June 2011 Menu
This month I want to try some new things, and of course some old standbys! I will post the recipes (or Link to them which might be easier...) I steal alot of recipes from lots of sites and just tweak them a bit to make them diabetic friendly. So here it is for June :) Enjoy!
1- Tandori Spiced Chicken - basmati rice and balsamic onions
2- Shrimp Arrabbiata - red rice
3- Date Night - Camping so will make steaks and roasted sweet potato cubes and asparagus
4- Chicken Enchiladas - Moms recipe
5- Chili Rubbed Pork Chops and corn salad
6- Buffalo wings and iceberg wedges
7- Linguine, Shrimp and Halibut - might need to do a few conversions
8- Curried Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew - will make some Naan to go with
9- Lamb Patties with Hummus and Pitas - Never made Lamb before ever - hope its good
10- Date Night
11- Crispy Dill Fish and salad
12- Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon and White Wine
13- Cuban Black Bean Soup
14- Lemon Chicken Breasts with angel hair pasta
15- Beef Stir-Fry with Green Beans (Thit Bo Xao Dau Xanh)
16- Tuscan Chicken Breast with risotto
17- Date Night
18- Mexican Lasagna and salad
19- Spring rolls
20- Portobello Cheeseburgers
21- Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin - Crispy topped Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower gratin
22- Mini Greek Chicken Kabobs - and Mini Spanikopita
23- Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables
24- Date Night
25- Israeli Orange and Honey Glazed Chicken with Almonds
26- Sirloin steak with Chipotle Cream Sauce
27- Oven chicken Parmesan
28- Hoisin Chicken and Asian Noodle Salad
29- Taco Salad - Old favorite!
30- Yellow split pea and Frankfurter soup
Sunday, May 29, 2011
May - my not so favorite month...
Well, I have almost made it through another May. May is not my favorite month. The ONLY good day is the 1st which just happens to be my wonderful husbands birthday and Beltane! That's it. The good times end on 12:01 am on the 2nd. This year was extra shi...err poopie. My dad had a quad bypass on the 3rd, the 4th would have been my mothers 60th birthday and of course the ever wonderful Mothers Day on the 8th. I know, I know... I should celebrate mothers everywhere, but nope, I want to wallow in self pity for at least one day a year and this is my chosen day. Mom has been gone nearly 9 years and I swear even the anniversary of her death does not send me into the black abysmal hole I like to crawl in on Mothers Day.
My poor husband. I swear I need to be medicated during May...
Dad is just fine and recovering very quickly. Thank the gods!
Anyway, now that this craptastic Month is almost at an end...I can go back to being the geeky person I normally am. Pictures of my garden are incoming and I have actually finished my June menu! I will post it separately, and yes, I will include recipes!
My poor husband. I swear I need to be medicated during May...
Dad is just fine and recovering very quickly. Thank the gods!
Anyway, now that this craptastic Month is almost at an end...I can go back to being the geeky person I normally am. Pictures of my garden are incoming and I have actually finished my June menu! I will post it separately, and yes, I will include recipes!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Please be spring....
I cannot tell you how ready I am for spring. I am just about going crazy. I look at my yard and see all kinds of green fingers coming up, but it is to wet to go out and do anything!
I have all my little veg starts and seeds just chanting my name... Sarah Sarah Sarah.... please put us in the ground!!!
Poor babies. Poor Sarah. I hate this cold rainy weather. But, I fear, that between the impending floor install, and the work that needs to be done between today and then... May 7... I may need to neglect my babies just a tad.
That's right. Floor install. We are finally doing something with our house. I am super excited, and scared all at the same time. We had carpet installed, and it looks wonderful. Now the laminate floors are next. But before we put those in, we need to rip up the old floor, rip out the baseboards, paint the entire house (or at least 5/8 of it... which would be easier to paint the whole darn thing, oh and did I mention the kitchen????
Well, let me tell you about my kitchen, I will post a picture later of the before and after.. you will get a kick out of it.
We have tons of cabinets that need to be repainted. TONS! We cant get them refaced, too expensive. We cant get new ones, although cheaper than refacing (can you believe it) it is still more than we want to spend. So, we are going to repaint them.
Now anyone who is in wedded bliss like myself knows that one of the two of you are procrastinators! Yes I said it out loud.. and its not me! So I have someone coming to give an estimate on refinishing them. All 36 of them not counting the boxes or the drawers.
Even if we just have them stripped down and we paint them (oh my lord did I just say that?) it has to be easier than us killing each other trying to get it done "our way" or should I say "the right way according to [insert name here]".
Oh well, I guess we will see what the cabinet guy says....wish us luck.
I have all my little veg starts and seeds just chanting my name... Sarah Sarah Sarah.... please put us in the ground!!!
Poor babies. Poor Sarah. I hate this cold rainy weather. But, I fear, that between the impending floor install, and the work that needs to be done between today and then... May 7... I may need to neglect my babies just a tad.
That's right. Floor install. We are finally doing something with our house. I am super excited, and scared all at the same time. We had carpet installed, and it looks wonderful. Now the laminate floors are next. But before we put those in, we need to rip up the old floor, rip out the baseboards, paint the entire house (or at least 5/8 of it... which would be easier to paint the whole darn thing, oh and did I mention the kitchen????
Well, let me tell you about my kitchen, I will post a picture later of the before and after.. you will get a kick out of it.
We have tons of cabinets that need to be repainted. TONS! We cant get them refaced, too expensive. We cant get new ones, although cheaper than refacing (can you believe it) it is still more than we want to spend. So, we are going to repaint them.
Now anyone who is in wedded bliss like myself knows that one of the two of you are procrastinators! Yes I said it out loud.. and its not me! So I have someone coming to give an estimate on refinishing them. All 36 of them not counting the boxes or the drawers.
Even if we just have them stripped down and we paint them (oh my lord did I just say that?) it has to be easier than us killing each other trying to get it done "our way" or should I say "the right way according to [insert name here]".
Oh well, I guess we will see what the cabinet guy says....wish us luck.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sweet and Spicy Slaw Recipe
Seet and Spicy Slaw Recipe
Had a request to post this slaw recipe. It is one of our favorites year round! It goes great with burgers, chicken, pork, or you can even put it into fish tacos!
Had a request to post this slaw recipe. It is one of our favorites year round! It goes great with burgers, chicken, pork, or you can even put it into fish tacos!
- 2 pounds green cabbage
- 4 carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup mustard
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar ( I use spenda instead and use less.. I just do it to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut cabbage into desired size, I like to shred mine or you can even grate it. Grate peeled carrots and onion and toss all in a large bowl.
In another medium bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and cayenne. Toss dressing with the cabbage mixture, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover andchill for at least 2 hours before serving.
In another medium bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and cayenne. Toss dressing with the cabbage mixture, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover andchill for at least 2 hours before serving.
What in the world is better than bread?
Warm, crusty, yeasty, chewy, dense, beautiful healthy bread! I dream about this stuff. The hubs calls me a carb addict. Well, yeah.. so? Who doesn't love the smell of homemade bread baking? Who doesn't like to slice it while it is still to hot to handle, slather it with butter and stuff it in their mouths? If I could make a candle that smelled like fresh baked bread, I would. I know it sounds crazy, but could you imagine? Of course I would probably start some sort of feeding frenzy, not unlike the ones you see during Shark Week...maybe that wouldn't be such a great idea.
So I think I have managed to come up with a diabetic friendly (as long as you don't eat the whole loaf) healthy bread. That actually is quite tasty. I have tried several versions of this recipe I found online, and I have tweaked it a bit each time. I finally got the rise I wanted, and the dense chewy texture I love.
It is a whole wheat base with tons of flax seed and depending on whether you want to make a honey loaf or a garlic loaf, it seems to take to any ingredients you want to add.
I have some in the oven as we speak!
The recipe is adapted from a bread machine recipe, but I will tell you what has worked for me in the recipe.
Whole Wheat Flax Bread
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 Cups warm water (110- 115 degrees)
2 tbsp honey (or less if your making a savory bread)
2 tbsp oil (what type - olive, canola, sesame - depends on the flavor of bread you want)
3 cups whole wheat bread flour (or regular whole wheat if you cant find the bread flour)
1 tsp half-salt
1/3 cup flax seeds
Options - here is where your options come in...
But for any of the above, you make the bread like this:
So I think I have managed to come up with a diabetic friendly (as long as you don't eat the whole loaf) healthy bread. That actually is quite tasty. I have tried several versions of this recipe I found online, and I have tweaked it a bit each time. I finally got the rise I wanted, and the dense chewy texture I love.
It is a whole wheat base with tons of flax seed and depending on whether you want to make a honey loaf or a garlic loaf, it seems to take to any ingredients you want to add.
I have some in the oven as we speak!
The recipe is adapted from a bread machine recipe, but I will tell you what has worked for me in the recipe.
Whole Wheat Flax Bread
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 Cups warm water (110- 115 degrees)
2 tbsp honey (or less if your making a savory bread)
2 tbsp oil (what type - olive, canola, sesame - depends on the flavor of bread you want)
3 cups whole wheat bread flour (or regular whole wheat if you cant find the bread flour)
1 tsp half-salt
1/3 cup flax seeds
Options - here is where your options come in...
- For a three seed bread, add 2 tbsp sunflower kernels, and 1 tbsp poppy seeds, or pumpkin seeds, or any other seed you like.
- For a garlic chive bread, add 2-3 tbsp dried chives and 8 cloves of garlic sliced up.
- For a cheddar bread, add a cup of extra sharp grated cheddar and garlic if you like.
But for any of the above, you make the bread like this:
- Proof the packet of yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 tbsp honey for 10 minutes in the bowl of your mixer. Mix these together and let sit. It will require a warm place but a hot wet towel wrapped around the bowl works good too.
- While your yeast is proofing, measure out all dry ingredients and put aside.
- Once yeast is proofed, add the oil and honey (if using the honey) to the proofed yeast mixture.
- Slowly dump about 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low to medium (please don't mix on high or you will wear your ingredients....[from note to self on first batch]).
- Add remaining water and mix until incorporated.
- Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on medium until dough comes away from sides.
- Mix another 5 minutes or so to allow the gluten to form.
- Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for at least 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch down and let rise again in the pan you will bake it in for another hour.
- Bake in 350-375 degree oven for around 30 minutes. Oven temps vary so this is where you want to keep an eye on yours.
Cool (if you can wait that long) and enjoy...
Perfect Soup Day
Today is a crappy day. I love the rain because I feel like it washes the world clean, but right now I hate the rain. I want to dig in my dirt and plant things so bad that I cannot stand it. I want to make my yard NOT look like the "poltergeist pool" it is. For those of you who remember the horrible swimming pool in the movie Poltergeist... you get my meaning. For the rest of you...well lets just say, its very muddy and I keep waiting for things to rise to the surface!
So, instead, I am making soup and bread! What can be better than homemade chicken soup and garlic chive wheat bread? I love to let a huge pot of love simmer all day and then ladle a huge bowl of yummy comfort. I always have a hard time waiting until dinner and of course I make sure I "taste" throughout the day...just to be sure nothing has gone sideways!
For the soup, I start it off just like your normal veggie soup, saute until translucent onions (one whole large chopped), celery (3 or four stalks, diced), carrots (3 or four diced) and lots of garlic in a bit of butter (maybe 2 tbsp) and olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of whatever pot I'm using). I'm really not kidding when I say lots of garlic. I probably used an entire head. There is nothing better in my humble opinion than garlic. Well, maybe chocolate. But truly garlic is one of my favorite things. Which is why as soon as my yard dries out a bit, I will be planting quite a bit of garlic this year.
Okay, back to the soup. I toss in some half salt (does the same thing but better for you than regular salt) some sage, some oregano, a few bay leaves, some fresh ground black pepper and some chicken better than bullion. I really have no measurements for these, only that I taste as I go. I know what I like, and you know what you like. Just add what feels good to you. Except if your really not sure about the salt, wait until the last to add it. You can always add, but if you over salt, you either toss the whole thing and start over, or do what I end up doing and keep adding potatoes until it is tolerable. I add four or five frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts and add hot water to cover the chicken. Now I only make this much because I freeze it in individual servings. It makes it super easy to toss a soup in the lunchbox and have a good meal at work.
I let all of that simmer a way until the chicken is tender and then I remove the chicken, shred, and put it all back into the pot. I of course taste to make sure all is right and sometimes add a few more veggies like mushrooms and frozen corn an peas at this point. Then, its a low slow simmer until dinner.
This is my basic recipe for chicken soup, and I do change it up a bit. Sometimes I add curry and garbanzos (I puree these so my husband doesn't know they are there). Sometimes I go more southwest adding chili powder, cumin and cayenne. It all works great and again, its really what you like!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Tortilla Soup Recipe
This is the recipe I found for Tortilla Soup. It is fantastic! The only changes I made to it were to not put the lime juice and cilantro in at the end. Instead I topped it with some Cojita cheese and sour cream and fried some blue corn tortila strips I had made.
By the way, I L O V E her pages. I use and adapt alot of her recipes!
By the way, I L O V E her pages. I use and adapt alot of her recipes!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Menu for March 2011
Tuesday | 1st | Lettuce Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers with Spicy Slaw |
Wednesday | 2nd | Baked Chicken Parm with Green Beans |
Thursday | 3rd | Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Broccoli |
Friday | 4th | Date Night |
Saturday | 5th | Home Made Chili |
Sunday | 6th | Roasted Chicken with Roasted Onions and Peas |
Monday | 7th | Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce with Baked Sweet Potato Wedges |
Tuesday | 8th | Teriyaki Beef Kabobs with Grilled Veggies |
Wednesday | 9th | Chicken Shawarma and Brown Rice |
Thursday | 10th | Pork Roast and Veggies |
Friday | 11th | Date Night |
Saturday | 12th | Salsbury Steak and Mashed Yukons |
Sunday | 13th | Deviled Chicken with Broccoli |
Monday | 14th | Thai Red Curry Shrimp and Spicy Green Beans |
Tuesday | 15th | Turkey Pita Burgers |
Wednesday | 16th | Blue Chicken Tostadas and Mexican Slaw |
Thursday | 17th | Lasagna and Salad |
Friday | 18th | Date Night |
Saturday | 19th | Dutch Oven Beef Pot Roast wiht Asparagus |
Sunday | 20th | Mexican Chicken Casserole with Corn and Pimentos |
Monday | 21st | Clam Chowder with Whole Weat Flax Rolls |
Tuesday | 22nd | Steak and Portabella Mushrooms and Broccoli |
Wednesday | 23rd | Chicken Cordon Bleu with Brown Rice and Salad |
Thursday | 24th | Pork and Pinto Bean Nachos |
Friday | 25th | Date Night |
Saturday | 26th | Pork Posole and Blue Corn Tortillas |
Sunday | 27th | Asian Turkey Cabbage Cups with Asian Slaw |
Monday | 28th | Fish Fry with Green Beans |
Tuesday | 29th | Caramel Pork with Peas and Carrots |
Wednesday | 30th | Cincinnati Turkey Chili Low Carb Corn Bread |
Thursday | 31st | Lasanga and Salad |
Menu for February 2011
Tuesday the 1st - Special Mexican Restaurant Dinner (two Date Nights in a week!!)
Wednesday the 2nd - Cabbage Rolls
Thursday the 3rd - Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Onions and Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower
Friday the 4th - DATE NIGHT!! - Superbowl Weekend! Go Steelers!
Saturday the 5th - Diegos Restaurant
Sunday the 6th - Superbowl Goodies - What else?
Monday the 7th - Steaks and Grilled Veggies
Tuesday the 8th - Oven Fried Chicken Parmesan and Romaine Salad
Wednesday the 9th - Shrimp Fry with Noodles
Thursday the 10th - Slow Cooker Chan Siu Pork Roast and Brown Rice
Friday the 11th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 12th - Turkey Burger Tostadas with Beans
Sunday the 13th - BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Monday the 14th - Steak and Mushrooms with Onions and Salad
Tuesday the 15th - Chicken Carne Asada Tacos with Pickled Onions
Wednesday the 16th - Pork Stir Fry and Brown Rice
Thursday the 17th - Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto
Friday the 18st - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 19th - Beef Daube Provencal with Noodles
Sunday the 20th - Deviled Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
Monday the 21st - Fish Fry
Tuesday the 22nd - Pork Steaks and Salad
Wednesday the 23rd - Marinated Steaks with Salad and Veggies
Thursday the 24th - Tandoori Spiced Chicken with Rice and Salad
Friday the 25th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 26th - Baked Low Carb Lasagna, Spinach Salad and Homemade Whole Wheat Flax Bread
Sunday the 27th - Leftover Lasagna
Monday the 28th - Grilled Burgers with Salad
Wednesday the 2nd - Cabbage Rolls
Thursday the 3rd - Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Onions and Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower
Friday the 4th - DATE NIGHT!! - Superbowl Weekend! Go Steelers!
Saturday the 5th - Diegos Restaurant
Sunday the 6th - Superbowl Goodies - What else?
Monday the 7th - Steaks and Grilled Veggies
Tuesday the 8th - Oven Fried Chicken Parmesan and Romaine Salad
Wednesday the 9th - Shrimp Fry with Noodles
Thursday the 10th - Slow Cooker Chan Siu Pork Roast and Brown Rice
Friday the 11th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 12th - Turkey Burger Tostadas with Beans
Sunday the 13th - BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Monday the 14th - Steak and Mushrooms with Onions and Salad
Tuesday the 15th - Chicken Carne Asada Tacos with Pickled Onions
Wednesday the 16th - Pork Stir Fry and Brown Rice
Thursday the 17th - Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto
Friday the 18st - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 19th - Beef Daube Provencal with Noodles
Sunday the 20th - Deviled Chicken with Rice and Broccoli
Monday the 21st - Fish Fry
Tuesday the 22nd - Pork Steaks and Salad
Wednesday the 23rd - Marinated Steaks with Salad and Veggies
Thursday the 24th - Tandoori Spiced Chicken with Rice and Salad
Friday the 25th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 26th - Baked Low Carb Lasagna, Spinach Salad and Homemade Whole Wheat Flax Bread
Sunday the 27th - Leftover Lasagna
Monday the 28th - Grilled Burgers with Salad
Menu for January 2011
I am playing catch up on my menus so bare with me :)
Saturday the 1st - Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Sunday the 2nd - Rib Eyes and Spoon Bread
Monday the 3rd - Roasted Pork Roast and Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday the 4th - Salisbury Steak and Balsamic Carrots and Onions
Wednesday the 5th - Cabbage and Polish Sausage
Thursday the 6th - Marinated Chicken and Salad
Friday the 7th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 8th - Shrimp and Parmesan Pasta with Lemon
Sunday the 9th - Chicken salad in Pitas
Monday the 10th - BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and Spicy Slaw
Tuesday the 11th - Potato Soup
Wednesday the 12th - Beef and Mushrooms over Egg Noodles
Thursday the 13th - Fish Fry and Tater Tots (OK.. not so healthy)
Friday the 14th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 15th - Blue Cheese and Onion Burgers and Salad
Sunday the 16th - Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Pad Thai Noodles
Monday the 17th - Lasagna Rolls
Tuesday the 18th - Grilled Chicken and Asparagus
Wednesday the 19th - Quiche with Ham and Asparagus
Thursday the 20th - Crock Pot Pork Roast with Veggies
Friday the 21st - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 22nd - Pork Carnitas and Mexican Slaw
Sunday the 23rd - Chicken and Homemade Gnocchi Soup
Monday the 24th - Chicken Kabobs and Veggies
Tuesday the 25th - Fried Potatoes and Spicy Sausage
Wednesday the 26th - Brats and Baked Beans
Thursday the 27th - Foil Fish and Herb Potatoes
Friday the 28th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 29th - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Sunday the 30th - Chicken Pot Pie
Monday the 31st - Grilled Burgers with Salad
Sunday the 2nd - Rib Eyes and Spoon Bread
Monday the 3rd - Roasted Pork Roast and Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday the 4th - Salisbury Steak and Balsamic Carrots and Onions
Wednesday the 5th - Cabbage and Polish Sausage
Thursday the 6th - Marinated Chicken and Salad
Friday the 7th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 8th - Shrimp and Parmesan Pasta with Lemon
Sunday the 9th - Chicken salad in Pitas
Monday the 10th - BBQ Pork Spare Ribs and Spicy Slaw
Tuesday the 11th - Potato Soup
Wednesday the 12th - Beef and Mushrooms over Egg Noodles
Thursday the 13th - Fish Fry and Tater Tots (OK.. not so healthy)
Friday the 14th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 15th - Blue Cheese and Onion Burgers and Salad
Sunday the 16th - Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Pad Thai Noodles
Monday the 17th - Lasagna Rolls
Tuesday the 18th - Grilled Chicken and Asparagus
Wednesday the 19th - Quiche with Ham and Asparagus
Thursday the 20th - Crock Pot Pork Roast with Veggies
Friday the 21st - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 22nd - Pork Carnitas and Mexican Slaw
Sunday the 23rd - Chicken and Homemade Gnocchi Soup
Monday the 24th - Chicken Kabobs and Veggies
Tuesday the 25th - Fried Potatoes and Spicy Sausage
Wednesday the 26th - Brats and Baked Beans
Thursday the 27th - Foil Fish and Herb Potatoes
Friday the 28th - DATE NIGHT!!
Saturday the 29th - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Sunday the 30th - Chicken Pot Pie
Monday the 31st - Grilled Burgers with Salad
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Buckwheat Pancakes
I read another blog that had a wonderful description and recipe for Buckwheat Pancakes. They seem healthier than regular pancakes and promise a nutty full flavor. My mother-in-law said her mother used to make them all the time. So, in my quest to cook healthier, I decided to try them this morning!Never having used or even laid eyes on buckwheat flour, I think they turned out great! Different than anything I had tasted before.
After giving the first pancake to the Pancake Goddess, the rest turned out very good! They are much darker than "normal" white flour pancakes. The batter is thicker and more substantial but the whipped egg whites lend a surprisingly fluffy cake. They cooked up a little slower than regular pancakes but were easy to work with.
I am not sure Hubs thought they were "wonderful" but he ate them. He is big on texture and these definitely have a different texture. A little denser, grainier. They have a slightly nutty taste I think. He topped his with sugar free blackberry jam. I bet they would be great with peanut butter too!Recipe for Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes
1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 tsp baking powder
pinch salt (I used Morton's Half Salt)
1 tbsp maple syrup (sugar free)
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
In a bowl whisk flour, soda, powder and salt. Melt butter and allow to cool.
In another bowl add egg yolk, butter, syrup to milk and whisk to combine.
Pour liquid into dry mix. Use a large spoon to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
Add more milk if texture seems to think. You want it to flow slowly but smoothly from a spoon.
Use an electric mixer to whisk egg white until just set and solid.
Gently fold into pancake mix. Do not over mix or you will ruin the fluffy texture.
Heat pan on medium heat. (This is where I differ from the original recipe. The original calls for you to rub butter in the pan and then pour the batter when the butter is hot. I chose to use non-stick cooking spray instead.)
Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter into pan and cook until holes form on the top and it is relatively set. Flip and cook for another 15-30 seconds.
Slather with butter (or Brummel and Brown which is Yummy) and sugar free syrup or sugar free jam! Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Birthdays at Work
One of the cool things about working where I do is it is all about food! So to celebrate birthdays, we pick a day in the month a birthday falls in and bring in goodies. I do work for a nutrition program, so we try to sometimes bring in veggies and fruits. But mostly its breads and cakes and pies and ... well you get it.
So to my husbands dismay this month is a double birthday month. Since I love to cook and bake and be in the kitchen in general, I offered to make the cakes. One wanted chocolate and one wanted a Hummingbird cake. So I went to the store and got the ingredients.
On the way to the store, Hubs called and asked what I was getting. I told him and he groaned. "That's so not fair!" I said "Don't worry honey, I will get you something delicious!". Now Hubs loves cake, pie, ice cream, cookies and sweets in general. So I knew he would be tortured this evening while I was baking. I did get him a box of sugar free brownie mix so I can make him brownies tomorrow. (I have to be honest, I am scared of the brownie mix we bought at the low carb store. It can stay in the pantry until I can get my gumption up to make it.) I also bought him sugar free Klondike bars to give him a quick fix. Hubs satisfied with a good dinner and a treat, I set off baking.
So to my husbands dismay this month is a double birthday month. Since I love to cook and bake and be in the kitchen in general, I offered to make the cakes. One wanted chocolate and one wanted a Hummingbird cake. So I went to the store and got the ingredients.
On the way to the store, Hubs called and asked what I was getting. I told him and he groaned. "That's so not fair!" I said "Don't worry honey, I will get you something delicious!". Now Hubs loves cake, pie, ice cream, cookies and sweets in general. So I knew he would be tortured this evening while I was baking. I did get him a box of sugar free brownie mix so I can make him brownies tomorrow. (I have to be honest, I am scared of the brownie mix we bought at the low carb store. It can stay in the pantry until I can get my gumption up to make it.) I also bought him sugar free Klondike bars to give him a quick fix. Hubs satisfied with a good dinner and a treat, I set off baking.
I decided to make Hummingbird cupcakes instead of a cake. Boy did they turn out yummy...and pretty. I also made a chocolate fudge cake with layers of strawberry jam and chocolate frosting with shaved chocolate on the top. I hope the girls like them! Birthday goodie day, here I come!
Low Carb Store Excursion
During the day of car shopping, we drove up to a low carb food store to see what we could find. Thoughts of all the wonderful low carb foods we would be able to buy to replace things we could no longer eat were in abundance.
We walk in and I have to say, I was amazed at all of the things they had. Salad dressing with 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar, and 0 sodium...(that should have been a clue...). Pasta galore - although not super low carb, lower and within limits. Gluten free, GMO free, Sugar free, flavor free (did I say that?). All the shelves packed with colorful foods and wonderful catchy advertising. All promising to meet our taste expectations and still remain diabetic friendly. Upon closer inspection, some nutritional labels looked promising, others way out of our ranges. Then we started looking at the prices.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 8.99 for a loaf of bread? Did the people who manufacture this stuff really think someone in their right mind would pay for a loaf of bread at this price. I tell you what. Before it got into my basked it better whistle Dixie for me and wash my dishes. 3.99 for a breakfast bar? 18.99 for sugar substitute???? Now I know there must be some mistake. People don't actually buy this stuff do they? All the while the shop keeper telling my husband, who has our cart half full by this point, "Oh yes, I have had that, it is very good! Very good for you too!" He was sucked in.
I didn't even ask him how much he spent but we went home with a biscuit mix, brownie mix, blueberry muffin mix, salad dressing, bagels, pasta, sugar free candy and a few other things. I myself admit I bought some sugar free candy and a protein bar and some chocolate covered marshmallows.
The next morning we decided to make biscuits and gravy. I took the biscuit mix out thinking it would be like a normal mix. Add eggs and buttermilk, pat out, cut and bake. Right.
As I am boiling the hot water and butter and dumping the "dry" mixture into the boiling water I am thinking "I'm not a great biscuit maker but this just doesn't seem right..." So I read the directions again. Yep, this is the way I am supposed to do it.
We walk in and I have to say, I was amazed at all of the things they had. Salad dressing with 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugar, and 0 sodium...(that should have been a clue...). Pasta galore - although not super low carb, lower and within limits. Gluten free, GMO free, Sugar free, flavor free (did I say that?). All the shelves packed with colorful foods and wonderful catchy advertising. All promising to meet our taste expectations and still remain diabetic friendly. Upon closer inspection, some nutritional labels looked promising, others way out of our ranges. Then we started looking at the prices.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 8.99 for a loaf of bread? Did the people who manufacture this stuff really think someone in their right mind would pay for a loaf of bread at this price. I tell you what. Before it got into my basked it better whistle Dixie for me and wash my dishes. 3.99 for a breakfast bar? 18.99 for sugar substitute???? Now I know there must be some mistake. People don't actually buy this stuff do they? All the while the shop keeper telling my husband, who has our cart half full by this point, "Oh yes, I have had that, it is very good! Very good for you too!" He was sucked in.
I didn't even ask him how much he spent but we went home with a biscuit mix, brownie mix, blueberry muffin mix, salad dressing, bagels, pasta, sugar free candy and a few other things. I myself admit I bought some sugar free candy and a protein bar and some chocolate covered marshmallows.
The next morning we decided to make biscuits and gravy. I took the biscuit mix out thinking it would be like a normal mix. Add eggs and buttermilk, pat out, cut and bake. Right.
As I am boiling the hot water and butter and dumping the "dry" mixture into the boiling water I am thinking "I'm not a great biscuit maker but this just doesn't seem right..." So I read the directions again. Yep, this is the way I am supposed to do it.
As I am letting the hot dough cool enough to add the three eggs, I guess it looks sort of like biscuit dough. So I add the eggs and pat out into biscuit shapes like the directions tell me. I bake. They don't smell like biscuits. The sort of look like a drop biscuit.
I make some sausages and gravy (which actually are well within carb ranges... go figure). I decide to try a biscuit plain to see how it was. You know that things little kids do when they take a bite of something and decide it is the most horrible thing that could have ever been put in their mouth? You know, the open the mouth fully, wagging their tongue to make sure every last crumb is out of their mouths, before squishing their eyes together and shaking their heads? Now picture a 37 year old woman doing that. Hubs laughed so hard he doubled over. Then he realized I was handing him a piece to try. "You bought it, you try it!" I said. He dutifully took a bite. Declared it wasn't bad and went to sit quietly and wait for his breakfast. I knew he hated it and wasn't going to say a thing.
Since I thought I may have been overreacting, I decided to put some gravy on and try again. I served up breakfast. Nope, no way was that horrid thing going down. I had to spit it out. Even with wonderful pepper gravy and sausage, it still tasted like an overcooked microwaved egg with some chemical butter.
Well that was a waste of 7.89. And the worst part is, there is still another packet of the mix left in the bag. I would not wish this on anyone but cant bring myself to throw it out. We will see if I cant do something with it to make it edible. But until I get that taste out of my mouth, it can sit.
All this fun and I haven't even gotten to the salad dressing. Imagine this. Beautiful salad, sliced radishes, mushrooms, cheese, the works. Now picture a 40 year old man making a tongue waggle and wiping the insides of his mouth whit a napkin to remove all traces of taste. Yep, you got it... Gross!!!!
Now I understand it. People in some factory somewhere have devised an evil plot to part us with our hard earned money. Lure folks new to the lifestyle in by promising these products will taste like they came out of your grandmothers kitchen and outrageously price them because by the time they figure out they hate the product, hey, its OK, we made our money on it and there will be another sucker on the horizon soon.
I do have to say, the bagels, were not bad, but probably not something we will put on our normal shopping list. In the mean time, I am searching for recipes that taste good and meet the nutritional needs. I know I can make it cheaper and better. I just need a week off to play and a health food store to be open.
Oh and by the way, the marshmallows were great...expensive, but great!
Gas Station Food
So this last weekend, we took my mother-in-law car shopping. We took a few side trips. One of those trips was to our favorite gas station restaurants. Yes, I said gas station. You would be amazed at some of the wonderful food you can find in little dives in the middle of nowhere. I say that now, but my husband has a track record.
When my husband first took me to this place, I thought we were getting gas. When he parked on the side of the gas station I thought, hmm he must want something to drink. When he said "Are you coming?", I thought, OK... whats going on. I got out of the truck and the most wonderful smell hit my nose.
I was scared. The second to the last time my husband took me to a "dive" to eat, I refused to eat anything except the Jello off the buffet and still got food poisoning.
Ignoring my gut reaction to march right back to the truck and park my hiney with a bag of Funyuns and a Diet Coke, I allowed my nose to lead me. This place - no, this dirty little gas station half way between two very small towns, had all the makings of a visit to the ER. Everything cooking on electric skillets on a counter and a few things in a deep fryer. OK I thought, I will just get something deep fried. The hot oil will kill nasty little beast wanting to lodge itself in my intestine. We ordered. I got sopes and a taco. Hubs got a burrito. I stared down at my food, swallowed hard, looked at my husband and defiantly took a bite. All the while hoping he was getting my "That's right, when I am up in the middle of the night buddy, your going to be right there with me!" look.
I was dead wrong. It was by far the best Mexican food I have ever had in my life. The sopes danced in my mouth and made me joyful to be alive. OK...that's a little over the top, but I did actually hear myself tell hubs, "I was wrong, this is great!" (knowing he would never ever let me forget how right he was).
But I digress. In all the hustle and bustle of car shopping, we stopped in to get a tostada (our new favorite) and tacos and to share the wonders of this little gem of a station, who to this day doesn't seem as dingy as it first did. I have included a picture of my plate. Ignore the bite, I was so anxious to shovel food into my face I forgot to snap a pic before diving in.
When my husband first took me to this place, I thought we were getting gas. When he parked on the side of the gas station I thought, hmm he must want something to drink. When he said "Are you coming?", I thought, OK... whats going on. I got out of the truck and the most wonderful smell hit my nose.
I was scared. The second to the last time my husband took me to a "dive" to eat, I refused to eat anything except the Jello off the buffet and still got food poisoning.
Ignoring my gut reaction to march right back to the truck and park my hiney with a bag of Funyuns and a Diet Coke, I allowed my nose to lead me. This place - no, this dirty little gas station half way between two very small towns, had all the makings of a visit to the ER. Everything cooking on electric skillets on a counter and a few things in a deep fryer. OK I thought, I will just get something deep fried. The hot oil will kill nasty little beast wanting to lodge itself in my intestine. We ordered. I got sopes and a taco. Hubs got a burrito. I stared down at my food, swallowed hard, looked at my husband and defiantly took a bite. All the while hoping he was getting my "That's right, when I am up in the middle of the night buddy, your going to be right there with me!" look.
I was dead wrong. It was by far the best Mexican food I have ever had in my life. The sopes danced in my mouth and made me joyful to be alive. OK...that's a little over the top, but I did actually hear myself tell hubs, "I was wrong, this is great!" (knowing he would never ever let me forget how right he was).But I digress. In all the hustle and bustle of car shopping, we stopped in to get a tostada (our new favorite) and tacos and to share the wonders of this little gem of a station, who to this day doesn't seem as dingy as it first did. I have included a picture of my plate. Ignore the bite, I was so anxious to shovel food into my face I forgot to snap a pic before diving in.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Date Night
One of the things I have been doing for about a year now is creating my dinner menus for the month. I know, I know...sounds like a lot of work. Yes. I'm not going to lie. Trying to formulate dinners for an entire month which are different and interesting is hard enough. Now add on diabetic friendly. Oh and by the way, low sodium and watch that cholesterol...Uh Huh...
One thing keeping me sane is my addiction to cook books. I have a plethora of information at my fingertips. But, I have to say (shhh don't tell my cookbooks) I rely on the Internet. Internet searches have become second nature to me and I am finding I am quite skilled at rooting out elusive recipes. Blue corn tortillas...taste tested and rated? No problem. Oh you want to know how to make sugar free marshmallows? I have a recipe for that too! It is a lot easier to find nutritional information on the web than to try and calculate it from a recipe out of a 1951 Grange Hall cookbook. (I will tell you all about my menus later... I even plan to post them!)
When I am planning my recipes I know every Friday night is my reprieve. Friday nights are date night in my house. We always go out to eat. Sounds glorious right? Finding all of the wonderful little hole in the wall restaurants and eateries and also going back and visiting your comfortable old pizza place every once in a while. Well times have changed. This is our second date night since diabetes joined our family. My husband and I just looked at each other and asked, where can we go, what can we get that you can eat? Pizza? No, not a good idea. Pasta...think again. Thai? Noodles - yeah right! I bet your thinking Hey wait a minute, you can still eat those things!? I admit it we are still learning and until we know all the facts, we just stick with what we know is safe. A slab of meat of some kind and veggies. (Fun...)
Me, I could easily be a vegetarian. The hubs..slap some flesh on his plate and he is happy. So, we decided to go to our favorite tavern where we know the steaks are fantastic. He ended up ordering the 12 oz Ribeye and veggies. The soup was Clam Chowder. I swear I saw a tear in my husbands eye when he told the waitress he would take the salad instead. The side he did spurge on was the sweet potato fries (come on, a man has to have some sort of fried food with dinner right?) I opted for the ground sirloin stuffed with Gorgonzola. I too got the salad and the sweet potato fries. What we both forgot about is this particular tavern makes their own beautiful dark brown wheat bread in these just right for two loaves. They bring it to your table warm with a huge cup of whipped butter. As the cute little waitress placed it on the table between the two of us we again looked at each other and both knew this was not good. I must say, I am proud of us both. I had only one tiny little piece of the heal (my favorite part) and only put a little butter on. The man - he only had one piece, about as big as a cocktail toast, with the tiniest amount of butter. I cannot tell you how proud I am of him!!!
One thing keeping me sane is my addiction to cook books. I have a plethora of information at my fingertips. But, I have to say (shhh don't tell my cookbooks) I rely on the Internet. Internet searches have become second nature to me and I am finding I am quite skilled at rooting out elusive recipes. Blue corn tortillas...taste tested and rated? No problem. Oh you want to know how to make sugar free marshmallows? I have a recipe for that too! It is a lot easier to find nutritional information on the web than to try and calculate it from a recipe out of a 1951 Grange Hall cookbook. (I will tell you all about my menus later... I even plan to post them!)
When I am planning my recipes I know every Friday night is my reprieve. Friday nights are date night in my house. We always go out to eat. Sounds glorious right? Finding all of the wonderful little hole in the wall restaurants and eateries and also going back and visiting your comfortable old pizza place every once in a while. Well times have changed. This is our second date night since diabetes joined our family. My husband and I just looked at each other and asked, where can we go, what can we get that you can eat? Pizza? No, not a good idea. Pasta...think again. Thai? Noodles - yeah right! I bet your thinking Hey wait a minute, you can still eat those things!? I admit it we are still learning and until we know all the facts, we just stick with what we know is safe. A slab of meat of some kind and veggies. (Fun...)
Me, I could easily be a vegetarian. The hubs..slap some flesh on his plate and he is happy. So, we decided to go to our favorite tavern where we know the steaks are fantastic. He ended up ordering the 12 oz Ribeye and veggies. The soup was Clam Chowder. I swear I saw a tear in my husbands eye when he told the waitress he would take the salad instead. The side he did spurge on was the sweet potato fries (come on, a man has to have some sort of fried food with dinner right?) I opted for the ground sirloin stuffed with Gorgonzola. I too got the salad and the sweet potato fries. What we both forgot about is this particular tavern makes their own beautiful dark brown wheat bread in these just right for two loaves. They bring it to your table warm with a huge cup of whipped butter. As the cute little waitress placed it on the table between the two of us we again looked at each other and both knew this was not good. I must say, I am proud of us both. I had only one tiny little piece of the heal (my favorite part) and only put a little butter on. The man - he only had one piece, about as big as a cocktail toast, with the tiniest amount of butter. I cannot tell you how proud I am of him!!! As we left the tavern with our hefty box of leftovers (yes the bread stayed on the table!!!) we were both satisfied. Now, however, we were looking for a treat. iPhones are great for searching down elusive restaurants or checking in with Face Book. They are not so great at trying to find diabetic friendly desert houses. Do such beasts exist? Well apparently not - or at least not in our piddly little town! So off to the local store. Thirty minutes later, after reading label after label we came out proudly carrying sugar free Jello mousse cups and carb watcher ice cream bars. Not what we had in mind (cake or pie) but it would suffice.
All in all date night was a success. The most important part was just spending time with each other. And the second most important thing was taking care of our health. I did take some pictures, and since I am still pretty inept at this blogging thing I will try to somehow attach them. So if you see pictures I was successful... If you don't... well I will eventually figure it out!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Keep Calm and Carry On!
While contemplating creating a blog, I wondered what kinds of things I would write. I knew the general direction I wanted to go in, but I kept asking myself, "Alright Sarah, do you really think things you might have to say would be worth posting? Even if you do, will anyone really read them?". Well, the scary part is I answered myself and that answer was Sure! I mean, I cant be the only person in the world trying to save a save a buck and eat healthier. So I kept telling myself I would think about it.
The thing that finally made the decision for me to post was a diabetes diagnosis in the family. HOLY CRAP... Now what? Well, first I of course had a meltdown, second I knew we had no choice but to Keep Calm and Carry On! Not much we can do except change eating habits and get healthy! This of course threw me into a research frenzy, what can I cook, what can we eat, does this mean no more ice cream? (Oh for the love of all that is holy, please let there be ice cream...)
I wanted to be able to ask questions and share what I find, because surely there are other families just like mine out there who are in the same boat. I want to share recipes (successes and failures) and post pictures of it all. I want to tell you "Hey!! There is ice cream!! sugar free, sweet, creamy wonderful ice cream!"
So in blogging, I hope to share our journey. The ups, the downs, and the side trips. So get ready world (or should I say world wide web...) Sarah is at the keyboard!
The thing that finally made the decision for me to post was a diabetes diagnosis in the family. HOLY CRAP... Now what? Well, first I of course had a meltdown, second I knew we had no choice but to Keep Calm and Carry On! Not much we can do except change eating habits and get healthy! This of course threw me into a research frenzy, what can I cook, what can we eat, does this mean no more ice cream? (Oh for the love of all that is holy, please let there be ice cream...)
I wanted to be able to ask questions and share what I find, because surely there are other families just like mine out there who are in the same boat. I want to share recipes (successes and failures) and post pictures of it all. I want to tell you "Hey!! There is ice cream!! sugar free, sweet, creamy wonderful ice cream!"
So in blogging, I hope to share our journey. The ups, the downs, and the side trips. So get ready world (or should I say world wide web...) Sarah is at the keyboard!
Did I Just Do This?
Thanks to a genius friend of mine who came up with this awesome name for my blog (THANK YOU DAVID!!!!) I am officially in business.
Well maybe business is not exactly the right word, but at least I can take a stab at embarrassing myself and I am sure my hubs and friends at times! I have no idea what I am really doing here. I just know I love to cook. I love to home can. I love to garden. And, I love to share.
I keep getting told by friends, co-workers and even people I meet I am a rare find. I guess there are not many young people these days that get all domestic goddess on the weekends! I admit, there is nothing I love more than making a wonderful meal and sharing it with people I love.
Growing up, family time was food time. Friends over? Let us feed you. Someone sick? This casserole will cure it. Girls night out? Lets splurge on something either dipped in cheese, fried to a golden crisp, coated with butter, smothered in gravy or enrobed in chocolate (and sometimes all in one sitting). Of course, as I have gotten older, I have settled down and immediately got fat and happy! That's right FAT and HAPPY! These days, I am working on the waistline so I'm not quite as fat but I am still very, very happy!
I hope my friends you find this little window into my world worth reading. I even encourage you to leave comments (please be nice...)
Until the next post....wish me luck!
Well maybe business is not exactly the right word, but at least I can take a stab at embarrassing myself and I am sure my hubs and friends at times! I have no idea what I am really doing here. I just know I love to cook. I love to home can. I love to garden. And, I love to share.
I keep getting told by friends, co-workers and even people I meet I am a rare find. I guess there are not many young people these days that get all domestic goddess on the weekends! I admit, there is nothing I love more than making a wonderful meal and sharing it with people I love.
Growing up, family time was food time. Friends over? Let us feed you. Someone sick? This casserole will cure it. Girls night out? Lets splurge on something either dipped in cheese, fried to a golden crisp, coated with butter, smothered in gravy or enrobed in chocolate (and sometimes all in one sitting). Of course, as I have gotten older, I have settled down and immediately got fat and happy! That's right FAT and HAPPY! These days, I am working on the waistline so I'm not quite as fat but I am still very, very happy!
I hope my friends you find this little window into my world worth reading. I even encourage you to leave comments (please be nice...)
Until the next post....wish me luck!
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