Rhubarb Crumble

Today was a warm and cloudy day. My little rhubarb plant has been sending out rhubarb pretty well. I made a rhubarb strawberry pie last week and it was yummy....but....no one eats the crust but me..and the dog! So...when they asked me to make a pie again I thought...nope! I'm not gonna do it! I made rhubarb crumble instead and it turned out great. I made this up...so my measurements are probably not exact enough for some.

Rhubarb Crumble

Strawberries-washed and cut into chunks. (I used 2 of the plastic clamshells from Winco)

Rhubarb-5 good sized stalks of rhubarb. I peeled the skin and strings off.

1 1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. Minute tapioca

1/2 t. salt

Mix that all well and let it sit for 30-40 minutes to juice up and start getting the tapioca plumped up.

Pour into a pie dish and top with the following crumble.

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. butter

1 t. salt

Mix dry in food processor and mix till blended. Add butter and pulse until it make crumbly stuff.

Put on pie and bake @ 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or till the pie bubbles and makes a mess in the oven!

Book GIVEAWAY!

Book GIVEAWAY!

I love the book, I Can't Believe It's Food Storage and she's having a book give-away!
This is the greatest little book for newbies and veteran food storage lovers alike. Information about and recipes for food storage items! I recommend it 100% and I love it. If you need a food storage guide..this is it!

OMGsh! I think I am gonna try it again!

Well.....I decided last night in that place between wakefulness and blissful slumber...you know when you are trying to get your mind organized before you sleep, that I would try and ride my bike around "the Loop. In my mind it didn't really seem that far....heck it only takes a couple of minutes in the car! So I got up this morning, got Brennan to his Scout activity @ 8AM. On the way home I went around the loop in the car to see how many miles it would be....maybe 2 or 3. WRONG !!! 4.1 miles. OK...So i came in the house, put on semi-warm clothes; i figured I would have a hot-flash or something on the road. Keys? check. Cellphone? check. Helmet...nope, don't have one....living on the edge, I tell ya! Get out bike....cuss because it is pushed between 2 motorcycles, tangled in brake cables and unable to move because of a bucket of pipe fittings. GRRR! Untangled, moved and Who put the gross, oily rag on my seat? READY!!! Nope....I need gloves and they are in the locked house. OK! Gloves? check! Go..around the corner...this is gonna be a piece of....OMGsh....did you know that it is basically uphill to Wilding Park....downhill a little...uphill till past the church....and then it was pretty good sailing, or pedaling as it were, until that little short, semi-steep hill @ Costco. My legs were like jell-o and I had to get off the bike.....to...push...it..up..! Heavenly Father hears the pleas of His children....even the out-of shape ones. All I could think of were 2 things. 1. Please don't let me fall off my bike and 2. please don't let me faint and fall off in front of a bunch of cars! I was a little lightheaded....but I have been called dizzy before..no big! No cars were around, so I got off, huffed and puffed my way up the hill all the time smelling delectable Costco muffins baking. Got to the top...waited to catch what breath I had left and rode down the wonderful little hill towards home. I got home and couldn't get off my bike! HA HA HA I was too close to the car and basically peeled myself off. A Lucille Ball moment for sure.
I was able to think between gasps for oxygen. Maybe this will be when I receive inspiration from the Lord instead of when I dry my hair. I don't know...I was breathing pretty loud!
I saw lots of birds, a creepy cat, 3 little pygmy goats, a really mangy lookin Llama, all kinds of flowers and BTW...it was raining a little when I left, but the sun was shining when I got home! The Lord knows I hate rain! I feel pretty good....and tomorrow is another day!

Sucanat!

Still trying to be "unrefined" sugar free. It is a challenge to say the least. Weekends are difficult because I am "off" schedule. I have been eating more protein, which is good. I have also been researching unrefined sugars...like Sucanat. Sucanat is dehydrated sugar cane juice. It is sugar cane crushed daily, juice heated to a thick syrup. The syrup is stirred by hand to create the granules. It is a nice brown color and the granules remind me of yeast. The sugar cane's molasses is locked in....very yummy taste. It can be used cup-for-cup the same as refined sugar.

I made Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sucanat and they were good. Just darker in color than those made with white sugar. I also used Spectrum Non-hydrogenated shortening instead of Crisco....a healthier alternative to the chemically processed fat!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. Spectrum or shortening

1 1/2 c. Sucanat

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

1 T. water

Cream together. It doesn't cream like refined sugar. Not as fluffy! That is normal.

Combine together and add to creamed mixture:

2 1/4 c. soft white wheat flour-I grind my own....pastry flour...good for cookies etc. that don't need the structure that gluten gives.

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

Mix well. Add:

1 pkg. chocolate chips

Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

They will be really dark brown and a very soft cookie. Yum!

"Refined" Sugar free

Today is day one of my quest to become healthier! I am not happy with my current state of "brain fog" You know, not being able to to a simple math problem, not able to concentrate, lack of motivation, sleepy, just meh! So..I am going to try and cut out refined sugar and all of his glorious, delicious, minions. I say minions because it is like the Devil and his army trying to beat me into submission! I love sugar in all it's wonderful forms....but it is not working for me anymore! Junk food, fast food, crap food! Who needs it? The food companies and they are out to get me and my money! So no more junk...fast food, garbage-y empty calories, POP!!!!!, white sugar.
So what am i going to eat? I ask myself! Good wholesome grains, fruits and vegetables, good fats..like coconut oil, olive oil and butter!; good healthy proteins...meat, fish, chicken; Drink water, milk..not that low-fat crap, either!
I am also doing a nutritional cleanse with Isagenix. It makes me feel so good and gets rid of all the junky toxins in my body.
I have been reading "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. The subtitle tells the real "jist" of the book...The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.
Meaning, it is good to eat fats....they are beneficial for good health! They are NOT bad for you!
It has a lot of great information about nutrition....and recipes etc.

I am trying to be better....isn't that the goal for this life?
Day one-we shall see!

Alfredo---ala Ryan with changes by me!

Ryan told me his recipe for Alfredo...and I perfected it. He will vocally disagree! Is there any more perfect food than pasta....any kind....with alfredo? We had the Chicken Ravioli with Rosemary, mozzarella and parmesan from Costco. I made the Alfredo to go with and I found some super FAT asparagus at Whole Foods today. Here is the recipe!

Alfredo

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 stick of butter

1 minced garlic clove

pinch of grated nutmeg..fresh is best!

1-1 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

pepper

cayenne pepper

Melt the butter, add the garlic and cream. Bring it to a low simmer. Add the cheese, nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Mix well and keep on low heat till all is incorporated. Taste....adjust seasoning. I didn't need to add any salt. But I love black pepper! Let it cool and pour over pasta. It looks thin, but it thickens as it cools!

Yum! It is NOT low-fat! BUT...you don't EAT THE WHOLE BATCH! Moderation!

I put it over the Chicken with mozzarella, parmesan and rosemary ravioli from Costco. It fed us all dinner and I have leftovers for Monte's lunch tomorrow. Sweet!

Dedra

It is sad today to say that I have lost one of my chickens. Dedra is an Araucana...also known as an "Easter Egg" chicken because she layed beautiful green eggs. I noticed last week that she wasn't acting "right". Her feathers were dirty and messed up. I watched her for a couple of days and then Brennan noticed a really bad spot on her back. It was swollen and hot, red and angry looking. No outward infection. We put her in the dog crate and watched her a day or so. She seemed to be doing better...eating and drinking. We put her back in with the other hens to see how she would do....they of course pecked her into a corner. I put her back in the house and waited. We got her feeling better again and re-introduced her in the coop. They left her alone...but she seperated herself from everyone. I went out Christmas Eve to find her unable to get up. I wrapped her in an old shirt and put her in a nest box. She stopped eating and drinking and today we put her out of her misery. She was comatose and not really responding...wouldn't even open her eyes. It was so sad.

I went out and cleaned and disinfected the nest box and anything else she came into contact with!

Hopefully...that is the last time we have to do anything like this!