The base of this recipe comes from my parents.
When my parents would give my brother and I options for dinner and Sloppy Joes would come up.. what kid says no? It is a basic, but very flavorful recipe that leaves tons of room to dress it up, add to, or leave as is :)
Sloppy Joes Base Recipe
1lb ground Lean Turkey (you can use ground beef or chicken too!)
Half an Onion chopped
2 Tablespoons minced Garlic (I love garlic, so you can add more or less to your like)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (more or less depending on desired taste)
1 Tablespoon Vinager (more or less to balance)
*Additions:
I added to the mix Sweet Mini Peppers. The Red/Yellow/Orange ones you find in a little container in the produce section. I sliced them length wise so they were little rings of sweet peppers :)
Start by sauteing the onions and garlic until till the onions are soft. Then add the sweet peppers and continue to saute until soft. Splash veggies with vinegar (I used White Wine Vinegar) to de-glaze. While the veggies are cooking, season the ground turkey with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Combing ground turkey and spices. Put the turkey in the pan on top of the veggies and press down the meat to cover the surface of the pan. Let cook checking every few min. Stir and break apart the meat while cooking with a spoon. Once the meat has fully cooked and been broken apart (about marble size piece, or bigger depending on preference) add in two cans of tomato soup. Stir. This is where the taste comes in. Add brown sugar first. Taste test after brown sugar is added. Depending on personal taste you can add more sugar to give it a sweet undertone. If it becomes too sweet add a little (and I mean LITTLE) vinegar at a time, testing after each add. I personally like the sloppy joes to have a little more than subtle sweet undertone, but also a a balanced acidity that can be tasted. Balanced to me at least :) Check for taste in the spice department again and adjust the pepper and salt level. Let simmer for 5 min on medium.
Serve over either slices of bread or hamburger buns with american singles or plain! Enjoy!
This is a great way to take my parent's recipe for Sloppy Joes and give it a healthy twist using turkey in exchange for beef. Also adding more veggies to the mix also increases your daily veggie intake and fiber intake.
A few different veggies you can play with:
Tomatoes, Green Chile, Legumes, Zucchini and other Squashes.
Ash!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Brisket Weekend
The hubby and I went home to Abq this weekend for the monthly family dinner. My parents hosted the dinner this month and it went off without a hitch! The food was amazing, the time wonderful, and the company the absolute best! I only wish I had pictures to share, although they are lovingly burned into my mind.. here is a line up the amazing food my parents conjure (where I get it from!) and two of the local food spots that are a MUST if you ever venture through Abq :)
The dinner consisted of 3 beautiful briskets that my parents marinated in a love of liquid smoke, spices, and a few other family secret things :) I don't even know.. yet ;) Two days of marinading and then covered in a homemade sauce.. also part of that family secret.. and roasted for 5-6 hours at 250. WOW. Needless to say we came home with a 1/4 of one of the briskets! Aunt Lynn and Uncle Gary brought a pasta salad that tastes like one down at Saggio's that I dream about and biscuits that although Gary says weren't right were DAMN good (they also served as a base for the gravy my dad made the next morning to go with them via a recipe I had in the arsenal.. YUM)
*** This recipe makes a small amount, enough for two people.. if you are making it as a larger breakfast just double or tripple everything! Also the salt and pepper is really more your personal pref! I like my with lots of pepper so I do a full teaspoon.
Uncle Kevin and Aunt Viki brought a salad with probably the best damn bottle of dressing, Newman's Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. If you are looking for a flavorful dressing without all the junk in it and a flavorful taste, this is your dressing! I bought a bottle already.. ;) Nana and Grandpa brought coleslaw which was YUM! Aunt Loretta and Uncle Ricky brought a yummy wine and an even yummier chocolate dessert. Chocolate and dessert should cover it ;) What more would you need in a dessert!! I think that covers it. All together a very successful family eating gathering.. although they all are ;) Next up? Greek!
Sunday I spent the day with my best friend Liz :) We had Dion's <3 Dion's is a restaurant that is local to NM. Dion's is a very casual restaurant with quality food and a great environment. You can choose from Pizza Slices made with the toppings you choose, whole pizzas, toasted subs does not even begin to cover how amazing their sandwiches are. They are served in a basket with chips, a dill pickle and their epic greek dressing. You can also choose from several salads, drinks, fruit salad, cookies, and cheese toast. Check out the website, and if you ever go through New Mexico do yourself a favor and stop in for some amazing food!!!!
Monday morning my mama took Dustin and I to breakfast at a place that I dream about here in Phoenix. Wecks. They only do breakfast and lunch.. and to be honest.. if they added in dinner I'd probably be there daily.. The breakfast they offer is a New Mexican twist with everyday breakfast staples too. Pancakes, french toast, eggs, breakfast burrito, papas.. AHH PAPAS. Papas is a small mountain of hash browns that you then choose which way you would like it. Meat eater, veggie, or build your own.. with two eggs your way. My absolute fav way to get my papas is the Veggie Papas with Ham and Christmas. I love all of the veggies they put in, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and then have them add ham COVERED with a red and green chile (we call it christmas in nm) I made sweet love to that plate of food. It is the inspiration to a lot of the breakfasts I make :)
All in all it was a highly successful trip both in the food department and in the family time friend time department as well. Next week the Balloon Fiesta starts. If you are local in NM or are passing through, check it out! It is a childhood staple that every kid from Albuquerque has permanently found a home in our memories. I unfortunately haven't been in 4 years, but moving home will fix that :D The balloon fiesta is a great place to have all new mexican food fair at your finger tips! So go out there with camera in tow and an empty stomach!
Welcome to fall!!
Ash
The dinner consisted of 3 beautiful briskets that my parents marinated in a love of liquid smoke, spices, and a few other family secret things :) I don't even know.. yet ;) Two days of marinading and then covered in a homemade sauce.. also part of that family secret.. and roasted for 5-6 hours at 250. WOW. Needless to say we came home with a 1/4 of one of the briskets! Aunt Lynn and Uncle Gary brought a pasta salad that tastes like one down at Saggio's that I dream about and biscuits that although Gary says weren't right were DAMN good (they also served as a base for the gravy my dad made the next morning to go with them via a recipe I had in the arsenal.. YUM)
Bacon/Sausage Dripping Gravy
1/4 cup sausage drippings, * see note
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
To the sausage drippings in the skillet, add the flour. Cook
and stir over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture
starts to turn golden.
Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper.
Cook gravy until it boils and thickens. Sausage pieces may
be add to gravy. Serve over warm biscuits.
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
To the sausage drippings in the skillet, add the flour. Cook
and stir over medium heat 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture
starts to turn golden.
Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper.
Cook gravy until it boils and thickens. Sausage pieces may
be add to gravy. Serve over warm biscuits.
Uncle Kevin and Aunt Viki brought a salad with probably the best damn bottle of dressing, Newman's Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. If you are looking for a flavorful dressing without all the junk in it and a flavorful taste, this is your dressing! I bought a bottle already.. ;) Nana and Grandpa brought coleslaw which was YUM! Aunt Loretta and Uncle Ricky brought a yummy wine and an even yummier chocolate dessert. Chocolate and dessert should cover it ;) What more would you need in a dessert!! I think that covers it. All together a very successful family eating gathering.. although they all are ;) Next up? Greek!
Sunday I spent the day with my best friend Liz :) We had Dion's <3 Dion's is a restaurant that is local to NM. Dion's is a very casual restaurant with quality food and a great environment. You can choose from Pizza Slices made with the toppings you choose, whole pizzas, toasted subs does not even begin to cover how amazing their sandwiches are. They are served in a basket with chips, a dill pickle and their epic greek dressing. You can also choose from several salads, drinks, fruit salad, cookies, and cheese toast. Check out the website, and if you ever go through New Mexico do yourself a favor and stop in for some amazing food!!!!
Monday morning my mama took Dustin and I to breakfast at a place that I dream about here in Phoenix. Wecks. They only do breakfast and lunch.. and to be honest.. if they added in dinner I'd probably be there daily.. The breakfast they offer is a New Mexican twist with everyday breakfast staples too. Pancakes, french toast, eggs, breakfast burrito, papas.. AHH PAPAS. Papas is a small mountain of hash browns that you then choose which way you would like it. Meat eater, veggie, or build your own.. with two eggs your way. My absolute fav way to get my papas is the Veggie Papas with Ham and Christmas. I love all of the veggies they put in, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and then have them add ham COVERED with a red and green chile (we call it christmas in nm) I made sweet love to that plate of food. It is the inspiration to a lot of the breakfasts I make :)
All in all it was a highly successful trip both in the food department and in the family time friend time department as well. Next week the Balloon Fiesta starts. If you are local in NM or are passing through, check it out! It is a childhood staple that every kid from Albuquerque has permanently found a home in our memories. I unfortunately haven't been in 4 years, but moving home will fix that :D The balloon fiesta is a great place to have all new mexican food fair at your finger tips! So go out there with camera in tow and an empty stomach!
Welcome to fall!!
Ash
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sweet Dinner Rolls
The recipe comes from a fellow blogger with a few tweaks to meet my my desired result. Let me tell you, THESE ARE AMAZING and I have had a hard time keeping my husband out of them. one batch of dough makes two dozen rolls. These will definitely make repeat appearances and are perfect for holidays, dinners, and just because!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depending how sweet you want, 1/2=lightly sweet)
2 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
6 ounces warm milk (just over 2/3 cup)
6 ounces boiling water (just over 2/3 cup)
6-7 cups flour
1/2 cup melted butter
Direction:
Dissolve yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water. Add next 5 ingredients. Mix together. Add 2 cups flours and stir. Add boiling water a little at a time, stirring constantly. Then add remaining flour, 4-5 cups.
Knead dough until it forms a ball, about 5-6 minutes. Put in a greased bowl and cover with a wet towel until double in size, about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down with fist and roll our a little less than 1/2 inch thick. Melt butter. Cut out dough with a (large) mason jar lid or a round roll cutter. Dip in butter 1/2 or 3/4 of the way. Fold in half and place in a pan touching, but not crowded.
Raise until almost double, about 30-40 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Make about 2 dozen rolls.
Make about 2 dozen rolls.
Brush addtional butter ontop of the rolls after they come out of the oven. Enjoy!
Penne Di Bosco
Penne Di Busco consists of Vodka Sauce, Vegtables, Penne Pasta, and Sausage.
Organic Vodka Sauce as a base (F&E)
Sausage (I used Farmer John F&E)
2-3 Bell Peppers
1 can Italian style organic tomatoes
2 cups sliced mushrooms (or more!)
1 cup red onions chopped
Garlic (to taste, I like garlic so I would use 2-3 tbsps)
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan
Olive Oil
Penne pasta
Start by cutting the bell peppers cut in half, cleaned out, and in the oven roasting at 400. Turn every 5-10 min depending on oven. Roast for about 30 minutes.
While roasting cooking the sausage in a pan until cooked through. Once cooked through move to a paper towel. Leave the grease from the sausage in the pan.
Serve with Parmesan cheese and bread.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Pluot
If you have never had the chance to have a plout, and a few differing flavors of pluots.. I recommend you do it soon. Fresh and Easy has had 4 of the flavors below. Dustin and I will rave to you about the Mango Tango. Check out www.kingsburgorchards.com Pluot Mecca!
Pluot
A pluot (pronounced /ˈpluː.ɒt/) is a tradename for varieties of interspecific plum or Plumcot developed in the late 20th century by Floyd Zaiger. In the United States, the fruit is known by most regulatory agencies as an interspecific plum or plumcot. It is a complex cross hybrid of plum and apricot, exhibiting more plum-like traits. The pluot, like the aprium, is derived from plums, apricots and or hybrids called the plumcot.The fruit's exterior with smooth skin closely resembles a plum's. Pluots are noted for their sweetness (due to a very high sugar content), their intense flavor, and very juicy pulp. Pluots are also rich in vitamin A.
Dinosaur egg is a trademarked name for Dapple Dandy variety.
"Pluot" is a registered trademark of Zaiger's Genetics.
Varieties
- Crimson Sweet: Sweet flavor, medium-sized, Crimson skin with pinkish flesh. Available in June.
- Dapple Dandy: Large size with mottled pale green to yellow, red-spotted skin, red or pink juicy flesh. Available July through August and easily shipped (due to the firm nature of the flesh).
- Early Dapple: Good flavor, medium-sized, mottled green over red skin with pink flesh. Available mid June.
- Emerald Drop: Medium to large size, green skin and yellow-orange flesh. Available from mid July to late August.
- Flavor Delight: Medium-sized, fuchsia-honey colored skin with pink flesh. Available in June.
- Flavor Fall: Large size, average flavor, Red skin with yellow flesh. Available the end of September and the first of October
- Flavor Finale: Medium to large size, purple-red skin with amber-red flesh. Exceptional complex flavor. Harvest begins in Early September and fruit is edible well into October.
- Flavor Grenade: Large size, oblong shape with red blush on green background, yellow juicy flesh. Available the end of July through August.
- Flavor Heart: very large, black with a heart shape, and yellow flesh.
- Flavor Jewel: Sweet flavor, heart shaped, red over yellow skin with yellow flesh.
- Flavor King: Fruit punch flavor, medium size, with burgundy skin and red super sweet juicy flesh. Available end of August first of September. Flesh of this is hard until fully ripe which takes time to complete.
- Flavor Prince: large round and purple, with red flesh.
- Flavor Queen: Medium to large size, very juicy flesh. Taste is very sweet and when fully ripe (golden yellow colour). Available the end of June to mid August.
- Flavor Rich: medium-sweet, large black round fruit with orange flesh.
- Flavor Royal: very sweet, medium-sized, dark purple with crimson flesh. Available end of May through first weeks of June.
- Flavor Supreme: medium or large, greenish purple skin, juicy red flesh.
- Flavorich: Large size, dark purple skin and firm, sweet, yellow-orange flesh. Harvest begins in late August/early September.
- Flavorosa: very sweet , medium-sized, flat round dark-purple fruit with red flesh. Available end of May through first weeks of June.
- Geo Pride: Medium size, red-skin and yellow flesh. Balanced acid-sugar is predominately sweet with unique plum/apricot flavor. Harvest in mid-July to early August.
- Raspberry Jewel: medium, dark red skin, brilliant red honey-sweet flesh.
- Red Ray: medium, bright red with dense, sweet orange flesh
- Splash: Small to medium sized red-orange colored fruit, with very sweet orange flesh. Available mid July.
- Sweet Treat: Super sweet with hints of thompson grape flavor, green golden skin with yellow juicy flesh. Available end of June and first of July.
- Tropical Plumana: Tropical punch flavor, medium-sized, red over greenish yellow background with yellow flesh. Available middle of June.
So get out and get your hands on one of these bad boys! We are going into fall now, the fruit selection will be changing!!
Ash
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Chicken Noodle Cass
An attribute back to my Nana and her love for the casserole.
Growing up, my grandparents watched my brother and I instead of day care. Majority of my cooking, and all of my baking comes from my Nana. As a kid nana always had dinner ready when grandpa got home. She would make dinners ranging from pot roasts to chickens to casseroles... pretty much anything and everything. I have a memory of a dutch oven that she would roast whole chickens with veggies in, or the long silver pan she would make meatloaf in. Two particular casseroles that she made through out my childhood stand out. The Tuna Noodle Casserole and the Eggplant Parmasain Casserole.
Last night I made Dustin and I Chicken Noodle Casserole. I love tuna.. cold. So I switch out tuna for chicken and add a few other things for personal taste and evolution:
ingredients: small noodle ( i usually do elbow), two cans of any kind of cream of you want (i usually use one chicken and one mushroom) vegetable mix ( i will use frozen or if there is a fresh mix, this is limitless, put as little or as many as you like), half an onion diced, 1 cup chicken/veg stock, salt pepper and paprika to taste, and panko crumbs and melted butter mixed.
boil the noodles. combine all ingredients in a cooking dish. spread layer of bread crumbs over top, dust with paprika, and cook for 30 min at @ 350
Nana sometimes made it with chicken too. Serve with a crusty bread, salad.. enjoy!
Growing up, my grandparents watched my brother and I instead of day care. Majority of my cooking, and all of my baking comes from my Nana. As a kid nana always had dinner ready when grandpa got home. She would make dinners ranging from pot roasts to chickens to casseroles... pretty much anything and everything. I have a memory of a dutch oven that she would roast whole chickens with veggies in, or the long silver pan she would make meatloaf in. Two particular casseroles that she made through out my childhood stand out. The Tuna Noodle Casserole and the Eggplant Parmasain Casserole.
Last night I made Dustin and I Chicken Noodle Casserole. I love tuna.. cold. So I switch out tuna for chicken and add a few other things for personal taste and evolution:
ingredients: small noodle ( i usually do elbow), two cans of any kind of cream of you want (i usually use one chicken and one mushroom) vegetable mix ( i will use frozen or if there is a fresh mix, this is limitless, put as little or as many as you like), half an onion diced, 1 cup chicken/veg stock, salt pepper and paprika to taste, and panko crumbs and melted butter mixed.
boil the noodles. combine all ingredients in a cooking dish. spread layer of bread crumbs over top, dust with paprika, and cook for 30 min at @ 350
Nana sometimes made it with chicken too. Serve with a crusty bread, salad.. enjoy!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Winter Veggies
There is something about the temps starting to fall, the sun setting sooner, that signals fall is coming. Here in AZ the fall season is short and sweet. Back home in ABQ fall starts from late Sept/ early Oct to late November. (I miss this!). I personally love the fall. The slow darkening of life.. the gray skies.. I love them.. I love how each season leads and blends into each other. To celebrate the last Autumn in AZ, here is a list of the vegetables that are plentiful in the fall and keep you warm in the cooler months. The first day of autumn is September 23 and I am going to cook with each vegetable over the course of this fall and post the recipes and pictures.
Here are the veggies!
Artichokes have a second crop in the fall (the first go-around is in the spring) that produces small to medium artichokes.
Arugula is a cool weather peppery green harvested in winter in warm climates, summer in cool ones, and grows in many places during autumn.
Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else.
Broccoli is more sweet, less bitter and sharp when harvested in the cooler temperatures of fall in most climates.
Brussels sprouts grow on a stalk, and if you see them for sale that way snap them up - they'll last quite a bit longer than once they're cut.
Cabbage is bright and crisp when raw and mellows and sweetens the longer it's cooked. The cooler the weather when it's harvested, the sweeter it tends to taste (this effect is called "frost kissed").
Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. Unusual varieties are harvested during the carrot's natural season, which is late summer and fall.
Cauliflower may be harvested year-round, but it is by nature a cool weather crop at its best from fall into early spring.
Celery is at its best in the fall, with its harvest continuing through winter in warm and temperate climates.
Chiles are best at the end of summer and into fall.
Happy Pre-Fall!
SOoo tomorrow I will start actually baking my first round of cookies for my cookie test. I've spent the past week working on flavor and mixtures and picking peoples brains :) The first three flavors are: Butter Pecan, Strawberry, and Snickerdoodle. I'm excited to work on the cookies tomorrow and see what my testers think!
Here are the veggies!
Artichokes have a second crop in the fall (the first go-around is in the spring) that produces small to medium artichokes.
Arugula is a cool weather peppery green harvested in winter in warm climates, summer in cool ones, and grows in many places during autumn.
Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else.
Broccoli is more sweet, less bitter and sharp when harvested in the cooler temperatures of fall in most climates.
Brussels sprouts grow on a stalk, and if you see them for sale that way snap them up - they'll last quite a bit longer than once they're cut.
Cabbage is bright and crisp when raw and mellows and sweetens the longer it's cooked. The cooler the weather when it's harvested, the sweeter it tends to taste (this effect is called "frost kissed").
Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. Unusual varieties are harvested during the carrot's natural season, which is late summer and fall.
Cauliflower may be harvested year-round, but it is by nature a cool weather crop at its best from fall into early spring.
Celery is at its best in the fall, with its harvest continuing through winter in warm and temperate climates.
Chiles are best at the end of summer and into fall.
Happy Pre-Fall!
SOoo tomorrow I will start actually baking my first round of cookies for my cookie test. I've spent the past week working on flavor and mixtures and picking peoples brains :) The first three flavors are: Butter Pecan, Strawberry, and Snickerdoodle. I'm excited to work on the cookies tomorrow and see what my testers think!
Monday, August 23, 2010
22 Cookie Challenge and Bitchen Salads
In prep for a bigger cause I am in need of local guinie pigs. If you are a cookie lover I need you for taste testing. Yes. This does include consuming cookies.
I have a particular set of chocolate cookies that I make that make people feel happy. Nothing in them but love and baking ingredients :) With that being said I am going to do a little.. well a lot.. of experimenting. I will be testing 22 new flavors with a surprise add-ins (chocolate chips, fruit, nuts). As part of my exploration of food this is my next mission.
Mission: Make 22 different cookies with different, that make sense, add-ins and or icing/topping.
This is where you come in. I will make cookies at least once every week/week and a half. I will need to hand them out to you guinie pigs and request your feedback and suggestions :)
With that being said LET ME KNOW! you know how to get a hold.
The second part to this is for every new kind of cookie combo I make I will make a salad to um, er.. counter all that amazing cookieness. I of course will be taste testing the cookies.. AND salads of course :)
So here's to divine cookie soul searching and rolling bowls of lettuce with in season veggies and smart dressings :)
Eating Check up: Eating like shit lately.
Fix: I am dedicating myself to learning the Asanas of Ashtanga Yoga through traditional Vinyasa Count. I feel very driven to this. My yoga experience has pandered across the years.. college was a concentration on the asanas (poses). No flow. Home practice was always asanas slow paced. Then I went to Sumit's Yoga, Vinyasa Power Flow, and had my ass handed to me. I left that class soaking wet, bendy, tiered, but felt like I could move a friggin building. After that I was pretty much hooked on the flow. Sumit's is very fast paced. If I had know the asanas I would have probably dug the fuck out of it. SO thats what brings me to this. My current pactice is home based. I usually do a flow with asanas at my pace. I try to hold each asana for 5 breaths. I like the way my heart races when the flow is added in after each asana is added. My friend Kim is putting a sequence together for me too and I can't wait! Second part of the fix is transitioning back to eating better. Sounds stupid with the cookies right? Not if I am giving majority of them away for taste testing? Finally finding a facet again :)
Ash
I have a particular set of chocolate cookies that I make that make people feel happy. Nothing in them but love and baking ingredients :) With that being said I am going to do a little.. well a lot.. of experimenting. I will be testing 22 new flavors with a surprise add-ins (chocolate chips, fruit, nuts). As part of my exploration of food this is my next mission.
Mission: Make 22 different cookies with different, that make sense, add-ins and or icing/topping.
This is where you come in. I will make cookies at least once every week/week and a half. I will need to hand them out to you guinie pigs and request your feedback and suggestions :)
With that being said LET ME KNOW! you know how to get a hold.
The second part to this is for every new kind of cookie combo I make I will make a salad to um, er.. counter all that amazing cookieness. I of course will be taste testing the cookies.. AND salads of course :)
So here's to divine cookie soul searching and rolling bowls of lettuce with in season veggies and smart dressings :)
Eating Check up: Eating like shit lately.
Fix: I am dedicating myself to learning the Asanas of Ashtanga Yoga through traditional Vinyasa Count. I feel very driven to this. My yoga experience has pandered across the years.. college was a concentration on the asanas (poses). No flow. Home practice was always asanas slow paced. Then I went to Sumit's Yoga, Vinyasa Power Flow, and had my ass handed to me. I left that class soaking wet, bendy, tiered, but felt like I could move a friggin building. After that I was pretty much hooked on the flow. Sumit's is very fast paced. If I had know the asanas I would have probably dug the fuck out of it. SO thats what brings me to this. My current pactice is home based. I usually do a flow with asanas at my pace. I try to hold each asana for 5 breaths. I like the way my heart races when the flow is added in after each asana is added. My friend Kim is putting a sequence together for me too and I can't wait! Second part of the fix is transitioning back to eating better. Sounds stupid with the cookies right? Not if I am giving majority of them away for taste testing? Finally finding a facet again :)
Ash
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Enchilada Fetish
A plate: Three Red Rolled Melty Cheese Enchiladas topped with Shredded Iceberg Lettuce, Sour Cream, and a side of Frijoles, Arroz Rojo and Sopas with honey.
Being born in Albuquerque, a very large part of the culture is food. Amazing food. Since moving to Arizona I crave a GREAT red chile or green chile sauce. Not chili gravy (wtf?). Due to the 464 mile difference, I have had some of the food here. I have yet to find an amazing green chile sauce out here. Most versions are diluted tomatillo sauces or washed chile. I do have to say though, that I have become a rather large red chile fan over the past few years. My nana would spread it on a piece of toast, eggs, or hashbrowns for breakfast. Now I can't get enough of red chile. This brings me to my love affair for the past oohh 3 years? Pretty much since I met Dustin. Red Chile Sauce. Phoenix is peppered with little Mexican Food joints that I swear put crack in their red enchilada sauces. The first time I had a bean and rice burrito enchilada style I was in heaven. The sauce. Man.
Most enchilada styles that I can purchase here in Arizona are super watered down. Barely coats the corn tortilla and end up dry. I read somewhere about doing enchiladas with small flour tortillas, I have only ever seen corn tortillas used, I think I will stick to the og. I have been working with some red chile puree from ABQ Tortilla Company (on 15th ave and Thatcher) to make Chile Colorado Sauce. The recipe is coming from Bueno Foods Website. I am hoping that this will be a step closer to the red sauce that has captured my stomach. I love me some enchiladas. If I could I probably could have it for dinner ever evening. It is a combo of all of my favorite things. Tortilla, Cheese, Beans, Rice, Sour Cream, Iceburg Lettuce..I'm the extra lettuce kid.. :)
I've also gotten into doing my own taco shells. Corn tortillas heated up in hot oil to cook a bit, take them out and hang them over an edge, I use a square bowl. Let them cool and load. Amazing.
Corn Tortilla Chicken Tacos
1/2 to 1 lb (less or more) Chicken, Turkey, Fish, or Beef
6-10 Corn Tortillas (less or more)
Oil to Cook Tortillas
Tomato Diced
Shredded Iceburg Lettuce
Onion Diced
Gaucamole
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Green/Red Chile
Cilantro Diced
Seasoning for meat
Cook chicken until well done in spice or marinade of choice, Dustin and I use a chicken fajita from Fresh and Easy. Once cooked set aside and keep warm. Next use the oil to cook the corn tortillas. Let cook to when they start to firm, once starting to get firm set over an edge of something. Edge of a container, food stand, taco rack you can guy at walmart. Let cool to form to taco shape. Once cooled load with chicken and toppings. Enjoy :D
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Critical Thinking
I did some soul searching today, well actually a lot over the past year. The concentration of it has only been the past few weeks. I look back at my life over the past few years and I feel happy, but indifferent. I have been graduated for 7 years. I have my Associates degree, I am working on my Bachelors, and after I want to pursue my Masters. Not exactly on the time scale I had in mind, but shit everything happens for a reason. I think I finally realized I need to stop being the fish trying to swim up stream fighting the current and really just go with the fucking flow. I fight to be heard, to be acknowledged.. maybe all for the wrong reasons. I have this diluted idea of who I think I am vs. who I really am. To be honest, the person I think I am sucks. It is a combo of all of the qualities I think I need and want, yet I am the farthest away from who I am, inside. My husband is probably the only person that really gets a constant glimpse of who I am, the happy me, and he gets a heavy does of the fucked up one too. Which sucks. He's a strong man<3. I had a long conversation with my Aunt Lynn a week ago. She said something that stuck. (and made me feel so much better). I feel like I'm in transition. From being a young kid to being a married woman that wants to have babies, watch them grow with my husband, and experience life. "Those are the signs of a transition. Go with it. Don't fight it." I'm very good at fighting things like that. Learning to let go is easier said than done, but why fight it anymore. I could choose to live my life wound tight as a fuck as the next person that is on the verge of breaking, or I could just let go. I could spend a lot of time evaluating who is this and who that is... but in the end I know I have an amazing husband, a strong as hell family, and some tight friendships.
Time to take a deep breath and jump :)
PS: I made two crockpots of posole today... pix to follow
Time to take a deep breath and jump :)
PS: I made two crockpots of posole today... pix to follow
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sandwich Experiemnt
So after baking the wheat bread yesterday I finally sliced a few off today. Much to my husband's dismay (he jumped the gun on dinner) I smeared two slices with pesto spiked miracle whip, lined both sides with just sliced mozzarella from my costco brick, some pepper roasted turkey breast, plenty of tomato, and put it in a pan to melt the cheese. Flipped. Melted a little more. Sliced in half and consumed. The look on Dustin's face when I came back from the kitchen was hilarious. He of course had a bite. :D
So I must say that the bread so far has been a success. It def is a more nutty deep chewy wheat loaf. It did call for 1/2 cup honey. When it was baking there was a faint honey smell. I warmed a small piece last night and drizzled it with honey. I'm convinced honey makes pretty much everything better. I think the only place you can have sopapillas con honey w/ your dinner is in NM. Here in AZ it's a dessert served under ice cream or covered in whipping cream. If they only knew! Honey and a warm sopapilla.
Speaking of Sopapillas, Dustin and I are having Chris and Laura over for dinner! Im making non-meat cheese enchiladas (i loooove enchiladas) with red rice and a small mexican salad. I'm thinking maybe for dessert either Sopapillas or cookies. We will see :)
I've made sopapillas once, for Cinco De Mayo of 07. They actually turned out pretty damn good.
I'm off to find something sweet to counter the savory!
Ash
So I must say that the bread so far has been a success. It def is a more nutty deep chewy wheat loaf. It did call for 1/2 cup honey. When it was baking there was a faint honey smell. I warmed a small piece last night and drizzled it with honey. I'm convinced honey makes pretty much everything better. I think the only place you can have sopapillas con honey w/ your dinner is in NM. Here in AZ it's a dessert served under ice cream or covered in whipping cream. If they only knew! Honey and a warm sopapilla.
Speaking of Sopapillas, Dustin and I are having Chris and Laura over for dinner! Im making non-meat cheese enchiladas (i loooove enchiladas) with red rice and a small mexican salad. I'm thinking maybe for dessert either Sopapillas or cookies. We will see :)
I've made sopapillas once, for Cinco De Mayo of 07. They actually turned out pretty damn good.
I'm off to find something sweet to counter the savory!
Ash
100 Percent Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread..
From Scratch..
Tonight I made the lovely teryaki chicken bowls with the Pineapple Infused Yuri Yuri Sauce.. I think I like the orginal yuri yuri unit. But still yummy :) Brown Rice with chicken breasts cooked in a wok in peanut oil and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. I just salt and pepper the chicken and throw them in. Once chicken has cooked through, remove and place in microwave to stay warm. Veggies Tonight: Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, Snow Peas, and White Squash. Then dumped the chicken back in and poured sauce on and let it continue to simmer :) Man it was yummy.. and makes awesome left overs too.
But onto my bread.. part of that amazing sourdough I posted previously from the Artisan Bread in 5min a Day from MotherEarthNews.com.
The 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread...
<3 Ash
But onto my bread.. part of that amazing sourdough I posted previously from the Artisan Bread in 5min a Day from MotherEarthNews.com.
The 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread...
<3 Ash
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Purple Childhood
So Dustin and I are only eating red meat once a month and tonight was our steak night :D Steak, mashed taters, green beans, and green chile sour dough. Oh and this amazing stuff we all used to have mustaches of as kids. PURPLE KOOLAID. There really is something about koolaid that is yummy. The taters are pretty amazing too.
Dustin's Quick Mashed Taters
We used red potatoes, but you can use any kind you like! Boil the potatoes until a fork will eaisliy go through. Drain and put into a large bowl. Add 2-4 tbsps of Butter to the potatoes and start rough mashing with a fork. Add about 3-4 tbsps sour cream and half a block of neufechel cream (the low fat cream cheese). Salt and pepper her, continue to mash/mix together and consume!!
It has been amazing having my husband home the whole weekend and for whole days. When he was working at courtsey he literly maybe had 4-5 days off total a week and by the time he got home he was so tiered.. I missed him a lot! Now I have my partner in crime back ;) Having meals with him and going places together is awesome. We went and saw Salt yesterday and had dindin. It was nice having a date night more recently then two weeks ago! None of which was his fault, he is a champion and works his ass off to support us while I'm in school <3 Now with the new job he will never miss a football sunday (yay its almost football time!!), have every other saturday off and we can actually go CAMPING!!! I have been wanting to go camping this whole summer and now we have the ability to do it. Also our 1st wedding anniversary is coming up!
Trouble time! <3 Love him so much.
Ash!
Dustin's Quick Mashed Taters
We used red potatoes, but you can use any kind you like! Boil the potatoes until a fork will eaisliy go through. Drain and put into a large bowl. Add 2-4 tbsps of Butter to the potatoes and start rough mashing with a fork. Add about 3-4 tbsps sour cream and half a block of neufechel cream (the low fat cream cheese). Salt and pepper her, continue to mash/mix together and consume!!
It has been amazing having my husband home the whole weekend and for whole days. When he was working at courtsey he literly maybe had 4-5 days off total a week and by the time he got home he was so tiered.. I missed him a lot! Now I have my partner in crime back ;) Having meals with him and going places together is awesome. We went and saw Salt yesterday and had dindin. It was nice having a date night more recently then two weeks ago! None of which was his fault, he is a champion and works his ass off to support us while I'm in school <3 Now with the new job he will never miss a football sunday (yay its almost football time!!), have every other saturday off and we can actually go CAMPING!!! I have been wanting to go camping this whole summer and now we have the ability to do it. Also our 1st wedding anniversary is coming up!
Trouble time! <3 Love him so much.
Ash!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Rain and Sandwiches
It rained today. Finally. First time since April. It was at a point where it was so hot in the summer a wet down was needed.. only trade off? INSANE humidity. I figured the last summer here would be a punisher ;)
For most people that know me they know that I Love Cheese. Its my dad's fault. He is an avid cheese eater too. My brother also. Its funny. When we are both home and dad had a block of cheese out and some triskets.. my brother and I have this funny way of gravitating to the table and dad just automatically starts handling triskets and cheese to you. Cheese Rocks. I wish I could say I'm partial to one kind but I'm far from that. From the Extra Sharpness of a Beautiful block of Cheddar to a creamy,crumbly strong feta, to a soft brie with fruit perseves ontop with crackers. So when it comes to making a sandwich cheese, to me, is key. My dad and I both like the mustard,tomatoe, spinach, avacado tortilla unit. I love avocados. Fuck mayo compared to the amazingness of avocado. I know many disagree, my husband, that mayo or miricle whip is the stuff. I saw how it was made. I'm good.
My top 3 sandwiches to Make at Home:
A sandwich, I learned to make at my very first job, was called the Baja Chicken. I call it the Amazing Jamba Juice Sandwich haha ;).
2-3 Chicken Breasts Par-boiled and cut into strips
1 can of pineapple juice
munster cheese sliced
saffron mayo
mushrooms
tomatoes
red onions
avocado
salt and pepper
I loaf Cibatta Bread
Simmer chicken in pineapple juice either in a small crock pot on high for 2 hours or in a sauce pan for 1 hour on low to med-low. Turning continuously. This allows the chicken to soak up the pineapple taste which gives a great flavor with the other ingredients.
One chicken is ready start to pull the other ingredients together. Slice the onions thin, the tomatoes, and the mushrooms. Cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally (like they do at subway). Smear the mayo on both sides of the bread. Next layer the strips of chicken on the bread along the length. Cover with slices of Munster cheese. On the other half of the bread put the tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and salt/pepper. Lay these two pieces of bread on a foil lined cooking sheet (easy clean up) and put in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Once done pull out of over and let set for a few minutes while you slice the avocado. Place avocado on chicken side, place other half on top and slice into 3 inch sections. This will feed a few people :) rip Del Norte Jamba Juice
2: Good ole Fashioned Tuna sandwich. I currently do have to say that subway has the most amazing tuna I've had. I'm sure its the crack they put in there but man.. once it gets hot outside all I want is a foot long tuna on honey oat with the works. I love extra lettuce. If tuna is done at home and I"m not the one that made it (which means I don't know how much mayo is realllly in there) I will eat it.. maybe.. lol! But in ref to the cheese and avocado. ya. put that one my tuna unit. I love the extra veggies.
3: This is a time true sandwich at its finest. In my opinion of course.. but ya.
Tortilla
slice of any amazing cheese (currently it is slices off a block of mozzarella..yes.)
yellow mustard
roma tomato
onion
spinach
avocado
pepper
Squirt some yellow mustard on a tortilla. Layer with cheese, tomato, onion, spinach, pepper, and avocado, role that beast up and enjoy. No meat needed. Good poly- fat form the avocado, antioxes from the spinach, lip form the tomato, calcium form the cheese, and tortilla.. well thats a carbo :) I have this for lunch a lot. It's filling and is a combo of some of my fav ingredients. So I end up happy!
One really awesome breakfast unit this week. Cottage cheese with strawberries and bananas with either coffee or constant comment tea. Super yum. Working on the breakfast options and things to make. Key: actually having breakfast. Now that bbkf has a better job (yes!!) we get to have all three meals together now! I've started writing down all of my fav recipes that I like to make. I want to add more recipes. I like to look online, see what others are doing, and maybe adjust it to my taste. One big thing that I want to conquer is fish. I'm talking ahiahi, salmon, and others. I want to incorp fish into our diet because it is a great source of protein with little to no fat. Plus get more of those good fats.
Its stopped raining for now..Listening to Black Carl. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. (check itunes)
ash..
For most people that know me they know that I Love Cheese. Its my dad's fault. He is an avid cheese eater too. My brother also. Its funny. When we are both home and dad had a block of cheese out and some triskets.. my brother and I have this funny way of gravitating to the table and dad just automatically starts handling triskets and cheese to you. Cheese Rocks. I wish I could say I'm partial to one kind but I'm far from that. From the Extra Sharpness of a Beautiful block of Cheddar to a creamy,crumbly strong feta, to a soft brie with fruit perseves ontop with crackers. So when it comes to making a sandwich cheese, to me, is key. My dad and I both like the mustard,tomatoe, spinach, avacado tortilla unit. I love avocados. Fuck mayo compared to the amazingness of avocado. I know many disagree, my husband, that mayo or miricle whip is the stuff. I saw how it was made. I'm good.
My top 3 sandwiches to Make at Home:
A sandwich, I learned to make at my very first job, was called the Baja Chicken. I call it the Amazing Jamba Juice Sandwich haha ;).
2-3 Chicken Breasts Par-boiled and cut into strips
1 can of pineapple juice
munster cheese sliced
saffron mayo
mushrooms
tomatoes
red onions
avocado
salt and pepper
I loaf Cibatta Bread
Simmer chicken in pineapple juice either in a small crock pot on high for 2 hours or in a sauce pan for 1 hour on low to med-low. Turning continuously. This allows the chicken to soak up the pineapple taste which gives a great flavor with the other ingredients.
One chicken is ready start to pull the other ingredients together. Slice the onions thin, the tomatoes, and the mushrooms. Cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally (like they do at subway). Smear the mayo on both sides of the bread. Next layer the strips of chicken on the bread along the length. Cover with slices of Munster cheese. On the other half of the bread put the tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and salt/pepper. Lay these two pieces of bread on a foil lined cooking sheet (easy clean up) and put in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Once done pull out of over and let set for a few minutes while you slice the avocado. Place avocado on chicken side, place other half on top and slice into 3 inch sections. This will feed a few people :) rip Del Norte Jamba Juice
2: Good ole Fashioned Tuna sandwich. I currently do have to say that subway has the most amazing tuna I've had. I'm sure its the crack they put in there but man.. once it gets hot outside all I want is a foot long tuna on honey oat with the works. I love extra lettuce. If tuna is done at home and I"m not the one that made it (which means I don't know how much mayo is realllly in there) I will eat it.. maybe.. lol! But in ref to the cheese and avocado. ya. put that one my tuna unit. I love the extra veggies.
3: This is a time true sandwich at its finest. In my opinion of course.. but ya.
Tortilla
slice of any amazing cheese (currently it is slices off a block of mozzarella..yes.)
yellow mustard
roma tomato
onion
spinach
avocado
pepper
Squirt some yellow mustard on a tortilla. Layer with cheese, tomato, onion, spinach, pepper, and avocado, role that beast up and enjoy. No meat needed. Good poly- fat form the avocado, antioxes from the spinach, lip form the tomato, calcium form the cheese, and tortilla.. well thats a carbo :) I have this for lunch a lot. It's filling and is a combo of some of my fav ingredients. So I end up happy!
One really awesome breakfast unit this week. Cottage cheese with strawberries and bananas with either coffee or constant comment tea. Super yum. Working on the breakfast options and things to make. Key: actually having breakfast. Now that bbkf has a better job (yes!!) we get to have all three meals together now! I've started writing down all of my fav recipes that I like to make. I want to add more recipes. I like to look online, see what others are doing, and maybe adjust it to my taste. One big thing that I want to conquer is fish. I'm talking ahiahi, salmon, and others. I want to incorp fish into our diet because it is a great source of protein with little to no fat. Plus get more of those good fats.
Its stopped raining for now..Listening to Black Carl. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. (check itunes)
ash..
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The BEST Dough recipe. PERIOD.
Since I started my mission to cook/bake from scratch, I searched for a basic dough. I remember back in March we had this amazing artisan garlic boule from Smiths that was wow. The crusty outside and a chewy bread inside. Naturally that is the bread I wanted to start with, since it is so darn good! I did some googling of organic sites, whole food sites, and came upon the mother of them all. Well, literaly. Motherearthnews.com. The website quotes out a recipe from a book called "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François. This recipe is amazing. You can make a huge batch of it and it can stay in the fridge up to TWO weeks. The flavor builds everyday too. HUGE THING: Because the dough is so wet you will want to have dripping wet hands while handling the dough. Keep a bowl of water at your side while handling the dough, as it starts to get sticky dip each hand in as you go continuously. If you have questions just ask :D
Ingredients and Equipment
Great breads really only require four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. The rest is detail. Here’s a short guide to the basic ingredients and equipment you’ll need to make artisan loaves.
Yeast: Regular Active Yeast. Use what’s readily available and buy in bulk (costco $3.65 for 2lb brick) rather than packets, which are much more expensive. (not live/instant active yeast)
Salt: Use noniodized coarse kosher or sea salt.
Baking stone: Use a high- quality, half- inch- thick stone. The porous stone absorbs moisture from your dough, allowing a thin, crackling, crisp crust to form — one of the keys to artisanal baking. (Target has a wonderful 12inch pizza stone that is their brand for 9 dollars, buy two!)
Pizza peel: This long-handled board helps slide doughs onto a hot stone. A cookie sheet or cutting board will work, but will be more difficult to handle.
Broiler tray: A pan to hold water for steam during baking. *KEY
Cornmeal: Sprinkle a good amount on the stone before putting the dough on the stone. This keeps it from sticking. So be liberal but not over board.
The Master Recipe Story
The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means “ball”) is the easiest to master. You’ll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won’t retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you’ll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.
Keep your dough wet — wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.
The Master Recipe: Boule
(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (if using packets actually measure out into tbsp)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
(the dough risen right before being punched down)
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.
3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.
5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.
Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.
6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.
8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)
9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
Ingredients and Equipment
Great breads really only require four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. The rest is detail. Here’s a short guide to the basic ingredients and equipment you’ll need to make artisan loaves.
- Unbleached, white, all-purpose flour: Has adequate protein (around 10 percent) to create a satisfying “chew,” but low enough to prevent heaviness. We prefer unbleached flours because bleaching removes some protein, not to mention adding unnecessary chemicals.
- Whole wheat flour: Contains the germ and bran, both of which are healthful and tasty. Together they add a slightly bitter, nutty flavor that many people enjoy.
- Bread flour: For chewier bread, substitute bread flour (about 12 percent protein) for all-purpose white flour by decreasing the amount slightly (by about a quarter cup for every 6 cups of all-purpose).The Secret: Keep Dough Refrigerated. It is easy to have fresh bread whenever you want it with only five minutes a day of active effort. Just mix the dough and let it sit for two hours. No kneading needed! Then shape and bake a loaf, and refrigerate the rest to use over the next couple weeks. Yes, weeks! The Master Recipe (below) makes enough dough for many loaves. When you want fresh-baked crusty bread, take some dough, shape it into a loaf, let it rise for about 20 minutes, then bake. Your house will smell like a bakery, and your family and friends will love you for it.Yeast: Use what’s readily available and buy in bulk rather than packets, which are much more expensive.
Yeast: Regular Active Yeast. Use what’s readily available and buy in bulk (costco $3.65 for 2lb brick) rather than packets, which are much more expensive. (not live/instant active yeast)
Salt: Use noniodized coarse kosher or sea salt.
Baking stone: Use a high- quality, half- inch- thick stone. The porous stone absorbs moisture from your dough, allowing a thin, crackling, crisp crust to form — one of the keys to artisanal baking. (Target has a wonderful 12inch pizza stone that is their brand for 9 dollars, buy two!)
Pizza peel: This long-handled board helps slide doughs onto a hot stone. A cookie sheet or cutting board will work, but will be more difficult to handle.
Broiler tray: A pan to hold water for steam during baking. *KEY
Cornmeal: Sprinkle a good amount on the stone before putting the dough on the stone. This keeps it from sticking. So be liberal but not over board.
The Master Recipe Story
The artisan free-form loaf called the French boule is the basic model for all the no-knead recipes. The round shape (boule in French means “ball”) is the easiest to master. You’ll learn how wet the dough needs to be (wet, but not so wet that the finished loaf won’t retain its form) and how to shape a loaf without kneading. And you’ll discover a truly revolutionary approach to baking: Take some dough from the fridge, shape it, leave it to rest, then let it bake while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.
Keep your dough wet — wetter doughs favor the development of sourdough character during storage. You should become familiar with the following recipe before going through any of the others.
The Master Recipe: Boule
(Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (if using packets actually measure out into tbsp)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel
Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.
3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.
4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.
5. Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.
Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.
6. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.
8. Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)
9. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
10. Refrigerate the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.
From June 6, 2010
A few weeks ago Dustin told me that on nights he came home from work later in the evening that he wanted something light like soup. So in the middle of the summer I didn't want to make anything heavy. I am an avid crock-pot user, my mom gave me a bad ass old unit that is older than me ;) and then two years ago for christmas she bought me a new crock-pot that holds more and the inside comes out for easier cleaning. What I love about the crock pot is that you can put anything in it and it makes heaven dinners.
I've been reading a lot lately about purchasing fruits and veggies that are current in season. The price is great and it's nice to have variations through out the year. Right now zucchini and squash are readily available. That is where the soup started.
Summer Soup
6 cups of chicken broth ( i used the soft bullion cubes in boiling water)
1 yellow or green zucchini ( i used yellow for color variation) sliced
1 white squash cut in half length wise, then sliced
two cups cut baby carrots (like little coins, thin/thickness your pref)
1 cup green onions chopped (mild onion flavor, i've been favoring green onions lately)
two tablespoons garlic
1 carton mushrooms sliced (either whole sliced or cut in half then sliced)
2 cups sliced celery
salt
pepper
savory (I eyeball it bout about 1-2 tablespoons)
italian seasoning (I eyeball again about 2-3 tablespoons)
1 bay leaf
dill weed (1 teaspoon)
two cans of chicken (i use the fresh and easy brand cause it doesn't have all the crap)
a bag of small pasta like orzo or the little alphabet letters
Olive Oil
Start with pouring all the chicken broth ( you can substitute veggie broth or beef broth) into the crock-pot. Turn it on the setting corresponding to the time you want it done in. Cover with the lid. Next chop all of the vegetables up. Put the carrots, squash, zucchini, onions, and celery in the crock pot in the broth.
In a pan, heat medium, saute the garlic and mushrooms together. Cover with a lid for about 5 min and stir. Re cover and heat for an additional 3 min allowing the mushrooms and garlic to sweat. Once done pour the mushrooms and garlic into the crock pot. Add spices (more or less than suggested, whatever your tastes desire, I like to taste the different herbs and spices and how they compliment the other ingredients) and bay leaf, stir.
Open canned chicken (you can also use a rotisserie chicken from the store pulled apart or chicken breasts that have been par-boiled shredded) and drain. The chicken usually comes in big chunks, so i cut them up a bit in the can with a knife. Pour into crock-pot with all ingredients. Stir. Cover with lid and allow to cook for duration of chosen time ( i usually go with the 6 hour or the 4 hour depending on when I want dinner ready). Stir through out cooking time.
Ten minutes before serving add small pasta into soup. This will allow the pasta to become soft and flavorful from the broth. You may want/need to add an additional 2 cups of broth to the soup depending on how much broth you want. Cover and allow cooking time to click to "warm".
Server with crusty bread or crackers. Top with grated cheese if desired.
So that is my Summer Soup that was by chance a great combo by throwing stuff into the crock pot. I have made it twice now and not much is left if any at the end of the night :) This is part of my changing dustin's and my diet, eating take out less if rarely, and chance to make dinners and learn :) I come from a family that loves to cook and share so cooking for me is fun. I like to create.
I have a few recipes in the arsenal (My family's chicken and my chocolate chocolate chip cookies :) ) A lot of my recipes are based on the foods that i like or new things to try. There are also new cookware/bakeware (like my new wok!) influences and the desire to fill holes that local fair cannot fill both healthy and full belly.
I will be putting more recipes up :) So look for them :)
Ash!
I've been reading a lot lately about purchasing fruits and veggies that are current in season. The price is great and it's nice to have variations through out the year. Right now zucchini and squash are readily available. That is where the soup started.
Summer Soup
6 cups of chicken broth ( i used the soft bullion cubes in boiling water)
1 yellow or green zucchini ( i used yellow for color variation) sliced
1 white squash cut in half length wise, then sliced
two cups cut baby carrots (like little coins, thin/thickness your pref)
1 cup green onions chopped (mild onion flavor, i've been favoring green onions lately)
two tablespoons garlic
1 carton mushrooms sliced (either whole sliced or cut in half then sliced)
2 cups sliced celery
salt
pepper
savory (I eyeball it bout about 1-2 tablespoons)
italian seasoning (I eyeball again about 2-3 tablespoons)
1 bay leaf
dill weed (1 teaspoon)
two cans of chicken (i use the fresh and easy brand cause it doesn't have all the crap)
a bag of small pasta like orzo or the little alphabet letters
Olive Oil
Start with pouring all the chicken broth ( you can substitute veggie broth or beef broth) into the crock-pot. Turn it on the setting corresponding to the time you want it done in. Cover with the lid. Next chop all of the vegetables up. Put the carrots, squash, zucchini, onions, and celery in the crock pot in the broth.
In a pan, heat medium, saute the garlic and mushrooms together. Cover with a lid for about 5 min and stir. Re cover and heat for an additional 3 min allowing the mushrooms and garlic to sweat. Once done pour the mushrooms and garlic into the crock pot. Add spices (more or less than suggested, whatever your tastes desire, I like to taste the different herbs and spices and how they compliment the other ingredients) and bay leaf, stir.
Open canned chicken (you can also use a rotisserie chicken from the store pulled apart or chicken breasts that have been par-boiled shredded) and drain. The chicken usually comes in big chunks, so i cut them up a bit in the can with a knife. Pour into crock-pot with all ingredients. Stir. Cover with lid and allow to cook for duration of chosen time ( i usually go with the 6 hour or the 4 hour depending on when I want dinner ready). Stir through out cooking time.
Ten minutes before serving add small pasta into soup. This will allow the pasta to become soft and flavorful from the broth. You may want/need to add an additional 2 cups of broth to the soup depending on how much broth you want. Cover and allow cooking time to click to "warm".
Server with crusty bread or crackers. Top with grated cheese if desired.
So that is my Summer Soup that was by chance a great combo by throwing stuff into the crock pot. I have made it twice now and not much is left if any at the end of the night :) This is part of my changing dustin's and my diet, eating take out less if rarely, and chance to make dinners and learn :) I come from a family that loves to cook and share so cooking for me is fun. I like to create.
I have a few recipes in the arsenal (My family's chicken and my chocolate chocolate chip cookies :) ) A lot of my recipes are based on the foods that i like or new things to try. There are also new cookware/bakeware (like my new wok!) influences and the desire to fill holes that local fair cannot fill both healthy and full belly.
I will be putting more recipes up :) So look for them :)
Ash!
From Sunday June 27th 2010
Waking up this morning to a sore body was something to smile about. I started back up with yoga yesterday. I took kind of a hiatus from Sumits since my two week new student unlimited was up. I started looking around for another studio. Reason? Cost. This is where Blissful comes in. I went to a hot yoga I/II. I actually felt accomplished in that class :) I also like that Blissful has more than just hot yoga. They have wall yoga (yes wall), vinyasa, hot yoga, yinyasa, Intro, I/II, II/III, and a few more.. I am looking very forward to the different classes I have this week. Plus they are 105 a month instead of 175 @ sumits!
Since working on the body is going good I can also say the rework of what we eat. I started thing a lot about what is actually in the "pre-mixed" packages we purchase. Cake mixes, french onion soup mix, drinks... they are all chock full of hfcs, or corn syrup solids, or any kind of corn syrup. That is what makes you fat. While watching the documovie "King Corn" the two guys actually find the recipe for hfcs and make it. It required 2 or 3 different chemicals at an extreme heat to convert corn to hfcs. I did a little researching and found that hfcs tells your brain that you are still hungry. That you need more of the food with hfcs. When people talk about wanting Taco Bell because it is "crack" they are almost literal. So I have been steering clear of all hfcs. If you ask me I prefer to sweeten with sugar. Real sugar. Yes real sugar makes you fat as well, but at least you know it came from the ground without chemicals. I do buy organic sugar. Besides having koolaid again in the summer is too nice. So back to the original point i have decided to try and make most of our food from scratch. That sounds so intensely neurotic, but it also is kind of cool to have control over what goes in your food. I found a great recipe for a "wet dough" that you can make in bulk and can be left in the fridge for a week while taking parts and baking the bread each night on motherearthnews.com I've been working on doing a whole week of eating from scratch but healthy. I have incorporated a lot of veggies and fruit into our diet and insert fibrous grains like brown rice and kashi fire roasted crackers (which are amazing). The ole bowel system loves all the fiber (and yoga). We also now rarely have beef unless it is usda organic grass feed. Cows aren't meant to eat corn and grain. They are herbivores. Grass. Majority of our protein is now coming/will be coming from beans, legumes, chicken, pork, and a little bit of tofu.
A few nights ago I made Teriyaki Chicken bowls. The kind that remind me of Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Restaurant in ABQ. My mom gave me a fabulous Cuisnart Wok for Christmas one year and it has been a champ. It has the deep wok part, but also has a steamer tray then the lid. Everything I used was found at Fresh and Easy. Again I try to incorp whatever in season veggies F&E has..
Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
3-4 Chicken Breasts (sub in tofu or any other meat)
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Oil (I eyeball it and just kind drizzle a little)
2-3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (same here on the eyeball)
1 head cabbage cut head in half and into medium sized chunks
1 yellow squash sliced thin/thick
1 package asian veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, sugar peas)
1 bell pepper cut in strips
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 Bottle Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce
4 cups uncooked brown rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
First get your rice cooking. I throw mine in a rice cook (LOVE) and let it do its magic. I recommend either steamed brown rice or brown rice in a pan. The bagged stuff is horrible. trust me. Once the rice is going next up is the chicken. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Coat the bottom of the Wok (or deep pan) with the sesame oil and olive oil and allow it to get hot at medium/medium high. Once the oil is hot add the chicken to the pan and allow to sear on one side. Proceed to cook the chicken until cooked through. Once chicken is cooked through poor about half of the Teriyaki sauce and garlic in the pan over the chicken. Turn the chicken several times to coat both sides. If you have a steamer this is a great time to steam your veggies. Reduce heat down to low medium/medium heat. While the chicken is in the wok in the sauce I put my steaming tray on which goes over the wok. I load all of my cut up veggies in and place the lid on it all to steam itself to heaven. I continuously check on both veggies and chicken while they continue to cook. Once the veggies are almost done I remove the chicken and slice it into strips. I add it back into the sauce and allow it to cook 5 more minutes. Once the chicken is done plate up the feast in a bowl! First put the brown rice on the bottom of the bowl, then a generous helping of the veggies followed by some chicken and the pan sauce. Devourer!!
Tonight we had turkey burgers and corn on the cob and potato salad.
The turkey burgers were made from scratch and a bit of a secret someone shared with me about moist burgers..
1 package ground turkey ( F&E usually sells them about a 1lb and a half give or take)
2 tablespoons organic ketchup (ya the other stuff has hfcs!)
1/4 cup diced onions
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic
whole wheat buns
the fixins: miracle, mustard, ketchup, pickles, tomatoes, and avocado
F&E potato salad
grilled sweet corn in the husks
Combine in bowl: turkey, egg, ketchup, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once combined make hamburger patties and lay out on wax paper. Leave the corn in the husks. Cut the tips of the husks and any strings or loose leaves off. Proceed to grill. Place corn on grill. Let cook for 10 minutes. Place hamburgers on grill and cook both corn and burgers until done. Dustin and I topped our burgers with an extra sharp cheddar. Once burgers and corn are done dress and eat!!
I hope that sharing my recipes will help give others a healthy dinner in the midst of repetitive dinners :)
Tomorrow night is Lasagna! Sauce and bread from scratch :D
Parents will be here Friday! I will be planning a whole week of meals for while they are here and will let you know. I'm kind of thinking about writing a cookbook. If anything just for me and dustin and one day our kids :) maybe a combo of my recipes and some that my parents have passed to me <3
Ash.
Since working on the body is going good I can also say the rework of what we eat. I started thing a lot about what is actually in the "pre-mixed" packages we purchase. Cake mixes, french onion soup mix, drinks... they are all chock full of hfcs, or corn syrup solids, or any kind of corn syrup. That is what makes you fat. While watching the documovie "King Corn" the two guys actually find the recipe for hfcs and make it. It required 2 or 3 different chemicals at an extreme heat to convert corn to hfcs. I did a little researching and found that hfcs tells your brain that you are still hungry. That you need more of the food with hfcs. When people talk about wanting Taco Bell because it is "crack" they are almost literal. So I have been steering clear of all hfcs. If you ask me I prefer to sweeten with sugar. Real sugar. Yes real sugar makes you fat as well, but at least you know it came from the ground without chemicals. I do buy organic sugar. Besides having koolaid again in the summer is too nice. So back to the original point i have decided to try and make most of our food from scratch. That sounds so intensely neurotic, but it also is kind of cool to have control over what goes in your food. I found a great recipe for a "wet dough" that you can make in bulk and can be left in the fridge for a week while taking parts and baking the bread each night on motherearthnews.com I've been working on doing a whole week of eating from scratch but healthy. I have incorporated a lot of veggies and fruit into our diet and insert fibrous grains like brown rice and kashi fire roasted crackers (which are amazing). The ole bowel system loves all the fiber (and yoga). We also now rarely have beef unless it is usda organic grass feed. Cows aren't meant to eat corn and grain. They are herbivores. Grass. Majority of our protein is now coming/will be coming from beans, legumes, chicken, pork, and a little bit of tofu.
A few nights ago I made Teriyaki Chicken bowls. The kind that remind me of Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Restaurant in ABQ. My mom gave me a fabulous Cuisnart Wok for Christmas one year and it has been a champ. It has the deep wok part, but also has a steamer tray then the lid. Everything I used was found at Fresh and Easy. Again I try to incorp whatever in season veggies F&E has..
Teriyaki Chicken Bowls
3-4 Chicken Breasts (sub in tofu or any other meat)
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Oil (I eyeball it and just kind drizzle a little)
2-3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (same here on the eyeball)
1 head cabbage cut head in half and into medium sized chunks
1 yellow squash sliced thin/thick
1 package asian veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, sugar peas)
1 bell pepper cut in strips
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1 Bottle Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce
4 cups uncooked brown rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
First get your rice cooking. I throw mine in a rice cook (LOVE) and let it do its magic. I recommend either steamed brown rice or brown rice in a pan. The bagged stuff is horrible. trust me. Once the rice is going next up is the chicken. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Coat the bottom of the Wok (or deep pan) with the sesame oil and olive oil and allow it to get hot at medium/medium high. Once the oil is hot add the chicken to the pan and allow to sear on one side. Proceed to cook the chicken until cooked through. Once chicken is cooked through poor about half of the Teriyaki sauce and garlic in the pan over the chicken. Turn the chicken several times to coat both sides. If you have a steamer this is a great time to steam your veggies. Reduce heat down to low medium/medium heat. While the chicken is in the wok in the sauce I put my steaming tray on which goes over the wok. I load all of my cut up veggies in and place the lid on it all to steam itself to heaven. I continuously check on both veggies and chicken while they continue to cook. Once the veggies are almost done I remove the chicken and slice it into strips. I add it back into the sauce and allow it to cook 5 more minutes. Once the chicken is done plate up the feast in a bowl! First put the brown rice on the bottom of the bowl, then a generous helping of the veggies followed by some chicken and the pan sauce. Devourer!!
Tonight we had turkey burgers and corn on the cob and potato salad.
The turkey burgers were made from scratch and a bit of a secret someone shared with me about moist burgers..
1 package ground turkey ( F&E usually sells them about a 1lb and a half give or take)
2 tablespoons organic ketchup (ya the other stuff has hfcs!)
1/4 cup diced onions
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic
whole wheat buns
the fixins: miracle, mustard, ketchup, pickles, tomatoes, and avocado
F&E potato salad
grilled sweet corn in the husks
Combine in bowl: turkey, egg, ketchup, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once combined make hamburger patties and lay out on wax paper. Leave the corn in the husks. Cut the tips of the husks and any strings or loose leaves off. Proceed to grill. Place corn on grill. Let cook for 10 minutes. Place hamburgers on grill and cook both corn and burgers until done. Dustin and I topped our burgers with an extra sharp cheddar. Once burgers and corn are done dress and eat!!
I hope that sharing my recipes will help give others a healthy dinner in the midst of repetitive dinners :)
Tomorrow night is Lasagna! Sauce and bread from scratch :D
Parents will be here Friday! I will be planning a whole week of meals for while they are here and will let you know. I'm kind of thinking about writing a cookbook. If anything just for me and dustin and one day our kids :) maybe a combo of my recipes and some that my parents have passed to me <3
Ash.
Olive Oil
- Olive oil is one of the most popular ingredients in cooking, but if you’ve never used it for beauty, you’re in for a treat. Believe it or not, Rachel Ray’s pet ingredient is not only a necessity in any pasta dish, but also great for your nails, lips, hair, and skin. Why? Olive oil is rich in squalane, a natural emollient that penetrates skin without leaving a greasy film behind. Beyond that, it’s packed with Vitamins A & E and a number of polyphenols that already make it a popular inclusion in beauty products. Check out the below list for 15 inventive ways to get gorgeous Italian-style:
A little EVOO makes a fabulous substitute for foot cream. Just rub some on your feet before you go to bed, put on some socks and wake up with super soft tootsies.
Bad sunburn? Mix olive oil with white vinegar and apply before a warm bath to soothe and heal the burn.
Banish frizzy hair by putting a couple of drops of olive oil in dry hair.
Smooth generously onto hands before bed, put on white cotton gloves, and wake up with soft, youthful hands.
Dandruff issues? Mix olive oil with almond oil and leave on scalp for five minutes. (If it starts to burn, rinse it out.) Rinse well to clear hair of dandruff.
Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to your bath to calm red, irritated skin.
Soothe chapped lips by smoothing on some olive oil.
Olive oil makes a great anti-aging moisturizer, since it contains polyphenol hydroxytyrosol, an antioxidant that helps to hold cell walls intact and thus reduce the signs of aging.
Apply a little olive oil to a Q-tip and use it as a makeup remover. (Yes, that’s why the store-bought kind is often so oily!)
Soak thin, brittle nails and ragged cuticles in a small cup of olive oil to soften, smooth and strengthen them.
Massage olive oil into your hair, then leave hair covered with a shower cap for 30 minutes. Shampoo and discover softer, more lustrous hair with fewer split ends.
Sensitive skin? Go easy on your legs by using olive oil as a shaving cream.
Slather on olive oil before braving the sun – it’s rich in Vitamins A and E, keeping skin from drying out in the heat while protecting you from UV rays.
Rub on elbows and knees for intense moisturizing. (My elbows are actually soft now – I’m not kidding.)
For stained nails and fingers, simply add a few drops of lemon juice to olive oil and soak your fingers in it.