Organic Delivery and Zuppa Toscana

I was so happy when I woke up. My bi-monthly delivery from Papa's Organic came in by FedEx on my doorstep. It was everything I hoped for and more. It was packed nicely with shredded paper and cold packs and sealed in an insulated foil bubble wrap.

This amount shown was a Medium sized box of Veggie and Fruit Combo. It contained: zucchini squash, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch spinach, 1 bunch Red Chard, 1 bunch Green Chard, 4 bell peppers (3 red & 1 green), avocado, sack of new potatoes, 2 apples, 1 yellow grapefruit, 2 yellow onions, 3 red onions, bag of mushrooms, bananas, and pack of blueberries. Awesome! 40 Dollars and worth it to me.

This called for a cleaning of my fridge. I started gathering all of my old produce that needed to go. I even added the shredded paper that was with my veggie shipment in there. I got it ready for my compost tumbler. Today was the day I emptied my compost from last season in my garden bed and started a new batch. You can put almost anything in compost except for plastic, meat, and dairy. We have put everything in ours from food, hair, junk mail, paper from our shredder, dryer lint, and grass clippings. I also start mine with a little compost starter.

Here is what my dirt looked like when I removed it from the tumbler. Yep, I made that dirt.

Hard to believe it came from all of that junk I kept throwing in there. Tea bags and Coffee grounds and so much more!

Here is a picture of my tumbler I ordered from Amazon. It is called an Envirocycle Composter. It's pretty slick. The bottom can catch compost tea. It comes totally put together. It has rollers where it sits on so you can roll the tumbler to mix it. Sit it in the sun and it will make some dirt. I am going to get another one this year so I can have two batches during the summer time.

I added my compost to my little above ground planter that Danny and friends built for me. You can see in the background that Danny's office is coming along nicely.

I decided to make some of my favorite soup with some of my great organic veggies that came in. I made Zuppa Toscana. It is the one they sell at Olive Garden. You can get the recipe here.

This was a shot of my last ingredients to put in. The Kale was already chopped and the cream was waiting. I love that Pink Himalayan Salt. After it was all done, here is what my bowl of soup looked like. Hope yall enjoy!

Recreate Yourself

I have been listening to an audio book, "Throw Out Fifty Things, Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life" - Gail Blanke. The best surprise message from this book is Recreate Yourself. We tend to hold onto old ideas we have of ourselves because we need a kick in the pants. If you ever say to yourself that you wish you were more like another person because of their qualities then you need to make it so. Start becoming that person you want to be. It is just that easy. Throw out the old clothes that you don't like and start over. Isn't that a concept? It's just that easy.

The most important part of this book is to get rid of all of the stuff that you have latched onto that is weighing you down. It is a great motivational book to get you going. Sometimes that is all we need. Someone to say it out loud.

To go along with the book, you can download a workbook from her site. Even if you don't get this book, her site has some help.

Peppermint Hiccups

 My friend, Michelle, told me that Peppermint Essential Oil would cure hiccups because it stops spasms. I hope I said that right.

Anyway, the other day I had hiccups, I turned the bottle up and dropped a drop of oil on my tongue. In a few seconds, my tongue felt funny and my throat started feeling cold. ha ha It worked. My hiccups stopped immediately. Tonight, I got hiccups again and thought I would give it another try. It worked immediately. Not only do the hiccups stop, you get extra minty breath.

Thanks Michelle!

ALO Awaken with a side of Ginger

My friend, Michelle, told me about the health food store in Texarkana called Granary Street Discount Store. It is pretty awesome! I grabbed a few different drinks while I was there and popped them in the fridge.

My favorite so far is a drink called ALO Awaken. ALO's official website here. It has chunks of aloe in it with wheatgrass. It is surprisingly good to me. I already juice and have been drinking aloe juice almost daily so the flavor was not weird for me. My normal aloe juice does not have a taste. It can be put beside water, and I couldn't tell it apart. This drink has 2 servings in it. One serving is supposed to be equivalent to a cup of coffee, naturally.

A review of the ALO drink here: BEVNET. The user reviews outweigh the site's review. :)

The other night while I was working out, I tried another drink called Ginger enerGizer. It is put out by the Ginger People. It really is an energizing drink. It has triple the Ginger with a splash of apple. You can feel your body start to heat up when drinking it. It is said to improve digestion and metabolism. Woohoo! I usually add ginger to my juices when juicing, but I had never had this much at one time. It did its job. The taste was a little strong for me, but I would probably grow used to it quickly. It can be served hot or cold.

Baby Shower Basket

I went to a baby shower today for a beautiful young mother. It was my friend's daughter. It wasn't that long ago that I was attending my own shower. It really puts a perspective on how time flies.

I made this gift basket pictured above. I got everything at Target. I built up the inside with paper and added the crinkled purple paper strips inside so it would be pretty. I packed it with diapers, wipes, lavender bath, lavender candle, infant gowns, infant bodysuit, socks, toy, diaper sacks, diaper cream, clothes hangers, pacifiers, a toy, bathtub temperature duck, and a little blanket baby.

This is the back shown above. I shrink wrapped it. I don't do things like this often so it was fun. Usually, I crochet a baby blanket. No time lately.

After I got back, I made some Lavender Milk Bath Salts. They smell awesome, and I can't wait to try them. I was experimenting with a new recipe.

Organic Produce via the Internet

A few years back, getting produce in the mail from online ordering was hopeful for some but not likely for those of us in the sticks. Now, more websites are offering delivery to us secluded Texans. Since my closest organic health food store that serves produce is around 1 1/2 hours away, I found somebody on the internet to try out.

I decided to give Papa's Organic an order. I was able to select a bi-weekly fruit and veggie combo box. Since the shipping will be higher to come to my part of Texas from California, I chose bi-weekly. I can cancel at anytime. Worth a shot.

I am supposed to be on the next bi-weekly shipment so in a few weeks, I will let you know how it all goes.

Splinter Be Gone

Yesterday, I got a splinter in my big toe. Wasn't sure if it was a small fine splinter or a piece of glass. Yesterday was also the first day that D (14 month old) broke something - a glass charger plate to hold candles. So, I did sweep up some small shards of glass.

Before I got out my tweezers, I grabbed my Epsom Salt. I put 2 cups in a bucket of hot water (gallon). I soaked my foot while the baby played in his bath (maybe 15 minutes). Surprise! The Epsom Salt drew the splinter out of my foot. It is gone, no pain, and no tweezers.

Something that I didn't realize before was that when you put this in your bath water, your body absorbs the Magnesium Sulfate. I read somewhere this can even help with osteoporosis. Wow! I put 2 cups in my bath as well. It make you feel kind of floaty in the water. I also put a dropper full of tea tree oil in there, too. That is also good for your skin and hair.

I made a quick salad today for lunch, and it looks great. It tasted even yummier. Grilled chicken salad. Mmm

Sniffing Oils on Friday Night

Yep, that is what I am doing. I am trying to put together a blend of oils for a fragrance that I may want to use on some of my household cleaners or salts. I took the advice of a book I was reading that said to dip some test strips just barely in the oil. Put only 2 or 3 scents together and make one strip higher than the rest (dominant). I wondered if this would really work as well as it sounded. It did. I would take turns holding each strip higher than the rest and then fan them in front of my face. I was breathing in the coffee bean aroma between smells so my nose would be clear. I read that there should never be equal portion of dominant smells. The smells just compete too much.

Had a good day today. I juiced earlier and shared with my husband and friend. Apple, Tangelo, Celery, Cabbage and Carrot! I am celebrating today. I have lost 11 pounds in the lat 3 weeks. Woohoo for the Elliptical.

Lavender Love

I have been hearing everyone talk about essential oils lately and posting all the good uses. I am already a big fan of anything homemade and natural. 

I have made everything from bath salts to green tea facials although I am just learning and love trying all of my favorite vendors' products. This morning I made a backup supply of bath salts for when my new favorite stash runs out.  My child hood friend, Melanie, creates an amazing bath salt from her family business - SixLittleHands. You can view it on Etsy here. I put this in my whirpool tub and RELAX. The water just fizzes and feels all tingly. I love it.

I tried to use some of my oil to freshen my clothes. I put a few drops on a damp rag and put in the dryer. It does not fight against static, but it does make the clothes and utility room smell wonderful.

My biggest fun today was adding 5-6 drops of my Lavender Essential Oil to my homemade Window/Glass Surface Cleaner. It was 5:1 of Vinegar & Water. The reason I quit using it before was because it didn't smell that good to me. Before today, I never thought of adding a smell to it. I had recently purchased Watkins Natural Lavender All Purpose Cleaner for $5.99 and loved it. I made it myself for much cheaper - probably less than $1.  My homemade cleaner smelled amazing. Lavender is supposed to relax you so there is another plus. Make a cute label, and it will make you smile.

I am most impressed with the homemade surface cleaner. My appliances wiped up nicely. I wiped off my shiny chrome on my washer and dryer, faucets, appliances, marble counter tops, mirrors, glass, tv, and most important - Flat Top Surface Stove!!! Just buff it off with a dry cloth if you want it to be streak-free.

The cleaner that I made today was the best smelling cleaner I have ever used. Also, I won't worry that my baby is touching everything. No toxic chemicals today. And it is okay if it goes down your drain and into your aerobic septic system.

Taking Crocheting Too Far

I love to crochet and search for new patterns sometimes. I saw this on the Lion Brand Yarn site.

 Crocheted Cheese Burger

I wonder why does someone spend all this time crocheting fake food? For decoration?

Beef Tips and Rice Pressure Cooker

I was in a hurry for dinner and didn't know what to make. I had already cooked up a big batch of Jasmine rice today in my rice cooker, and it was being kept warm. I had almost 2 lbs of stew meat thawed so I decided to make some Beef Tips and Rice in my pressure cooker.

Everything looks better in Fiesta!

Although I use a large pressure cooker for canning, I have smaller nicer ones that I use for my everyday cooking. You can cook chicken in no time, and the meat will fall off of the bones. That takes 10 minutes under pressure. You can cook pinto beans in around 55 minutes. Roast is done in less than an hour. Boiled Peanuts!!! I could go on forever.

Fagor Splendid 6 quart Pressure Cooker. This is the best sized pressure cooker for everyday cooking I have found. It has more than one safety feature and will not allow you to open with pressure. Not all are created this nice.

Beef Tips & Rice

Ingredients: Cooked rice, 2 lbs stew meat (cubed), 1 onion (chopped), brown gravy mix, 3 cups water, salt, garlic powder, pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire.

Anyway, here is how I cooked my Beef Tips. I heated up a few tbsp of olive oil in the pressure cooker saucepan with lid off. I seasoned my meat with garlic powder, salt, pepper. 1/2 tsp is a good amount if you are unsure how much to put of each season. Brown your meat. I dropped a chopped onion to cook over my beef cubes. After the onions started cooking down,  I added 1/4 cup or a few good shakes of Soy Sauce, and 1/4 cup (few shakes) of Worcestershire, 2 cups of water, and mixed up one packet of gravy mix with a cup of water. Most people add brown gravy mix. I had some Cajun red gravy mix so I used that. I added the gravy mixture in and stirred well. Locked on the lid. I cooked on med-high until I reached pressure. Then, I lower my burner but kept hot enough to remain under pressure. I cooked for 20 minutes and then released the pressure. You may need to thicken your gravy a little bit. I have a container of brown gravy mix that shakes out. It is Tony Chachere. Sometimes I add it to stuff I want to thicken instead of flour or corn starch. Learning to cook with pressure cookers on an electric stove is an art. Learning to cook with one on a flat top stove is a tricky skill!!! I also can on my flat top stove.

The Beef Tips and gravy tasted like it had simmered for 2 hours just like most recipes call for. If you are a busy mom, get a rice cooker and a pressure cooker. No more boiling stuff for hours in the kitchen. Soups don't have to cook all day. I think of it as Cooking Smart with your time.

This got my little 13 month old baby boy's approval. The meat fell apart and was easy for him to eat. This is him after eating, bathing, and now brushing his teeth.

Snow again... Ugh

Living close to Texarkana, we don't usually get too much snow. We get little bits of flurries and occasionally it will stick. This year has been different. This is our third time to get snow. We had it for around 4 days the first time. Then, shortly after, we got it again. The day we got snowed in the second time, my son developed an abscessed tooth. Oh, the feeling of helplessness. Now, it did it again. I think it may have only been one week or less since the last one.

This is a view from my back porch into our back yard. Our backyard drops off and is two different levels. Alex said this was really soft snow and wasn't able to snowboard as good down the back hill. haha

 

We didn't get it very heavy this time, but it is just enough to become annoying.

I Can Can

Last week, I canned twice. Ground Beef and Potatoes. Last Friday night, I decided to can ground beef. Here is how I did it.

This was my first time to can strictly a meat. This was kind of a test. Ground beef is cheap, so that is why I canned ground beef.

Update: I have tasted the ground beef, and I would probably not can this again. Although it preserved it, the texture of the ground beef was not good to me. It changed the taste and texture. If I was broke and hungry, I would eat it.

I bought a 10 lb tube of ground beef because it was on sale for $10. Kaching! I cooked it with some onions and seasoning. I also put water in it while I was cooking it because I wanted to help get some of the grease off of it. It is important to not can foods that are too greasy because that can mess up the sealing process. (so I have heard) I then drained the meat after it was cooked. I tasted it and made sure that it tasted good with seasoning.

While I was cooking the meat, I got all of my equipment ready for pressure canning. I got my quart jars ready as well. I spooned ground beef in the jars and topped off with beef broth. I left 1 inch headroom. 

I processed for 90 minutes and was able to fill 3 quart jars. These jars will be great the next time I make spaghetti sauce, tacos, or casseroles. Once the jars came out of the pressure cooker, they looked the same as when I put them in but bubbling.

As they cooled overnight, the grease rose to the top and created a ring around the top. This is normal. I saw this in other people's pictures. When I reheat this, I will do as always (bring to boil for a few minutes or really hot in skillet).

Wednesday night, I canned potatoes. I saw a video where people were cooking mashed potatoes from canned potatoes. Looked easy on the fly. So, I had to try.

I bought a 10 lb bag of potatoes for cheap (a little over $3). I peeled, quartered, and chunked all of the potatoes. I covered them in water in a large stockpot and brought to a boil for 10 minutes. Then, I packed my jars to an inch of headroom left. I added 1 tsp of salt in each quart and covered with hot/boiling water. I sealed and then cooked under pressure for 40 minutes (quarts). A 10 lb bag of potatoes will yield 6 quarts of potatoes. I made 2 pints instead of one of my quarts. One of my pints did not seal so I used them the next day.

These potatoes will come in handy next time I am making soups, mashed potatoes, or casseroles.

A Shot of Life

My brother said this when he came to visit and I made him a glass of juice. A Shot of Life. He's right. It is better than you would think.

I only made a small amount tonight and shared with my husband. Down the hatch! Mmm. I make my juices with an Omega Masticator Juicer. That is why it is so thin. Usually, I make more. We usually each get a glass with 6-8 ounces.

Ingredients: handful of spinach, 2 carrots, 1/3 cucumber, 1/3 sweet potato, small apple, handful of grapes, mandarin orange, and a shot of lemon juice.

Here is what the Omega J8005 looks like. 

I love mine. I have not only made juices, frozen banana puree, pasta, minced up veggies and pork for egg rolls, but I can also grind nuts into nut butter, coffee beans, make baby food, and juice greens including wheatgrass.

Fade to Black

Everybody who knows me knows that I am a banjo nut. I wanted to share this video which is really just a song with a picture of the album on it by "Iron Horse." They are a bluegrass band covering Metallica.

Fade to Bluegrass - The Bluegrass Tribute to Metallica - Fade to Black. I love this album. Hope you enjoy!

Probably not the Healthiest

But mmm mmm good. I threw some cooked zesties french fries in a cast iron skillet. Topped with cheese, bacon, and green cheese. Broiled in oven till melted. Walah! This is similar to what you would get at Chili's. This sure was good today with our lunch.

Canned Fresh Mushrooms

2 bags of sliced mushrooms = 3 1/2 pint jars

I decided to pressure can some fresh mushrooms. I started with 2 bags of fresh sliced mushrooms. I put them in water to soak a few minutes and wash them. Even though the bags say they are prewashed, a lot comes off in the water. Drain the water.

Add them to a pot of plenty of water and cook them. After they come to a boil for 5 minutes or less, take off of the heat. You will drain them again because this water will be brown colored.

Meanwhile, get your pressure canner and jars ready. Also, I heated a 4 cup measuring cup with water in the microwave to bubbling. You will fill each jar with 1 inch headroom. Fill each jar with strained mushrooms. I put 1/8 tsp of canning salt in each jar. Fill the jar up with the clean hot water. Seal up and put them in readied canner.

Process under pressure for 45 minutes.

At least you know that your jarred mushrooms will never taste metallic like the canned mushrooms from the store. I think some good variations could be adding garlic and herbs.

Drunken Deer Chili

Makes about 6 or 7 pints or 3 quarts with a little left over.

• 5 lbs. deer meet (I like stew meat chunks instead of ground)

• 2 cups chopped onions

• 2 or 3 cloves garlic

• 6 cups canned tomatoes and juice (I used 2 gallon sized freezer bags of fresh tomatoes)

• ½ cup chili powder (I added some Emeril’s Rustic Rub mixed in with this)

• 1 ½ tbsp. salt

• 1 large roasted red pepper

• 1 tsp. cumin seed
• 2 shots tequila

I soak my deer meat in milk for a little bit (hour or more) before I use it to get the gamey taste milder. I drained off the milk and seasoned it with just some salt and pepper and meat tenderizer. Brown it in a big stock pot. You need to put a good bit of some oil so it doesn’t stick. I use olive oil.

After it has browned, the deer’s natural juices come out. I add a bit more water and put a lid on it cracked so it can cook that meat and tenderize it. The stew meat pieces aren’t as tender so they need some cooking.

I scoop out the deer meat and chop it on a cutting board so it resembles something closer to ground but more texture. I return it to the pan and add the chopped onions, chopped garlic, and chopped roasted red pepper. Let that cook down until the vegetables are starting to get done. I then added the tomatoes and seasoning along with tequila. 2 for the chili and 1 for you. :)

I made sure and kept adding a little bit more water because I wanted it to cook down thicker but didn’t want to lose my chili. Let all that simmer down until your meat is good and tender. If you want it to reduce a good bit just boil it with the lid off. If that isn’t working fast enough for you and you want it to thicken, you can add a little bit of cornstarch mixed with water. I used about a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. My total cook time on the chili was over an hour because my meat needed to get tender. In the end, the tomatoes cook down and everything thickens. The roasted red peppers still keep shape so there is some pretty color floating in there.

Canning Instructions:

If you want to can this, it will need to be pressure canned since it contains meat. Ladle into 6 or 7 pint jars or 3 quart jars. Leave 1 inch headroom. Bring pressure cooker up to pressure and cook pint jars for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes. Pressure canning this chili will make it even tastier because it is being cooked with 10 pounds of boiling pressure. The meat will be like it set in a crock pot all day.

Will keep for 1 year.

What kind of coffee are you?

Are you a coffee drinker? If so, what is your favorite kind? Mine is breakfast blend. Liquid creamer. Sometimes a little coolwhip. Hot or cold.

Papa and D

One of my favorite pictures of my dad and youngest baby. They were playing BlackJack in this pic. Baby D is 10 1/2 months here. This was a week and a half ago. 

Lessons of a young adult

I remember this lady was going to show me how she fixes her Swedish meatball dish. She got a box of hamburger helper (Swedish meatball). When she was browning her hamburger meat she added in onions and garlic salt. Is that it? Was this her idea of really jazzing it up? Yes, it was. Sixteen years later, this makes me giggle. I thought she cooked pretty good at the time. Lol

Campbell's Soup Ruined my Tastebuds

Growing up on this condensed canned soup, I often times did not dilute with water. I got used to eating soups very salty. I always grabbed for the salt shaker. As an adult, I find myself only diluting 50% of the time and even then I can only put 3/4 a can of water.

Not Enough or Too Much!

I felt like a goober awhile ago. I just made coffee and  forgot to set the coffee mug in front of the maker. Surprise! All of the coffee went into the overfill tray. Yay! Either I have had enough or need a little more.

The Poop at Graceland

In August this year, we decided to take a family vacation to Memphis, TN. It was a lot of fun. It was our first big trip with the whole family. My hubby, my 16 year old daughter, 12 year old son, and our littlest son who was probably around 7 months.

We made it to Graceland and was getting loaded up for the drive over to Graceland on the Elvis shuttle bus. We were about to enter the bus when my hubby says "I think the baby pooped!" Oh no! We just paid 100 dollars and are about to get on the bus. I thought I could change him on the back seat because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I opened his diaper up to find that he had explosive diarrhea and it was everywhere. I frantically tried to clean it up and people are entering the bus at the same time. He was squirming and I was trying to gracefully clean him up. I had poop on my hand and various things and was getting down to the last few baby wipes. The smell was starting to circulate on the bus and everyone started getting that look on their face. Then, the mean looking bus driver says really loud "I know you aren't changing that baby on this bus." Oh yeah, she called me out several times. I thought they were about to kick us off the bus. The bus driver walks to the back with air freshener and to scold me some more. I felt beet red and was about to cry. ha! ha!

My hubby was nice enough to be the one who got off the bus and dispose of the stink bomb. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in a long time. And for the occasion, we decided to dress the baby up as Elvis for Halloween. He had the white shiny jumpsuit with the red sequins and all.

Hindsight is 20/20. Don't ever do this.

Danny Lynn Cooper III - 6 weeks old