A Very Harry X-Mas

Harry Potter Theme Party

Universal is hosting a special Hogwarts Christmas Dinner this year which (we obviously can't attend put) prompted DH to ask for a Harry Potter Party.

*I found a lot of my templates using google, but did not keep track of where and altered most of them. Suffice to say, any unlinked template was on the freewebs.

DH saw marauders map invitations and asked me to make them. I put platform tickets inside

I printed them on this paper and provided templates at the bottom. I put a platform 9 3/4 ticket inside before folding it in thirds and sealing with wax.

Tip: Dip the stamp in olive oil and blot on a paper towel. Let the glue sit for ~20 seconds before stamping. I found my best stamps were when i let the stamp sit til the glue hardened and then removed the metal from the rubbery seal Alternatively you can do the wax thing.

Harry Potter merchandise costs a pretty penny, so I've opted for the DIY on a lot of things. I've made chocolate frogs in the past, but for our party i found the fold your own box pictures. 

(I'm going to be attaching jpg files here and full disclosure- they were free on the interwebs and i don't remember where i got them from.)

This is a photo of my chocolate frogs from last year's halloween party. These are with homemade chocolate, but this year i'll just be melting down soy-free chips and maybe filling with peanutbutter

Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans are always a crowd pleaser, but I wanted the movie box for effect. You can buy them online for ~$10/box before shipping, but i just printed out a template and coated it in packing tape and bought the less cool boxes to fill it with for $5:

pay attention to where the bottom folds. i folded mine wrong the first time and had to refold it

I bought a 24ct of 5oz bottles and modpodged labels on for premade cocktails:

In this photo, the felix felicis and butterbeer are only half filled because i need to buy cream soda and won't be adding lemonade until closer to the party date. The ones that are liquor and soda are being made ahead of time, the one with juice needs to be fresher :)

Recipes are for 8 bottles (40oz total) since we did 3 different cocktails in our 24 bottle pack.

• Butterbeer: 26oz Butterscotch schnapps, 7oz Rumchata (cinnamon almond cream liquer), 7oz Tuaca(vanilla liquer), 2 drops yellow food color *I originally posted this recipe with cream soda, but it made the rumchata curdle. I opted to just eliminate the cream soda because I'm very happy with the liquer recipe I have, but you can substitute something non-cream based if you'd like to use cream soda.
• Polyjuice Potion: 20oz St. Germaine (elderflower liquer), 6oz Absolut Wild Tea, 6oz Orient Apple, 8oz Club Soda, 2 drops green food color 1 drop brown food color
• Felix Felicis: We did a lynchberg lemonade: 16oz Honey Whiskey, 8oz Triple Sec, 16oz lemonade. 1/8 tsp gold disco dust (disco dust is food grade glitter made for cupcakes and makes a very beautiful glittering snowglobe effect in drinks)

Pumpkin Juice: apple juice, pumpkin pie puree, and apricot juice. We just bought the orange naked juice and added pumpkin

We had Wizarding World themed snacks and decorations:

Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Golden Ferrero Rocher Snitches, Sorting Hat Caramels, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cake Brownies, Ron Weasley's Reubens, and we also served chicken wings (I originally was going to do all drumsticks so it had the turkey leg motif, but then I decided boneless wings were both yummy and easy and I put them in a big copper chafing dish). We did "exploding chocolate" with Chuao's mini firecracker chocolates (they have cayenne and poprocks.) You can see the drink table in the background with the pumpkin beverage dispenser (of pumpkin juice) and the assorted "potion" bottles

I actually leave the floating candles up year round. I watched the tutorial on Epbot and added extra "wax" drippies, but found it easier to just tie fishing line around the base of the flame and back up to the tip of the flame(so it hangs straight) than to drill or poke holes. Ours flicker and look very realistic. Super pleased with them. We replaced the curtain in the doorway with a "brick" curtain for entering platform 9 3/4

Our mini tree, topped with its very own Hedwig topper

Ornaments were mostly cheap ebay finds: time turners, wand charms, deathly hallows charms, golden snitches, tiny potion bottles, etc.

Look for updates! we'll be having a HP mini tree, floating candles, ferrero rocher snitches, sorting hat caramels, exploding chocolate, treacle fudge and more!

Link to original map template

Meatloaf Cupcakes

I've been on hiatus for awhile because...I HAD A BABY!!! And for approximately 10 months I have not felt like cooking much of anything, let alone anything new. I've made some soups, but nothing exciting. Yesterday I made meatloaf cupcakes! Super cute and delicious.

1.5 lbs ground meat (i use turkey)
1 egg
3/4 c diced onion, cooked til translucent
1 c bread crumbs (i just stick the end piece of bread in a blender)
1 1/2 Tbs worchestershire sauce
1 Tbs Dijon or whole grain mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
Salt and Pepper

Mash it all together and spoon it into a muffin tin. Mine made 8 cupcakes. Bake at 350*F for 25 minutes.

When you put the meatloaf in the oven, start your potatoes.
(I used about 4-5 potatoes, enough to cover the bottom of a medium pot, covered with ~1 inch of water and boiled for 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, add 2 Tbs of butter and ~1/4 c of milk and blend with a hand mixer til smooth. You're going to put it through a piping bag, so you want it smooth)

Pull the meatloaf out of the oven, pipe mashed potato "icing" on top and return to the oven for ~10 minutes. Serve. (We had 2 per person)

Our side dish was pan roasted turnips and carrots, buttered and glazed with honey

Allergies

Today, I am not going to talk about food; I'm going to talk about my new epipen.

~8 years ago, I got stung in the eyelid by a hornet. I immediately got hives all over my body, and both of my eyes swelled shut for a week, at the end of which both of my cheeks ballooned out from the swell line down. Hornet stings are one of those things that build up in your system for a lifetime usually resulting in a stronger reaction each time, so we don't really know what will happen if/when i get stung again, but that's not where my story ends. A few weeks after my sting, i damaged the cartilage in my hand and was on a wave of painkillers for months of rehabilitation, during which we discovered my food allergy to soy. Over the course of the last 8 years i've had a range of crazy rashes, reactions, and side effects (i spent 4 months allergic to being cold. google it. utterly ridiculous and so uncomfortable) that bring my current total allergies to 3 medications, 1 food, and hornets (not bees).

It took being pregnant to be prescribed an epipen. Every doctor i asked about it for 8 years told me i should have one, and none would write the script- but my obgyn wasn't going to leave me pregnant in summer and unprotected. I already knew how they worked, learned the storage (room temperature, no extremes) and the shelf life (~1 year), and that you only use it if your airway is affected- not before. I even had a little help from the pharmacist who told me to go on epipen.com for a prescription card that would make my co-pay $0 (i did this at the pharmacy on my smartphone. It would have been ~$80 with a regular insurance script card).

This is a stock photo of epi-pens out of the tubes they come in.

A big part of epipens that doctors warn about (and why they told me they don't like to give them to college kids- beside the pricetag) is that you have to have it with you when you need it, and you can't leave it in a hot car. I was most concerned for at home, because we have gardens and a lot of fruit trees and bushes, and our neighbor has an orchard. I would absolutely take it hiking, but it's important to remember it anywhere you might be exposed- like picnics, etc. They make different carrying cases for it, from belts and fanny packs, to pencil cases, and strap-on sleeves for runners, some insulated to protect it from extreme temperatures and some not.

This is how they come from the pharmacist, as a pack of 2, in protective tubes, with a plastic connector and a practice pen

 I don't carry a purse and couldn't see myself as a fanny pack person, so i decided to share my solution. It comes in a tough tube when you buy it. I decorated the tube (both so it's not all medical looking and because it doesn't hurt to block sunlight) with patterned duct tape I had laying around. They sell it in all different patterns pretty much everywhere. 2 pieces meet up exactly on each side and you just so some folding at the bottom to make it look nice. I used 2 of my tiny black rubber hairbands to make a tight but sturdy holder and added a caribiner. I can hook it on to jeans, hook it onto my clutch, trade the caribiner for a lanyard, or get my husband to slide it into his much larger pockets, but i am more likely to bring it along (and not leave it in the car) if it's as small as possible.

It's still pretty big, but this is as small as it gets. I hang it by the door next to my keys, and if a little duct tape means i'll have it with me when i need, then i am all about the upgrade

Homemade Marshmallows

I recently realized that I've never blogged the recipe for homemade marshmallows. The texture is ever so slightly different and i still prefer real marshmallows in a s'mores, but these are fluffy/spongey, sweet, AND good for you and make an excellent sweet snack. The best part is that you can flavor them however you want.

These are NOT vegan, but here a link to Vegan Marshmallow Fluff which a friend made and passed the kid test.

I use this recipe for Gelatin Marshmallows, and i made and ate them frequently when i was repairing my gut. (For those that don't read all the little bits of my blog, i developed a food allergy to soy at age 21 and spent ~7 years adapting to a soyfree lifestyle with hives, rashes, swelling, and gastric distress anytime i strayed. January 2014, I embarked on a healthy gut diet which operates on the theory that most food allergies are caused by a damaged digestive system. While i still avoid soy in my life, i have not had a visible reaction in a year and a half, and i am so happy about that)

1 c water
3Tbs Gelatin
2-3 Tbs Raw Honey (or maple syrup)

• Pour half a cup of water into a mixer bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top. Pour vanilla (or any flavoring you like) on top if desired. Let it sit.
• Meanwhile, bring the other half cup of water to a boil and stir in your honey to melt. I use an electric tea kettle (because i have one) and mix it in a measuring cup. I also had cocoa powder at this stage if i'm using it.
• Pour hot water over cold water and turn on mixer with the beater attachment
• Turn on your mixer and start at a low speed, upping the speed as the mixture begins frothing. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get a big voluminous mass in your mixer bowl. i usually put it at medium speed and walk away for 10 minutes, then up the speed for another 5 minutes.
• Pour into a mold (either an 8x8 or a bread loaf) and chill for several hours.
• Store in the refrigerator.

*Tip: You really want to beat the sh*t out of these. Think meringue. It should be super super fluffy. I usually stop beating when i can hear the air being folded in. I have not tried letting the gelatin mixture cool a bit before beating, but if i only had a hand mixer, i probably would since you're beating it as the gelatin sets.

*Tip #2: I don't stir my gelatin powder in when i put it in the cold water, because it has a tendency to stick to the bottom. Even so, i will often mix it up with the beater, stop and stir the bottom with a spoon just to make sure there isn't gelatin stuck to the bottom of the mixer. You want all the gelatin to mix in appropriately.

Why We Don't Use A Microwave

The short answer is that I like my counter space. And my cabinet space. Just think about how much space your microwave takes up, seriously.

The long answer is that at one point there was a science experiment going around where people watered plants with water that had been microwaved and cooled, water that had been boiled on a stove and cooled, and distilled water from a jug. The experiment implied that the plants given microwaved water floundered. It really weirded my husband out and he wanted to get rid of the microwave. We barely used a microwave in the first place so I agreed. (We put it in our finished basement- it still exists, it's just out of the way). The experiment has since been debunked (that's why experiments get repeated a lot before we acknowledge their findings), but you know what? I don't miss my microwave. We've used an electric teakettle for boiling water since I was in college, and since we don't eat soy, there isn't terribly much I want to microwave anyway.

-Making popcorn on the stove actually doesn't take much longer than making it in a microwave. I use a large pot, but DH prefers a really large skillet). Microwave popcorn takes 3-5 minutes. Skillet popcorn takes ~7minutes (AND you get to watch it pop through the glass skillet lid). The horror!

-Melting butter or scalding milk takes about twice as long on a stove than in a microwave. I've never been in such a rush that I can't wait 1-2 minutes for melted butter. We also have an espresso machine my husband uses everyday (which is about 6" x 10" and fits on a corner baker's rack) with a steamer attachment, should I feel so inclined.

I use the microwave maybe twice a year. If I'm feeling really lazy and don't want to put cream on the stove when making ganache, and when I make fastnachts (I microwave the raw potato). That's it. Twice a year. I wouldn't trade that 2 feet of counter space in a million years.

Almond Flour Waffles

I spent a significant amount of time on the GAPS/Paleo diet for my allergies, and I know how hard it can be to find carb substitutes that taste like the real thing. While we eat flour in moderation these days, almond flour waffles are absolutely delicious for those that DON'T eat flour. Because I have these recipes at my disposal, it's always good to share them.

These cook beautifully, and taste like the real deal.

I adapted this recipe from Taylor Made It Paleo and am cross-posting from my GAPS blog, Modern Mischief Managed


3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3 Tbs Honey

3 egg yolks (*keep the whites)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nut butter- I used hemp butter. Soak your nuts/seeds with boiling water for approx. 30 minutes before blending.
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, to taste


3 eggs whites- beaten til stiff


-I always begin by melting my coconut solids in a saucepan. Since I use a lot of raw honey, I add that to the pan too. Heat until melted but do not boil.
-Mix ALL wet ingredients except whites in a mixer (egg yolks, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, honey, and nut butter).
-With the mixer on, blend in almond flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
-Fold in the beaten egg whites. Most recipes tell you not to overmix your egg whites. I say "to hell with that!" Whisk in your egg whites until the mixture is fully incorporated. If you don't, you're going to have random sections of cooked egg white in your waffles. They will still come out fluffy, I promise.
-Spray down your waffle iron, I use a misto spray bottle filled with olive oil. Cook waffles following waffle iron instructions (Mine has a light that indicates when they are done). These waffles tend to stick so I like to use a chopstick to help remove waffles from the iron.

Drizzle with topping of your choice: Butter/Ghee, Maple Syrup (not GAPS), Honey melted with cinnamon, reduced fruit juice, fresh fruit or fruit puree.
* These waffles aren't super sweet so I recommend toppings.

Organic v. Conventional

I wanted to take a moment to address the organic v conventional debate. There's a heavy belief that organic means better, and while we do eat a lot of organic, we also evaluate conscientious farming.

Myth #1: Organic means pesticide-free
Most organic farms DO use pesticides, they just use naturally occurring, unprocessed chemicals such as copper and sulfur. Because these pesticides are less effective than synthetic pesticides, organic farmers apply them in much heavier doses- more than twice as much as conventional farmers. These pesticides, though naturally occurring, are still pesticides (and fungicides) and still have an effect on both the environment and our bodies.

Additionally, a lot of effort has been put into "soft" synthetic chemicals- meaning that these chemicals are designed to break down in sunlight and water and have very little to no lasting impact on the food or the soil. Organic chemicals are not designed to break down, and over time can have a significant impact on soil and rivers.
https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~lhom/organictext.html
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2011/07/18/mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/

Myth #2: Organic means cruelty free
Organic does NOT mean cruelty free. On egg farms, baby boy chicks are still euthanized (usually by tossing them in a grinder) on both conventional AND organic farms. To my knowledge, there isn't a hatchery in existence that doesn't use this "culling" practice. The eggs we buy are cage free and organic, and the egg farm purchases their chickens rather than hatching them themselves, but their suppliers use the same methods as everyone else.

Additionally, because organic status means no antibiotics, treatment of sick animals is weighed against their viability as an organic producer. One treatment of antibiotics while they are sick negates their potential as an organic animal forever, and sometimes animals that could have been cured quickly are instead allowed to suffer and die.
http://inthesetimes.com/article/6330/the_cruel_irony_of_organic_standards

Myth #3: All conventional plants are GMO
All conventional plants aren't gmo. In fact, heirloom variety plants are prized because the seeds were kept from ideal plants and passed down for generations and hybrid plants are a result of cross-pollination, something that can occur in nature but is also very easy to do in a greenhouse.While big factory plants used in commercial food and livestock feed  (like corn and soy) are almost ALL GMO, most garden variety vegetables are NOT genetically modified.
http://bonnieplants.com/library/what-is-an-heirloom-what-is-a-hybrid/

Myth #4: GMO is always bad
Sometimes, genetic modification is for the best- cotton has been genetically engineered to taste bad to its most frequent pests. As a result, fewer pesticides are needed are needed on this American favorite that millions wear against their skin.


How do we shop?
We buy a lot of organic, in large part because the organic aisle is a frontrunner in the soy-free movement (almost all soy is GMO and organic doesn't include GMO) and as I've mentioned before, I've been adapting to a soy allergy for over 7 years.

We care that our food wasn't tortured before it came to our plate, so we buy cage-free/free-range/grass-fed/cruelty-free whenever we can. Did you know that organic milk/cream has a longer shelf life than conventional dairy? It's a pretty awesome bonus. Additionally, the science behind feeding animals what they were meant to eat (ie: grass) vs. the grain heavy diet of corn and soy and antibiotic that we've taken in modern times is pretty convincing for the organic movement. From the rate of growth (animals reach maturity much much faster now) to the levels of bacteria (if you switch a cow back to a grass diet for 8 days, e-coli almost completely diminishes from its digestive system), commercial farms may fill a much needed gap in providing food for the masses, but the quality (and digestibility!) is definitely diminished.

We also believe in local and sustainable, and the CSA we participate in is largely non-GMO and chemical free, but makes conscientious decisions about when to use organic practices and when to use conventional ones, and we are very comfortable with that. A great example is that our farm uses a fertilizer once a year as opposed to manure. Manure is a natural and effective fertilizer, but is also how we keep ending up with e-coli outbreaks in ground crops (like spinach and Brussels sprouts).

Mostly, we read labels on anything that does come pre-packaged and so we eliminate unnecessary sugars, preservatives, and additives from our foods.

Some foods are naturally more pest resistant than others- those with a thick skin or those that grow in colder weather for the most part- The EWG tests produce each year and rates the levels of pesticide residue, giving us a list of the "dirty dozen" (where it may be better to buy organic) and the "clean fifteen" (which are usually chemical free or low chemical regardless of organic or conventional status). We have grown everything on the dirty dozen list in our backyard, and some of the clean fifteen too! A big reason apples are on the dirty dozen list is the commercial coating added for store sale. Local farmers markets often don't have this coating, selling apples just as they are.

There's a growing movement for the "Certified Naturally Grown" label. In general, this label is easier to obtain than an organic label with similar if not better standards. It's an attainable label for small farms who can't afford to become certified organic, or one that can be used on farms like our CSA where most of their crops are chemical free, but the entire farm isn't. 
http://althealthworks.com/1163/what-does-the-term-certified-naturally-grown-mean-and-is-it-organic/

Soy-Free Teriyaki Sauce & Mandarin Pasta Salad

Soy-Free Teriyaki
I LOVE asian food. LOVE it. Although most asian soy is fermented, and therefore doesn't pose a health risk with my allergy, it really isn't something I keep in the house. I wanted to make This Recipe for Mandarin Pasta Salad, but didn't have teriyaki or soy sauce, and didn't really want to bring them into my house, SO I sat and thought about the flavor profile of soy sauce:

Mostly, it's salty right? And so I began

-1 c water
-1 tsp black truffle salt (any salt will do, but i thought the mushroom salt especially mimicked that soy flavor. I bought this a long time ago at the oil and vinegar taproom i mentioned before. It's pricey, but also intensely flavored so something i use sparingly.)
-1/4 c Brown Sugar
-1 Tbs Honey (i used ginger infused honey)
-1/2 tsp Garlic
-1/4 tsp Ginger

Everything into the pot! Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add in a slurry of:

-1/2 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 c cold water.

Simmer until desired thickness. I just let it go on medium-low heat for like 20 minutes. Let it cool. This recipe is also gluten free so...bonus? *This isn't going to be super dark in color like a traditional sauce.

Mandarin Pasta Salad
*As usual, I've tweaked the recipe and reduced the portion for 2, but this link will take you to the original recipe.

• 1-2 c bowtie pasta noodles- cooked and cooled
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup peanuts
• 1-2 mandarin oranges, peeled and divided (we buy halo brand oranges, they're like cuties but mandarin instead of clementine)
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

dressing

• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (rice wine would be better but is harder to find)
• 1/4 cup oil (we use peanut oil)
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Additional garlic and ginger to taste (i did about 1/8 tsp each)

Combine everything, toss w/ dressing just before serving and yum!

My Favorite Kitchen DooHickeys

It's hard finding places to keep things, and i tend to throw away utensils and appliances with abandon when they aren't working for me. That said, there are some doohickeys that get used almost everyday in our house.

Good Knives
Good knives are important. You probably don't realize how important until you've used a good knife, and then had to use someone else crappy knife. While we have an assortment of small paring knives in our drawer, our knife block consists of 3 knives that we use daily. That's right, 3. We have a pairing knife, a 7 inch slicer, and chef's knife from the Calphalon Katana Series. If i had to pick 1 knife to use forever it would be that 7 inch slicer. $70 seems pricey for a knife ($56 if you use the 20% off coupon at Bed, Bath, and Beyond), until you realize that you will never need another knife again. We had ours for 5 years before i asked a chef friend to sharpen them for me, and they were still superior to other knives even then. I did, in fact, throw away a bag full of kitchen knives when we moved to our new house, because we acknowledged that we really do only use 3 knives

 Storage: We keep ours on a magnetic knife block with our steak knives and the bread knife (which we don't use everyday, but do have). This block is flat on the back and about 6 inches deep. 

Citrus Peeler
I don't know why, but we have like 5 of these. They are awesome. This is a pampered chef citrus peeler. If you ever have a friend toting pampered chef, these are usually like $1-$2 in the catalog. They're $7 for 2 on Amazon. These ingenious little tools score citrus perfectly. I have used them to make long spirals, but mostly i just use them to peel oranges and grapefruit. If you eat citrus, you will not regret having one (or 5) in your drawer. Storage: These take up no space. Get one

Apple Slicer
My husband eats apple slices with peanut butter pretty much every day. I imagine when we have a kid they will too. He uses this everyday. They run around $7, and we actually picked ours up at an antique store. Storage: If you have a kitchen catch-all drawer, that's where this ends up, mixed in with spatulas and turkey basters. While I don't mind just cutting apples with a knife, the corer function is desirable.

Pineapple Corer

Ok, if you don't eat a lot of pineapple/want to eat a lot of pineapple, there is no point in having this. My husband goes through a pineapple a week and this thing is awesome. It Cores and rings the pineapple just by screwing down through the top. It saves a lot of effort. $6 Storage: This is an awkward one to store, it barely fits in a drawer.

Salmon Salad

Salmon is actually something we eat pretty frequently. One of my favorite preparations is grilled over salad. I always pair it with fruit and nuts and some sort of olive oil vinaigrette. Today, Bob happened to be slicing up a fresh pineapple while i was cooking the salmon and i decided to use that as the fruit. YUM!!!

(I can never remember to take a picture BEFORE i start eating...)

Step 1: Cook your Salmon

Step 2: While the salmon is cooking, prep your salad

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 Tbs Black Walnuts
• 1-2 Fresh pineapple rings
• Drizzle with olive oil and an acid. I had pineapple balsamic, so i used that, but some pineapple juice would work equally great!

Step 3: Serve Salmon over salad, drizzle with a little more vinegar/pineapple juice and devour!

Feel free to mix up your fruit combos. We frequently do strawberries with goat cheese and balsamic, cranberry and walnut, and a grapejuice vinaigrette is super yummy with salmon!

Food Benefits!!!

Salmon: Omega 3s!!! Vitamin D!!! Iodine!!!

Spinach: Iron! Vitamins: A, C, E, K, beta-carotene, and Fiber!!!

Pineapple: Digestive Enzymes!!! Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, and Fiber!!!

Sweet Potato Pasta

Most of our meals are not planned. I got a new veggie spiraler the other day and also found a bag of sweet potatoes in my pantry from before thanksgiving. I'm not huge on sweet potatoes, despite them being super super healthy for you, and despite having been on GAPS before, but I thought why not. I spiraled them up and just kind of went with it. It was the first time I ever attempted this dish, and while tasty had some lessons to be learned :)

• 2 Tbs Butter (or ghee or omit)
• 2-3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 Small Onion, minced
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 Large sweet potatoes, noodled 
• 2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbs Sour Cream (optional)

If you don't have a spiraler, you can use a veggie peeler to make flat fettucine noodles. If you are using a spiraler, I have read that most have issues with sweet potatoes- personally i think because of the shape. For my spiralizer, i had to choose potatoes that were skinny enough to turn. I did spaghetti noodles, but wonder if the fettuccine style might be more pleasing to look at on the plate

I melted the butter, added the olive oil, and sauteed the onions and garlic. I also added some crushed red pepper because i like it. I added the noodles, tossed to coat, put a lid on it and left it to steam. I waited til they were cooked through before adding the balsamic, but i don't know that that was necessary.

This is sauteeing in olive oil with onions and garlic. Leaving it uncovered and just sauteeing for 2-3 minutes would have given me curly, al dente noodles.

 I melted in the sour cream around the 5 minute mark and it added a very pleasant richness to the dish. Add your protein so it is warmed through (i did canned clams) and devour.

*This is admittedly not the prettiest dish I've ever made, but it was tasty at every stage in the cooking process (it smelled amazing cooking in the butter and onions and tasted great too). The sweet potato is definitely edible at every stage in cooking, so i might make them more al dente in the future. The balsamic cream sauce was also delicious, but the dish would probably be prettier if i made the sauce separately :)

The Staple Pantry

We live across the street from a grocery store, but on ugly days, i don't want to go pick up something i need. There are a few things that are always in our house for a quick meal in winter months, when local produce is scarce.

• Cabbage: Cabbage keeps for a long time in the fridge, absorbs a multitude of flavors well (like curry or citrus), is an excellent source of fiber and crunch, and is high in vitamin C, K, and B6 among others.
• Root Vegetables: Root vegetables have been cellared for centuries and keep well. We always have carrots, onions, and potatoes on hand and there is a lot of flavor to be had in those 3 ingredients.
• Organic Chicken Stock: We do read labels, but there are some things we DON'T care to make from scratch, and chicken stock is one of them. We always have several cartons in the cabinet ready for a yummy rice dish or a quick soup dish.
• Rice/Pasta: These are kind of obvious. They're dry goods that pair well and somtimes just hit the spot. We don't eat a lot of either, but at the last minute, it's great to be able to whip up a side of whole grain and vegetables. I also make my homemade pierogi in large batches and freeze them for later.
• Cream: The high fat content in heavy cream gives it an excellent shelf life. We use it in cappuccinos, chowders, and baking (if i don't have milk, i just water down the cream). 
• Coconut Milk: Coconut is highly digestible and great for skin and hair. It also imparts an amazing flavor to asian dishes, desserts, and smoothies. I buy cans of it by the case. Today, i knew i could whip up a 30 minute curry with that can of coconut milk
• Lemons: There are almost always lemons on our counter, ready to add to dishes, a healthy tonic in the morning, or a cocktail. The thick peels mean you don't have to worry about using them right away.
• Frozen soups/stews: This all started with large batches of chili and opposite work shifts. My husband wanted easy go-to meals so when i make soup or stews, i always make extra and freeze it in individual portions. On a lazy day, you just pop them into a pot and wait. 
• Protein: We usually buy our proteins fresh the day we cook them, but our freezer always has some frozen beef and chicken, ready to add to a quick dish.

Vegetable Spiralers

Veggie spiralers are gaining popularity with the healthfood movement because they allow you to make noodles out of vegetables. I use and love them, but have had a few duds, so i thought I'd compare them for you here. All of these can be obtained for ~$15-$25 depending on where you look.

Overall, I prefer the conical one, because it is sturdy, has the variety i want, and stores small. However, it is the slower of your options if you're working bulk. I use (and compared here) an all-times finest version, but suspect that all the "pencil sharpener" varieties perform similarly. it was important to me that it did flats and noodles.

How do I use this product?
I use this for julienned carrots in my curries, and flat cucumber noodles for cucumber salad. Looking for to trying a sweet potato noodle dish soon!

Apple, Corer, Peeler, Slicer
Storage Space: Medium-Large. These are about 10" x 6" x 1"
Durability: These are usually metal so pretty sturdy
Functions: Cores, peels, Slices
Variety: Just spirals
Thickness: very thick. Over 1/8"
Ease of Use: super easy. It centers well and the crank is efficient
Speed: Very fast


Wellness Tri-Blade
Storage Space: Large. This is about 12" x 6" x 5"
Durability: Mine got knocked by another appliance and the crank snapped. So plastic. not sturdy
Functions: Cores and slices
Variety: 3 different plates for different noodles
Thickness: Medium thickness. 1/16"-1/8"
Ease of Use: Because the blades are offset from the corer, i found it difficult to perfectly center to maximize the length of the spirals.
Speed:Very fast



All Times Finest
Storage Space: minimal. Comes in a box 6"x 3"x 3"
Durability: Stable shape and Lifetime guarantee.
Functions:Just slices
Variety: Spirals or noodles
Thickness: Very thin
Ease of Use: Read the instructions and it's very easy
Speed: This is hand powered rather than crank powered so it's slightly slower. ~30-60 seconds for a carrot or cucumber

Vegetarian Lumpia

My mom traveled a lot as a kid (and is now a travel agent) and lived some pretty incredible places. I'm sure you know by now means that i grew up eating some rather non-traditional dishes for an American kid. One of my favorites growing up was Lumpia- a phillippino springroll filled with beef, bacon, potato, onion, carrot, and cabbage. I made this recently, but without the proper wrappers had some trouble rolling and frying them, so we ended up just eating the filling out the bowl. Tonight I needed a quick sidedish, so i omitted the meat and ended up with tasty pan fried vegetables.

Vegetarian Lumpia Sidedish

Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 2

• 1 Large Potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 Small Onion, diced
• 1 Carrot, julienned, minced, or in peels (however you like)
• ~1/4 head of Cabbage, sliced thin.
• ~1 tsp Black Pepper

Place all the vegetables in a hot pan with about 1 Tbs of oil. Cover with a lid and cook until potatoes are done, about 10 minutes. Coat liberally in cracked black pepper, stir, and salt to taste. Serve alongside protein of choice.

I always have these vegetables in my house so it's a quick and tasty choice

*For the full version, add 6 strips of bacon, diced and 1lb of ground beef. Let the filling cool before you roll it into eggrolls. Lumpia wrappers are a special kind of wrapper- wheat and rice and super thin. Look for them in an Asian grocery store!

Scratch Waffles

With a soy allergy, there are a lot of conveniences I simply can't have. One of those conveniences is instant pancake batter. I prefer waffles (i like all the little crevices), but we use the same batter for pancakes and waffles so to each their own. Click here for my GAPS/Paleo version.

Dry:

• 1 c flour (this recipe adapted to cup4cup GF flour like a champ!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbs sugar

Wet:

• 1 Egg
• 3/4 c Warm Milk
• 1/4 c  Melted Butter
• 1 Tbs Vanilla

Mix Wet ingredients in a separate bowl from dry ingredients. Add wet to dry. Makes ~5 Waffles (cuz we cook for 2). There is no reason you can't premix the dry ingredients (mix them well so they are evenly distributed) and store them in a cannister to make this process easier, using 1 cup of mix to the wet ingredients.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

We've been taking a sort of winter lazy holiday this week since we work all major holidays. It's cold, and we don't heat the kitchen beyond the open doorway to the rest of the house so i am loathe to spend much time NOT being lazy on my lazy holiday. So when I decided I was hungry, I wanted something fast but tasty. I made this with frozen chicken and my Lemony Cabbage Recipe and was still done in under 20 minutes.

• 1-2 TBS olive oil (i use lemon - obviously i cook with it a lot. great salad dressing too!)
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Chicken Breast per person, cubed
• 2 Garlic Cloves (i use the paste from a tube)
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Ginger Honey (or 1 tsp Honey w/ 1/4 tsp Ginger)

In a pan on medium-medium high heat, Add 1-2 Tbs of lemon olive, the juice of half a lemon (I made 1/4 head of cabbage for 2 sides and used the other half lemon in that recipe), and the zest of half a lemon (i used the zest from 1.5 lemons on the cabbage), 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/4 tsp turmeric to the hot pan. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cook through, turning once. When the chicken is cooked, stir in 1 tsp Honey and Stir to coat. Let simmer ~1minute. Serve over lemony cabbage.

*I added a dash of cayenne to my lemony cabbage to pair well with the asian flavors of the chicken.

Chili and Corn Muffins

Chili

Serves ~10-12?

This is, admittedly, one of the most stuff-from-cans things that i make, but most of the stuff-from-cans is organic/beans so ::shrug::. We generally buy organic everything, but non-organic is still going to taste fine.

-4, 15oz cans of Kidney beans (I like 2 light and 2 dark because i enjoy the color contrast)
*I use 4, 15.5oz cans instead of 2, 33oz cans because it just fits in my crockpot better. 2 large cans works fine too, it just fits a little less comfortably.
-1, 18oz Can of Tomato Paste
-2 lbs ground beef.
-1 Onion, minced (i stick this in a personal blender because my husband has a thing about onions)
-2 Tbs Chili Powder
-2 Tbs Cumin Powder
-1 Tbs Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
-1 tsp Garlic Powder
-1 tsp Cayenne Powder (Optional, we like it spicy)

Mix the beans, tomato paste, and spices in your crock and set to low. Cook beef on the stove and drain off the fat.  Add onions to the pan and cook for ~5 minutes so the meat is super flavorful. Add to the crock and turn to low or high depending on desired cook time.

Corn Muffins

Bake at: 350*F for 10-15 minutes
Makes: 4 dozen minis

I use Ina Garten's Corn Muffin Recipe. and, because we're a family of 2, I do a couple of things different from her recipe: Firstly, I make minis and secondly, there is enough butter in these, you don't need paper liners. I either make a half batch (~24 minis) while my chili is cooking OR I make a whole batch (which is about 4 dozen minis) and freeze them, keeping the bag of frozen muffins next to the containers of frozen leftover chili. They DO reheat well.

This is a wet/dry deal so use 2 bowls, dry ingredients in 1 and wet ingredients in the other
-3 cups Flour
-1 cup Corn Meal
-1 cup sugar
-2 Tbs Baking Powder
-1 1/2 tsp Salt

-1 1/2 cups Whole Milk
-2 Large Eggs
-2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, Melted

Add Wet to dry and combine until just mixed. You don't want to overmix. I pour this (and all batters i do) into a large ziplock and cut the tip off so i can squeeze it into the muffin tins. Bake at 350* for ~12 minutes

Curry

Asian food is a favorite for us and over the years I've tried my hand at making different dishes. For 2 years, I've been telling my husband I could make curry if i tried and today I did it. The important thing in this recipe is making the sauce, and you can put whatever vegetables you want in it.

Time: ~30minutes
Serves: 2-4 depending on how soupy you like it

Step 1: Begin making rice- my husband HAS to have rice with a curry dish
Step 2: The Sauce

-2 cans of coconut milk (i buy this in bulk from back in my GAPS days)
~12inches of lemongrass (since it's january, we just bought the two stalk pack at the grocery store), sliced and separated
-1 Shallot minced
-2-3 garlic cloves minced
-1/4 tsp ginger powder or a thumbnail piece of ginger
-2 Tbs Red Curry Powder
*Extra Cayenne to taste
-1/2 tsp fish sauce
-2 Tbs Brown Sugar (or Honey for GAPS/paleo)
-Juice of half lime

Bring coconut milk to a simmer. Add lemongrass stalks and shallots. Simmer ~5 minutes before adding remaining ingredients.

Step 3: At this point i also added my vegetables (we did sliced carrots and cabbage with cashews, but bell peppers, water chestnuts, stewed tomatoes, snow peas, broccoli, and bok choy are good too) Simmer for 5-10 minutes before adding a cooked protein. We bought our shrimp pre-steamed so they just needed heated through. Curry can simmer for quite sometime so if your protein is raw, just add it and cook it through (or cook it separately and add to the pan). Serve over rice. Optional: Top with crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. Turned out yum! just like the Thai restaurant. I won't say I'd try to compete with anyone who makes curry as a staple part of their diet, but as an avid consumer of Thai food, this was delicious!

Bonus: You can also cut out 1 can of coconut milk and thicken this recipe with 2-3 TBS of peanut butter for a great curried peanut sauce to dip shrimp or chicken in!