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Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection
There is a special place in my heart for chocolate chip cookies. Especially ones that don’t contain too much sugar and therefore don’t send my blood sugar levels into outer space. My awesome kid helpers and I used freshly ground wheat berries for our flour for this recipe, ground to perfection by our new WonderMill! Hop on over to the Grain Mill Wagon blog to get the recipe! Also shared at Tasty Tuesday!
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How To Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
When you do a lot of baking (or making water kefir!), you tend to go through a LOT of vanilla. That can get expensive very quickly, and it’s easy to make your own. Procurring the ingredients will take you the most time – setting up your vanilla takes only a minute! What You Need 1 bottle of vodka (750ml) 10 organic vanilla beans I had never purchased vodka before, and felt a little silly wandering around in the liquor section of the grocery store, staring at vodka bottles. (It didn’t help that I was pregnant and obviously showing! Maybe this lady needs an intervention… doesn’t she know that alcohol and…
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The Most Incredible Hot Chocolate Drink Ever Made Recipe
We’re visiting family for Christmas, and my mom greeted me this morning with the MOST INCREDIBLE Hot Chocolate drink I’ve ever had. I savored every drop, and couldn’t wait to share it with you! This is a drop-everything and dash to the grocery store kind of recipe, even on Christmas Eve! 🙂 (Please note that nowhere do I say this is healthy. But it’s Christmas. 🙂 ) Without further ado, may I present: The Most Incredible Hot Chocolate Drink Ever Made Recipe original recipe made in the crockpot Serves 7-8 Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (link to make-your-own healthy version) pinch salt 2 c…
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Is Sucralose Hiding in Your Hot Chocolate? + Recipe!
Hot chocolate is one of my favorite wintry treats. Not that it’s very wintry here in Texas – we’ve had t-shirt weather days lately! Nonetheless, I love hot chocolate and Christmas provides the perfect opportunity for indulgence. We’re staying with a family who has a Keurig, and I was excited about the possibilities. Insert a cup, push a button, and a hot drink appears, ready to go! My sweet hubby made a Walmart run for hot chocolate K-cups for his pregnant wife, (because the baby needed hot chocolate, you know <G>) I cooked up a cup, and it tasted good overall, but I kept tasting this strange aftertaste.…
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Have you tried Kombucha? Plus Get Started Making Your Own
A kombucha craze is sweeping the nation. These bottles are popping up even in grocery stores like Kroger, and more and more people are jumping on the band wagon. I am not a fan, but my husband and kids both really like it. Have you tried it? What is kombucha, anyway? According to Wikipedia, kombucha’s recorded history began in the late 1800’s in Russia. It aids in detoxification, increases energy levels, and has indications of being instrumental in curing cancer. If you’d like to read more about the history of kombucha, take a look at the article on Food Renegade. Kombucha is made from sweetened tea that is fermented…
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Help, I’m out of… Baking Substitutions
I’ve been fascinated lately with baking substitutions. And sprouting wheat berries. And making water kefir. Maybe I would enjoy a nutrition class from www.onlineuniversities.net/. Hmm… The holidays generally means lots more baking! It’s easy to run out of things in the midst of baking and that’s definitely an inopportune time for a run to the store (or even the neighbors’!) I’ve put together a list of common things I tend to run out of, and some easy substitutions, some of which are even healthier than the originals! Please feel free to add your own favorite baking substitutions in the comments to help round out the list! Ingredient Amount Substitution…
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Peppermint Patty Recipe – with a Surprise Ingredient!
Don’t these look delicious?? I love peppermint patties but I have to confess, I was really disappointed the last time I bit into a store-bought one. After seriously cutting back on the amount of candy I eat and trying to only eat candy with high-quality ingredients, good ole York just didn’t cut it. I didn’t even finish the patty. When I found this recipe for homemade ones, and read through the ingredients, I just HAD to try them. I’m pleased to report that they did not disappoint! They even got great reviews at a party I took them to. So without further adieu, may I present: Peppermint Patties (adapted…
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Recipe Parade: Berry-Mallow Yam Bake
This recipe is for Berry-Mallow Yam Bake. Hands-down, it’s my husband’s favorite dish! I made the marshmallows at home this year, and it was super easy!! You can make the marshmallows ahead of time – since there’s no egg in them; they have a great shelf life in a sealed container! Ingredients 2lb organic yams, cooked 2c organic cranberries 1c water 1c organic sugar Homemade marshmallows Crumb mixture 1/2 c flour [use your favorite kind] 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c dry oats 1 t cinnamon Cut in 1/3 c butter Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Make cranberry sauce by bringing 1c water and 1c sugar to…
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Recipe Parade: Carrot Souffle!
With Thanksgiving getting closer, I wanted to share my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with you! We celebrate Thanksgiving with our extended family, so I’m grateful to not be responsible for making EVERYTHING. I do have several favorites that I make every year, just because we love them! The first is carrot souffle! I can almost eat JUST this dish because I love it so much! Cooking the carrots does take some time, but it is one you can make ahead of time. I’ve included directions for ‘making ahead’ at the bottom. Enjoy! Carrot Souffle Ingredients 1 3/4 lbs organic carrots, peeled & chopped 1/2 c organic sugar 1 1/2 t…
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Easy Homemade Marshmallows
Since Thanksgiving is getting closer every day, I sat down with my menu last night and started thinking about what I wanted to serve. One of my husband’s favorite dishes is Berry-Mallow Yam Bake. In years past, I’ve made it with a bag of store-bought marshmallows (along with canned yams that have high fructose corn syrup in the syrup. sigh) Then I read the ingredients, among them: corn syrup, tetrasodium pyrophosphate (a thickener), artificial flavors, and blue 1. Too many yucky ones in there for me. What to do? Make my own at home! The experiment began and I had a houseful of eager helpers. I’m pleased to report…
