipes are very clean, with very little canned ingredients and a wide variety of spices.  It really gave me a lot of ideas for trying new vegetables and incorporating more whole grains in my diet.  If you're new to vegetarian eating, or just trying to eat cleaner, this class may be just the thing you need.  The instructor, Martha Rose Shulman really walks you through every step of the way, provides lots of tips for getting the most flavor out your veggies and how to cook them.


If you're interested in learning more, just click the link to be taken to the class page.  You can take the class at your own pace, and your access never expires, so even after you're done, you can always go back and review if you want to see something again.  There's also a super handy printout that includes all the recipes.

Note: All links are affiliate links, which means if you click on them, and then decide to purchase the class, I receive a small commission.  However, all thoughts are my own.  I paid for this class myself, and would not recommend anything I did not feel confident in.

Veggie and Grain Fritters

Eating more veggies is always a great way to eat healthier.  Today, I'm going to share a recipe that's easy to customize and make your own, using your favorites grains and veggies, or whatever you have on hand.

 

You can make these with any grain- rice, quinoa, barley, farro, whatever you like.  And you can also use whatever veggies or cheese you like.  I've made them with sweet potatoes, zucchini, or regular potatoes.  If you don't like cheese, you can leave it out, but I think a little Parmesan, feta, or white cheddar add to the flavor.  Here's what I used for this batch:

Veggie and Grain Fritters

2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli

1/2 cup grated carrots

3 green onions

2 eggs

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Until everything is combined.

Form into patties, much as you would cheeseburgers.  Lay on a flat plate or cookie sheet.   I usually end up with about a dozen patties.  Then pop them in the fridge for anywhere from half an hour to overnight.  This gives the patties a chance to firm up a little.

When ready, melt a little butter or oil in a pan and pan fry each patty over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, then flip and fry for approximately another 3 minutes. When patties are done, you can serve them on their own or with a dip of your choice.  I like them with  feta dill dressing best, but you could use ranch or a little Greek yogurt if you prefer.

Everyday Detox by Megan Gilmore

I've never been a fan of diets. Anything that makes you cut out whole food groups never seemed sustainable or enjoyable to me. But that doesn't mean I don't think about what I eat.  This summer I read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and Eat. Nourish. Glow. by Amelia Freer and both advocated a simpler way of eating.  Summed up, it's this: eat real food!  Crazy, I know!  Basically, you buy food that is food, not food that is made up of twenty other ingredients, half of which you cannot pronounce.  This is often called "clean eating".

So, when I found "Everyday Detox" I thought it looked like it'd be right up my alley.  It's by Megan Gilmore who runs Detoxinista.com (which is a great place to find even more recipes and information).   She's a certified nutritionist consultant and a reformed lover of junk food. 

Her book lays out a method of eating that promotes better digestions by focusing on eating certain food categories at each meal along with non-starchy vegetables.  It's not a vegan diet, meats and dairy are allowed but not mandatory.  You aren't feeling deprived because you can eat a wide variety of foods, just not all in the same meal.  She also lays out a seven day meal plan that includes a grocery shopping list that I thought was nice.  I may even try it in the future.

But the thing I thought was cool about this book was all the recipes!  Eat. Nourish. Glow. has some recipes, but is more diet advice.  This book is just the opposite. Mostly recipes with just some straight forward advice.

 So, how are the recipes?  Well, I tried two so far.  One was for broccoli cheese soup.  It was alright, but I'm a Wisconsin girl, and even thought there's some chevre in this soup, I prefer mine creamier and cheesier. The other recipe I tried was the cauliflower fried "rice", which makes a huge batch of yumminess.  It has lots of veggies and even some scrambled eggs added in.  It was flavorful and comforting and I think I'd definitely make it again! (Although maybe only a half a batch.)

My Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

There's lots of other recipes I plan on trying too, like the double chocolate brownies, lentil chili, and the cauliflower flatbread pizza pictured on the cover.

Basically, if you're trying to cut processed foods out of your diet, or you enjoyed Eat. Nourish. Glow. then you would enjoy this book.  Or, if you're just interested in learning more about clean eating, you should check this book out.  Megan also includes recipes for making your own salad dressings, frostings, gravies, sauces and nut milks.  It's a great resource book with a wide variety of recipes.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Eating Your Vegetables

So, we're in the new year, and everyone is still trying to eat healthy and exercise more,myself included.  I think I eat fairly healthy, not a lot of overly processed foods, but I do love cream cheese, salad dressings, mayo, coffee drinks, ice cream etc.

The other night, I was getting ready for bed, and I caught my reflection in the mirror and for a split second, I had this horrifying thought.  Want to know what it was?  Oh my gosh!  My belly is so big!  What if I'm pregnant and just don't know it! Like seriously, I suddenly felt a rush of sympathy for those ladies on "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant".  Turns out I just had a major case of the bloats.  Major!  I woke up the next day and by the time I got around to showering and getting dressed, I no longer felt/ looked like I could be four months pregnant, but it really made me think that I need to be more careful about what I'm eating. 


One of my favorite winter dishes is roasted veggies.  It's easy, it's a great way to use up produce, and you throw it in the oven and just go about your life, while they roast.  I remembered that Influenster had sent me a free bottle of McCormick Gourmet's new Thyme seasoning in my Frosty Vox Box.  So I sliced up some baby red potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower, drizzled it with olive oil and then sprinkled it with thyme and a little sea salt.

Veggies Ready for the Oven

They cooked about 45 minutes (or until your potatoes are done) at 400 degrees, and when I pulled them out of the oven they smelled heavenly.  They tasted even better!  If you are trying to find a way to get more veggies in your diet, this is a great one because you can use a ton of different veggies, you can use whatever herbs you like, and they taste great warmed up the next day too!

After Roasting

(Don't mind my sad pictures.  I took them on my cell phone, at night, with only nasty fluorescent lighting.  But trust me, they're so good.)

Homemade Italian Pasta- Thoughts on Lesson 3

I'm still working on my Craftsy Handmade Italian Pasta lessons.  So I figured it's time for an update.  Lesson three was about hand cutting your noodles at different sizes for different reasons.  The lesson goes over making bow tie pasta and a garganelli which is kind of tube shape with ridges on the outside.

I focused on the much simpler pappardelle, angel hair, and maltagliati.  The pappardelle is super wide.  Angel hair of course if very thin.  When hand cutting pasta, you fold your pasta into a loose tube and simply cut.  I don't think I my pasta was dry enough because it was very smooshy when I cut it.  Well smooshy isn't the right word, but my knife did not go through it super easily and it kind of crushed my layers together.  Maybe I need to sharpen my blades.  This also made it hard to cut angel hair thin enough, but I managed to hack my way through it.  And it still tasted super when I cooked it.

Maltagliati is a laid back cut used for soups.  Basically, you roll your pasta into a loose tube, and just cut a small triangle off the corners, then cut off the triangle tip off, and repeat until your pasta is all cut.  Once again, drier pasta or sharper blades (or both) would have made it easier, but I managed.  I haven't made a soup that needs noodles yet, but I have a ziploc bag of little pasta triangles all ready to go once I do.

Interested in learning how to make pasta for yourself?  Or interested in learning to make Italian soups, Mexican street food, or French pastries?  Craftsy has a class for that!  Check out their online cooking classes for yourself.  They're always adding new courses.

 

 

Homemade Italian Pasta- Thoughts on Lesson 2

Lesson two of Craftsy's Homemade Italian Pasta class is all about rolling and cutting your pasta. There really is a method to it all. But first, I had to mix up some dough according to the directions in lesson one. All you need for dough is flour and room temperature eggs.

After making a "bowl" out of my flour and cracking my eggs inside the indentation, you just have to mix the two together.

It kind of looks like a weird birds nest.

So you mix this into a dough, let it rest (much as you have to let bread dough rest before you can form it into loaves).  Then you cut it the same amount of pieces as eggs used.  So mine was cut into three relatively equal sized pieces.  You flatten these out, and then comes the fun part- using the pasta machine! I got mine at a garage sale for $3, and it sounds a little rickety, but it did the job fine.

You're not supposed to stop in the middle of pressing your dough,
so pardon the poor photo quality.  I was trying to hurry.

It was interesting to learn that there's a whole method to how you roll your dough, and you slowly adjust the thickness down, going piece by piece, until you've gone through almost all the settings.

Finally, once all the dough is rolled, you cut your three pieces in half (no need for yard long noodles) and lay it on dishtowels to dry out a little, flipping it about half way through to dry both sides.

Noodles in a pre-noodle state.

Then, it was finally time to run the dough through the pasta machine and cut it!  You then fold it in little nests of sorts and set it aside to dry.

Nests of noodles.

I'm really enjoying pasta making.  There's something about cooking food from scratch that is so cathartic.  I love it!  It's the same way I felt about making bread.  I really like how it's so hand intensive.  You spend minutes rolling or kneading dough, and there's this whole process involved, doing things just so, to get a quality finished product.  It just feels so tranquil.

 Note: All links are affiliate links, but all thoughts are my own.  This post is not sponsored by Craftsy and is just my own thoughts on the class.

Homemade Italian Pasta- Thoughts on Lesson 1

So, I told you all last week that I finally broke down and bought Craftsy's Homemade Italian Pasta class, and I couldn't wait to dive right in.  I watched the first lesson Saturday morning while I drank coffee in my pjs.  (Part of the allure of Craftsy: If I want to learn to make fettuccine in my PJs with bedhead, it's totally okay.)

The instructor is Giuliano Hazan.  He is the son of Marcella Hazan, who brought Italian cooking to mainstream America.  Giuliano is a friendly guy who gives lots of tips and the camera zooms in on his hands often so you can see how he kneads the dough and he himself breaks down his technique step by step.

The first lesson jumps right in  to mixing an egg dough and takes you all the way to a finished dough (stopping just before the rolling out and cutting step), and then shows the whole process again making the egg dough with some spinach.  I like that they jump right in.  I loved the bread making class, but there was so may supplies you needed that I think the whole first lesson was going over yeast, bread pans, scrappers and such.  Pasta making seems to require less equipment.

At the end of the lesson they also go over storing you your cut pasta, and guess what!  Once it's dry it can store for months.  I think that's great, because I don't think homemade pasta is something you want to make everytime you want spaghetti, but if you can make a big batch and use it for three or four times before you have to make more, that sounds much more manageable.

I'm looking forward to lesson two: rolling and cutting the dough.  The class teaches you four different noodles, farfalle, and stuffed pastas  and it seems to move along at a good clip.  So hopefully I'll  have some pasta to show after lesson two.

 Note: All links are affiliate links, but all thoughts are my own.  This post is not sponsored by Craftsy and is just my own thoughts on the class.

Craftsy's Big Fall Sale is Happening NOW!

Have you heard Craftsy's BIG Fall Course Sale is happening now? Learn from the world's best instructors in the comfort of your home, when you shop up to 50% off ALL online classes! Once you enroll you can watch your classes anytime, anywhere, forever. Hurry, offer expires September 22, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT. Shop Craftsy's BIG Fall Course Sale and save. 

I finally broke down and bought the Homemade Italian Pasta class.  It was half price and with winter coming soon, I figured it was the perfect time to learn to make pasta.  And I can finally try out that hand crank pasta machine I got at a garage sale this summer.  Hurray!

So if you want to learn a new craft, now is the time to enroll.  Learn at your own pace in a supportive community with great instructors.  Whether it's cake decorating, quilting, Thai cooking or something in between, Craftsy has a class for it.

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Note: As an affiliate for Craftsy, I do receive a commission for any classes bought through my referral links, but I only endorse products or companies that I myself would use.  I'm a big fan of Craftsy and highly recommend them.

Craftsy Flash Sale

Just wanted to pop in to tell you guys that Craftsy is having a Flash Sale this weekend! 

 

Here's some of the sale classes that are on my wishlist:

Crafty Crochet Embellishments  On Sale for $9.99 (Regularly $19.99)

Learn to crochet flowers and leaves along with applying motifs to things like pillowcases and towels.  I'm a sucker for crochet flowers, but have yet to learn how to make them.

Homemade Italian Pasta  On Sale for $19.99 (Regularly $39.99)

Learn to make homemade pastas?  Who wouldn't want to learn.  If I had the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer I would totally be signing up for this.

Mixed Media Essentials: Color Design and Texture  On Sale for $19.99 (Regularly $29.99)

Mixed media is something that intrigues me, but I never know where to begin.  This class teaches several different techniques, and it looks like they break it down enough that even a beginner like me could take it.

And of course, Craftsy has more than 30 free classes you can check out.  Learn to make pizza, birthday cards, zipper pouches, and everything in between.

Note:  All links in this post are affiliate links, but I would never endorse something I don't believe in or wouldn't use myself. 

Steel Cut Oatmeal for the Win!

Here's a confession for you.  I'm horrible about eating breakfast.  Since I work afternoons, I usually get up at 8, drink a couple cups of coffee, maybe eat a piece of toast.  That's about it.  But you're always hearing about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, essential, vital, blah, blah, blah.  So I thought I should at least try to eat breakfast.  And I always see those pins on Pinterest for overnight oatmeal so I figured what the heck, I'd give it a try.

First, I got some steel cut oats.  You can get lots of fancy kinds, but I just picked up a canister at Aldi's for a couple bucks.

Ingredients: 100% Whole Grain Steel Cut Oats

Then I gathered up some pint mason jars, because that's what  I always see them in on Pinterest, but I think you could use any microwave safe container. 

Clean and ready to go.

I also pulled out some toppings for my oatmeal.  You can use pretty much anything you like, but I tend to stick with berries and nuts with a little pure maple syrup.

Maple sugar, strawberries, bananas, chia seeds, almonds, and walnuts.

Next, cook you oats.  I used 1 cup steel cut oats, 3 cups of water and mixed them together, put them on the stove top and once it started boiling, cooked for three more minutes.  (The oatmeal is not going to be done at this point, don't fret we'll cook it more later.)  Remove from heat, give it a few minutes to chill a little, and then pour into your jars.  Note: Wide mouth jars would be a better choice if you have an option, but I only have small mouth jars and it's doable.

It's going to look pretty soupy, but trust me, it will thicken up.  Then, add your toppings on top, add lids and rings and let it sit on your counter until cool.  Then pop in your refrigerator and you have breakfast for the next five days, just pull one out in the morning, remove metal lid and ring, pop it in the microwave for one and half to two minutes, grab a spoon, and you're ready to go.

I was kind of leary about warmed up oatmeal, thinking it would taste like mush.  (Picture Oliver Twist asking for another bowl of porridge.)  But steel cut oats really hold up well.  Fruit gets a little mushy after microwaving, so if you prefer, you can definitely add you fruit the next day.

I've made it twice now, and adding a variety of toppings keeps me from getting tired of eating oatmeal every morning.

Craftsy's "Complete Knife Skills" Free Class Review

You guys already know I love Craftsy, right?  Well a few days ago, I got an email from Craftsy telling me about their new class, Complete Knife Skills with Brendan McDermott.  I love to cook and I would consider myself a better than average cook, but prepping my veggies is something that I always feel like I'm not doing right.  Onions make my eyes burn and I never get even sized pieces.  I beat my poor parsley to death.  And don't even get me started on how I peel garlic.

This class consists of four lessons and starts right out with what kind of knives you need.  I expected to be told that I need a dozen different knives and that I had to invest in top of the line cutlery.  Not so, Brendan recommends four different types of knives, and if you don't cook a lot of meat, you can get away with three- the chef knife, the paring knife, and a serrated utility knife.  The rest of the class is spent perfecting how to use these three knives.  He recommends buying investing in good quality knives, but doesn't come off as snobby or make you feel that it would be impossible to do what he does.

The second lesson is about four main cuts, the low cut, high cut, horizontal cut, and pull cut.  He goes into how to cut plateaus, juliennes, and dice your produce.  He goes in how to cut onions, garlic, shallots, carrots, and celery.  The third lesson takes what he's shown so far and works it into peppers, pineapples, herbs, butternut squash, and other odd sized veggies.  The fourth lesson is all about caring for your blades by honing or sharpening them.  He teaches the difference and when to use each one.

The class is great because Brendan never talks down to the class, he shows the wrong way and explains why it's wrong, then shows the correct method, and explains why it's better to how you've probably been doing it.  I picked up a ton of tips and am anxious to try them out next time I make soup or stir fry.

Best of all, this class is FREE!  I'll admit, when I saw it was a free class, I wasn't expecting a whole lot.  But Craftsy and the instructor puts just as much time and effort into it as the paid classes.  The camera work is good, you can really see what he's doing and Brendan is insightful and funny.  You'd think a class about knives would be pretty dull (no pun intended), but it really is interesting and broken down into doable pieces.

So, if you're interested in learning how to improve your knife work, click the link and check it out.  As with all Craftsy classes, you can watch at your own pace and rewatch as much as you want. 

  
Note, all links are affiliate links, but the review is 100% my own opinion.

Tools of the Trade

I am not a big fan of kitchen gadgets.  I have my Kitchen Aid mixer (which I got as a wedding present- but would definitely get another if mine died), a Magic Bullet blender set (for smoothies and grinding nuts and coffee beans), and an immersion blender that I got at a garage sale (which is super handy for mixing dips and making creamy soups).  

Zulily (affiliate link) is having a sale right now on "Stay Healthy: Kitchen Essentials".  There are several things in this sale that I use pretty frequently in the kitchen that make cooking healthy foods easier and you may want to check out. 

1. A digital kitchen scale is super handy for bread making if you need to way your ingredients instead of just measuring.  This scale does both metric and standard weights of up to fifteen pounds.  I also use my digital scale to way packages.  I hate waiting in line at the post office, plus if I pay for my postage online and print my labels, they usually give you a discount.  So I almost always weigh my stuff at home, print my own postage, tape it on and just drop my stuff off at the post office and go.

2. I bought my mandolin from Pampered Chef, but this one looks to do all the same things and is cheaper than what I paid.  I hate slicing onions.  My eyes water and burn.  But now, I peel the skin off the onion, pop it in the freezer for five to ten minutes, and then slice it with my mandolin, then chop the slices into the size I need and it works much better.  I also use my mandolin for slicing potatoes or sweet potatoes for oven chips, and veggies like zucchini and egg plant for stir fry.  It's great if you have problems getting things to be an equal thickness like I do.  Just watch your fingers

3. I was skeptical about herb keepers, but I was tired of buying fresh herbs and having them turn into black mushy messes inside produce bags.  Basically, you put a little water in the bottom of the keeper and then stick your herbs in so the cut ends are in the water.  (Like you would for a bouquet of flowers). And it really does work.  Herbs stay fresh and usable for weeks.  Plus, the size is compact enough you can just stick it in your refrigerator door and easily find it when you need it.

4. I got my veggie steamer from Pampered Chef too.  It looks very similar to this one, but once again, I paid more for it.  But, I do love it, so I guess it's okay.  Basically, all you do is boil an inch or so of water in the bottom of a pot, with your steamer sitting inside, then add veggies, cover, and presto, steamed veggies in under ten minutes.  I try to eat fresh veggies more than canned, and this is a great way to cook them quickly.  I use my steamer for cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, kale, cabbage, you name it.  You can do pretty much any vegetable, just make sure you don't let all your water steam away on the ones that take longer like carrots.

So, if you're trying to cook healthy and use fresher ingredients, these are tools I would recommend.  What do you think, is there any kitchen gadget that you use all the time that you think I'm missing out on?


Note: All links in this post are affiliate links.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

 Snow will be coming any day now, there's been plenty of frost, and it's wicked cold when I leave work each night, so that means it's time to start soup making again.  It seems like in the summer, I eat a lot of salads and not much soup and then in the fall and winter it's the opposite- all sorts of yummy soups and not much salad.  I suppose it makes sense because when it's 90 degrees out, who wants to eat anything hot.  But, when it's below zero and the wind is howling, soup is delicious.

Anyhow, so I have my go to cream of brocolli soup recipe thanks to an old post from The Little Girl's Guide to Sugar and Spice but I have never really found a cream of cauliflower soup recipe that I love.  So, I thought about what kinds of things I love in soup, and just gave it a whirl. 

This is what I learned.  You don't have to precook your cauliflower, or roast it in the oven to make good soup.  Evaporated milk makes your soup super rich and creamy.  Skipping the emulsion blender gives you nice chunks of carrots and cauliflower in your final product, which I like.  Making my own recipe up isn't nearly as scarey as I thought it'd be.

Here's my recipe

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
3 tablespoons butter
2 stalks celery
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons flour
2 carrots
1 head of cauliflower
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
cheddar cheese, optional

Set a large kettle on your stove and melt butter over low heat.  While the butter is melting, finely chop your celery and garlic.  Add to butter, and saute until celery and garlic are tender, add chopped carrots and flour.  Stir until all are evenly coated.  Add 2 cups chicken broth, and 1 cup of water.  Stir in finely chopped cauliflower.  Put lid on kettle and cook over medium heat until cauliflower is cooked.  About 15 minutes.  Add can of evaporated milk and cook until starts to bubble.  Salt and pepper to taste.  May sprinkle with cheddar cheese if desired.

Being from Wisconsin, I of course add cheddar cheese and lots of it!  It's also great with homemade bread to dip in it.  (Toast or English muffins work in a pinch.)  I used ciabatta I learned to make while taking Craftsy's Artisan Bread Making class. They're even offering 25% off all their food classes in November.  And if funds are a little tight or you're not sure you'll like Craftsy (which I'm sure you will, but whatever) you can take the Perfect Pizza at Home class for FREE, which is taught by Peter Reinhart, who also teaches the bread class.  Just go sign up.  No credit card info needed, no commitment, no pressure.

 Finally, Craftsy is hosting a recipe contest.  I'm entering my creamy cauliflower soup.  If you want to enter, go to the recipe submission page and submit yours.  The winners will receive a free Craftsy food class and have their recipe featured on Craftsy.

So there you have it.  Make good food and win a prize!  What recipe would you share?

Veggie Barley Soup

This isn't a recipe so much as some basic instructions.  What I love about soup is that you can do pretty much whatever you want and it will probably turn out.  You can add more of one type of veggie, skip another one totally, whatever your little heart desires and somehow it works.  Here's the "formula" I use when making veggie soup.

Start with fresh veggies.  I know some recipes call for cans of things or frozen things, but I think fresh always has more flavor.  For today's soup I used leeks and carrots from the farmer's market, kale and parsley from my garden, and mushrooms and celery from the grocery store.

 

Then chop up veggies that are going to give flavor to the soup broth.  In this case it's my leeks (three of them) and celery (two stalks).  You could also use onions, garlic or any combo of these.

Once you have them into small pieces, add them to your soup pot with a drizzle of oil or a tablespoon or two of butter.  Saute these on low heat until your veggies are tender.  I always add my mushrooms next and stir until tender.  I like mushrooms so I usually use a whole pack, but if you don't like mushrooms, feel free to skip them.  After that, you add your root vegetables.  I used carrots (three, but you can use more or less), but you can also use turnips, parsnips, or potatoes, or again, any combination of these.  I also added a handful of chopped parsley.  Give them a couple stirs and then add your broth.  I usually use 4 to 6 cups of broth.  If I'm using barley, couscous, rice or quinoa, I use more broth than if i use orzo or egg noodles, because grains tend to suck up more of the broth than noodles do.

If you're adding meat, be sure it's precooked it and add it now.  If I use chicken I like to let it simmer on the stove for a while.  You could also use ground hamburger, chunks of stew meat, or a cut up round steak.  I usually just use veggies.

Turn the heat to medium or medium-high, and wait for the broth to start to boil.  Then add your grain or noodle.  Remember that barley and other grains take longer to cook than noodles or orzo will.  Once my pasta or grain is cooked, I like to add a bunch of chopped kale and let it simmer until done.  Once the kale is tender (which only takes 5-10 minutes) your soup is ready to eat. 

This soup tastes great warmed up and it wonderful when you have a cold or just need something warm and yummy.  It's also a good way to use up veggies that have been living in your refrigerator's crisper for a while and are getting kind of wilty and sad.

Zucchini Fritters

So, I saw my patio zucchini plant had a zucchini.  I was going to pick it about three days ago, but forgot, or only thought about it when I was walking by it on my way to the car to go to work, or had my hands full with groceries.  So I finally picked it.  It seemed bigger than I recalled.

My three pound squash.

Then I had to decide what to do with it.  Growing up, we pretty much only used zucchini for bread, cupcakes, or muffins.  But as I've gotten older, I've found I use it more for cooking than baking.

I found a recipe for Smitten Kitten's zucchini fritters and thought I'd give it a shot.  I like potato pancakes and they sounded similar.  You can check out the recipe at Smitten Kitten for the particulars, but I'll give you the gist. I only needed a pound of zucchini, so I whacked mine in half and pulled out the seeds and grated it with a box grater.

I left the peel on because I thought it looked prettier.

Then you salt it and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Notice kitty lurking in the shadows?

Then, press out all the water you can using paper towels or cheese cloth, throw it back in the bowl, and add egg, pepper, shallots (or some garlic in my case).

 

Next add a little flour and baking powder. And mix.

 

Then fry in oil on the stove top over medium heat till golden on bottom, flip and cook a few more, and then your finished.  Serve with yogurt or sour cream and some fresh lemon juice.

Lunch!

I thought these were pretty good, they fry up crispy on the outside, but soft and tender inside.  They were pretty fast to make too and no fussy ingredients.  I love that!  Next time I think I'll skip the sour cream and just put a little butter on top.  Which, I'm in luck, because there's leftovers! The recipe makes about 10 fritters.  Yum!  And now you have an idea for zucchini besides more zucchini bread.