Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

I was asked to bring a dessert this year to both my grandpa's house and my mother-in-law's house for our annual Thanksgiving Day celebration. I am really starting to enjoy baking and cooking so I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and tackle a pie. A few years ago I tried to make a pumpkin pie, but for some reason the filling never set. Who knows what I did, but I have been afraid of pie ever since. This year I was determined to bake a delicious pie for my family.

After much research I decided on this one particular recipe because frankly it sounded easy! I need easy recipes; the less steps the better the outcome, right!? On Monday evening I made two pies for Brennan's Teacher Appreciation Committee. I'll admit I tasted the batter and boy was it good. The smell of the baking spices filled my kitchen and I was hopeful for a sweet result. I'm happy to report they turned out perfect! I happily delivered my pies to St. Joesph on Tuesday morning....I had conquered pumpkin pie!! Tomorrow morning I will bake up two more pies to share at dinner with my family.

 Pumpkin Pie

9 inch deep dish pie crust

15oz pumpkin

14oz sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves (to your liking)

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients well, pour into pie crust. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 40 minutes.

Barlean's

If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a medicine kinda gal. Sure, I believe that medicine has its place in our world and I have used many a meds in my day. If at all possible I like to treat whatever ailment we have with a holistic approach, see our results and then determine if a modern medicine intervention is needed. I am so very grateful for advances in medicine, but I am also grateful for natural remedies.

Brennan has always had bad skin. As a baby he has eczema on his body. When he was a toddler we sought out a pediatric dermatologist who told us he had hyper sensitive skin, add bleach to his bath water, use Vaseline versus lotion and other than that, we just had to deal with it. Then the poor kid was diagnosed with severe food allergies; I suspect much of his skin issues stemmed from an undetected, mild food allergy, but I will never know for sure. As he got older the eczema on his arms and legs started to clear up, but his little hands were a mess. Summer wasn't bad, but autumn through spring the little guy had horrible dry, cracked skin on his hands. At times the skin would pop open, bleed and then get infected. Some days even water burned his sore hands. I think it is worst in the winter months due to the cold temps, the wind and the overuse of hand sanitizer and soap. I have tried wrapping his hands in Vaseline at night, apply oil, you name it. We even resorted to steroids at one point, but nothing fully clear up his hands. I hate to see him cry and shiver in pain!! It seriously breaks my heart.

This past March I attended a seminar on the 4 A's (ADD, autism, asthma and allergies). Very long story short I ended up making him appointment with the presenter, a chiropractor who is very knowledgeable in holistic approaches to life. I showed her Brennan cracked, bleeding hands and after a long conversation, a medical history and some further tests, she suggested he was deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Brennan is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, shell fish and fish. Rich, healthy oils are found in these foods, things that our bodies need in order to maintain  its healthy, active lifestyle. She suggested I start giving him a daily dose of something called Barlean's. I had never heard of this before, but I was desperate to help him heal.

Barlean's is a brand of organic oil supplements. One of their products is something called an Omega Swirl. Basically it is a super powerhouse omega 3's, something my poor kid was totally deficient of. I had tried to find safe flax seed to add into his diet, but he refused the nasty oils and all of the seeds I found were made in a facility with nuts so I was out of luck. The doctor told me to buy the vegan brand which is totally fish/ shell fish free. After some research I discovered this was totally safe for him!! 

Every night before bed Brennan takes a teaspoon of the "Total Omega 369 Vegan Swirl". It is a thick, rich, creamy berry flavor that truly tastes like dessert not a funky oil. It is packed with omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9 oils which are essential in the aid of the cardiovascular system, body inflammation, immune responses, etc. OK, so after three days his skin started to smooth out. By five days the redness was gone and  so was the pain. By the seventh day his hands were totally normal!! I was beyond amazed!! We did this for three months and Brennan's hands were soft, supple and he felt great. I decided I wanted to see if this stuff really did work so after the sixth month I didn't purchase any. It is expensive for the vegan swirl ($30/bottle....regular swirl is only $13/bottle, but it does last about 3 months) so I "justified" not purchasing the supplement due to money. At fist he did great and I started to doubt the supplement. Every week I would inspect his hands and like I said, at first they were great. As the month went on I noticed his skin appeared a bit rough. Soon the redness appeared. Last week I noticed his hands were really rough, itchy and redder than before. On Thursday his little hands were so cracked they were bloody and he couldn't apply anything on them without cry out in pain. I made a beeline to the store for the swirl and on the first day I used my mom judgement and gave him two doses. On Friday and Saturday he had regular doses. Today is Sunday and I swear his hands have cleared up! There is no blood, they are not red and and they are so soft. I do not care how much this supplement costs, I promise to buy it and keep him on it at all times. Despite my fruitless efforts over the years, a plant based holistic approach healed my son!

www.barleans.com 

Orange Vinegar

I stumbled upon this homemade cleaner recipe tonight and I must say, I am quite excited to try this one out! You know about my weird love for cleaning with vinegar. Well I have found a great mate for my stinky cleaning solution: oranges!! The recipes calls for:

3/4 gallon white vinegar
Peels from 3 large oranges

Slice the orange peels to fit inside the gallon jug opening, pop the lid on and shake well. The vinegar will need to sit for 1-2 weeks or until the orange peels have made the vinegar pleasant smelling. Be sure to shake the jug really well at least once a day during this time. The mixture can be used for cleaning counter tops, sinks, bathrooms, windows, you name it. Best of all it is safe, non-toxic to the environment and humans, easy to produce and cheap! I plan to make some tomorrow once I buy my oranges. I am also going to make two small spray bottles using lemon and lime peels. I love the cleaning power of vinegar and I love the small of citrus so this is a win-win situation for me!!!

Happy cleaning!

Recipe: Beer Cheese Soup

The weather has been cold and rainy...the perfect weather for a warm, hearty soup! I am not a big soup fan, but there is something about a really good beer cheese soup that gets to me. Bryan and I usually go to J. Buck's each February for Valentine's Day and this is where my love for this particular soup blossomed. I'll admit, this is not the healthiest meal, but it is warm and steamy and filling, just perfect for a blustery autumn day.

I read about 15 different recipes and each one was slightly different from the other. Knowing what I like and what Bryan will eat, I made my own version and it is pretty damn good if I say so myself! Tweak the ingredients as needed to fit your needs. Then sit back and enjoy a nice bowl of soup!

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of finely chopped carrots
1.5 cups of finely chopped celery
1.5 cups finely chopped onion
Minced garlic (fresh)
1 teaspoon of hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
Cayenne pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups of broth (veggie or chicken)
2 cups of beer (I used Bud Light)
1/3 cup of butter
1/3 cup of flour
4 cups of half & half
6 cups of cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

Directions
1. In a large pot combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper, broth and beer. Cook on low-medium heat until the veggies are the consistency you desire. I believe I cooked my veggies for about 30 minutes.

2. In another pot warm butter, stir in the flour. Slowly add in the half & half and whisk until it gets thick. Take the pot off of the heat, then add in the cheese, stirring constantly until everything is mixed well. Be sure to keep this cheese mixture warm otherwise it will start to harden.

3. Slowly stir the beer mixture into the cheese mixture.

4. Add in the spicy brown mustard, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce; simmer for about 15 minutes until everything is heated.

This was not a kid-hit in our house. Brennan told me he is too young to drink beer and Alex told me it smelled like a butt so they had grilled mozzarella cheese sandwiches that evening. Bryan and I loved this soup!

Thankful Turkey

Just had to share this one!!

What's For Dinner?

I live with meat eaters so that means from time to time I must make dishes that contain my beloved furry friends. I usually try to stick with chicken, turkey or lean cuts of pork, but every once in a while the crew wants beefs. I am all about making meals that are healthy, easy to prepare and can possibly stretch into two dinners. For that I turn to my buddy, the cow, aka beef pot roast.

When I make a roast I usually cook it in the meat in a crock pot. I love the fact that I can turn the pot on and forget about any prepping for hours on end. I try to buy the leanest cut of beef possible, but I will admit that sometimes I just buy the cheapest cut. I place the roast in the pot, add some water, slice up an onion and add a variety of seasonings and spices such as basil from my garden, garlic, salt and pepper, oregano, rosemary, etc. Then I turn that pot on high and walk away. If I remember I turn it at some point, but this is not a necessary step. About an hour before I plan to serve dinner I slice or shred up the meat and cook it in the juices. Mashed potatoes are always a hit, but sometimes I just slice up potatoes and carrots and toss them in the crock pot. Before I serve dinner I always make sure I reserve some of the meat and juices for another meal.

That other meal would be beef 'n noodles. In a pot boil water and add whole wheat egg noodles until al dente. In another pot add a can of "cream of" soup. I like cream of mushroom, but you could use any cream of soup of your choice. Add a little milk to thin it out along with the meat and juices from the night before. Bring to a boil and add to the drained noodles. Cook for a few minutes until everything is heated and mixed. Serve with your favorite veggies as a side along with some fresh fruit.

Super easy, inexpensive, healthy....that's my kind of meal!