A way to cook pasta in the summer

I know I've not been posting for a loooooong while but it's been a hectic time here. I've sold my home, moved and have been working to get my life on an even keel since the death of my husband almost a year ago.

Now that I've moved to a rental apartment with no air conditioning, I figured that I'd share my method for cooking pasta in the height of summer.

Basically, you start cooking your pasta the regular way as described on the side of the package, but here is the trick.... after about 2-5 minutes of bringing the water back to a boil, turn the water OFF and let the pasta sit just a little longer than it says in the directions or until you reach the doneness that you like. That's it, you then treat the pasta the way you'd usually do.

I like this method just for the reason that you don't have the stove element on longer than needed, thereby keeping your home cooler and you can save electricity or gas. (I know this because I've done this trick on both types of stoves)

It's also a great method for cooking pasta for summer salads as it takes a little less time for the pasta to cool in the fridge.

Cinnamon Toast Lip Scrub

I don't know about you, but this winter has been playing havoc with my lips - they have been so dry that I have a white line where my lips are so dry that it even shows through lipstick. I came up with my version of a lip scrub so that I could deal with this. Currently I have limited resources so, as per usual, I make do with what I have. This lip scrub uses stuff that you probably have in your kitchen right now. If you don't have coconut oil I'd suggest using olive oil.

Cinnamon Toast Lip Scrub

1 Tbsp coconut oil 

3 Tbsp sugar

Approx. 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients in a small container or bowl until evenly distributed and has the consistency of a thick paste. 

To use, take a small amount on your finger and scrub your lips. Rinse with water when you feel you're done.

Now I'll admit that these amounts are approximate. What you want is to have the scrub to have the consistency of wet sand or a thick paste. I also like the fact that this lip scrub is edible, moisturizing and works! Part of my reason for adding cinnamon is it's irritating action - who needs expensive lip venom to plump your lips when you can make it your self?

Hope you enjoy!

My Adventure with Smoothies

Late in my mom's illness, there came a time when she wasn't very hungry so I started making smoothies for her. At the time there wasn't as much information out there on making them so I was making them by-guess-and-by-golly.

Most of the recipes I found online at the time wanted you to use a juicer and mom didn't have one, all we had was a blender. The strangest recipe I read was for Carnation Instant Breakfast (strawberry) and beer (ew!). I was having to make do with what we had so most of the smoothies I was making had to use vanilla flavoured Ensure or the occasional Carnation Instant Breakfast as a base. This tended to make the smoothies too sweet for mom and she got bored with them. I was running out of ideas on what to put in them so they wouldn't be as sweet. Mind you, I had come up with a smoothie that mom did like that she claimed tasted like a creamsicle. The strange thing was that there was no orange in it! I had made it with mangos and vanilla Ensure but I was unable to reproduce it because I wasn't writing down what was in it.

I had remembered that one of mom's nurses had mentioned making what she called "steak shakes" by basically blending what was for dinner with broth but here it was again, mom's taste buds were off, and she didn't like the smell or taste of meat also she didn't want to eat "baby food". That made this idea a no go.

Nowadays, there are more options out there and I would be making smoothies differently. First off, I would not be stuck with having to use just Ensure or Instant Breakfast as a liquid base. I'd go and get some unflavoured protein powder, hemp hearts or chia seeds for the protein part of the smoothie (I was already adding yoghurt and silken tofu to them). I'd also be adding greens to the smoothie. Admittedly this would involve some extra prep (who wants celery strings in their drink?) but at least the smoothie wouldn't be too sweet. I'd also try freezing broth (like the mineral broth recipe) into ice cubes so that the smoothie could be more savory. (I have no idea how this would taste but I just might try it as an experiment on myself). 

Some of the other things I'd be doing differently is writing down what I was putting in the smoothies, freezing any leftover smoothies in freezer bags and labeling them as to what was in them. The reason for this is that I think that the smoothies would be easier to get out of the bags rather than from tupperware which was a problem I discovered for myself. Also with the bags being labeled you would know how to make it again if the concoction you come up with proves to be a favorite. 

This infographic is a good beginning on how to make smoothies. Have fun and experiment.

Enjoy!

From: simplysmoothierecipes.com

A Fall Recipe

This is my father's recipe that got me to eat spaghetti squash as a kid and now it is one of my comfort foods. I'll say this about it...it is not low fat, low sodium or gluten free but I'm sure that it can be adapted. It is basically a stuffed squash recipe and it's the flavours that are more important rather than the ingredients. I'm going to give you the original recipe and let you figure out the variants. This recipe feeds four people easily.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

1 Medium-large Spaghetti Squash about 3 pounds
1 Box Stuffing mix
1 Package Breakfast Sausage (it has to be breakfast sausage)

Preheat oven to 350 F
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.
Make Stuffing mix according to directions on the box.
Place squash halves into a baking dish (about 1"x9"x13") and add about 1 cup of water to the dish.
Put roughly equal amounts of stuffing into both halves of the squash into the hollow left from the seeds.
Cover each squash with roughly half of the sausage.
Once it is altogether, place the dish into the oven and bake until the squash is soft, about 1 hour. If the squash is not soft after 1 hour, take some tinfoil and place over the top of the sausages and continue to cook in the oven until the squash is easily pierced by a fork, usually this takes 15 to 30 minutes. (it's all about the squash). Add a bit of water into the baking dish if necessary.
Once the squash is easily pierced by a fork the meal is ready.
Cut the Squash into quarters and serve.

Enjoy!

An Unusual Salad Recipe

This is a quick and easy salad that I created with stuff I had on hand. I was wanting to make a pear and blue cheese salad but didn't have all of the ingredients. I've made it for my mom and husband who don't like pears and they liked it (although it wouldn't be their first choice.) This is a good side salad with chicken or pork and is good for picnics and potlucks. 

I will let you know that all amounts are approximate as I usually eyeball and taste to get it right. 

Pear and Tomato Salad

1-2 Anjou or other firm pears (You can use Asian pears but not Bartlett's)
2-3 Tomatoes
1 Small Red Onion
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) or other mild tasting vinegar such as rice vinegar
1-2 Cloves finely chopped garlic
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper 
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix olive oil, ACV, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper to make a simple vinaigrette dressing. Let sit to allow flavours to develop.

Chop pears, onions and tomatoes into a rough dice and place into a bowl. The proportions of the onions, tomatoes and pears should be roughly equal but I usually use a little less pear because of the hubby.

Crumble feta and vinaigrette over top and mix gently. 

Serve chilled.

Options: Replace pear with watermelon. Can be garnished with walnuts for crunch.

Quick Tip

Courtesy of James Barker/freedigitalphotos.net

Buying frozen, fully-cooked, peeled shrimp may cost a little more, but they are quick and easy to use in salads and other recipes when you are just too tired to take the time to peel and cook them. Their only disadvantages are that they tend to be higher in salt, reheating them can make them tough and you can't marinate them for too long.

A Microwave Popcorn Recipe

Being movie fans, my hubby and I go through a lot of popcorn. I've been through Jiffy Pop, Orville Redenbacher's regular and microwave and a lot of others. Today I did an experiment with regular popcorn...I put a 1/4 cup of  regular popcorn into a brown paper bag and placed it in the microwave for 3 minutes. It came out perfect. No oil and just as good according to the husband. I personally think the trick is to make sure that the paper bag is large enough for the popcorn to expand. Enjoy.

Finding My Happiness in the Little Things

Well, I've been having a crazy week (and not just from caregiving) which is why I've not posted in awhile. So far I've cleaned the bathroom literally from top to bottom (and discovered that I may have to gut it to fix some problems I thought were minor), flipped my mattress (no more back ache for now), talked to the husband's specialist and adjusted his meds (actually a two week process), and have been helping a friend who is a hoarder clear out a storage space on a deadline.

Some of the highlights of this crazy week that have made me happy have been discovering a recipe for slow cooker roast chicken that's just amazing (I'll be doing it again with a few more tweaks), finding out that the reason the hubby was feeling so crappy was because he was dehydrated (thus the adjustment in his meds) and him getting his appetite back,  finding low sodium tortillas, and watching my and my husband's favorite movie (The Princess Bride). 

I'd guess you could say that although it's been crazy around here (and will be for the next week or so), it's been the little things that have been helping me keep from feeling overwhelmed all the time and that in keeping them in mind I see that what I'm doing is worthwhile. I realize that my little things are not for everyone (who'd have thought that finding low sodium tortillas would make me happy?) but it's in finally fully realizing that they exist in my day-to-day life that's been the eye opener. I've heard all the cliches before about "looking on the bright side", "it's the small things that matter" and "every cloud has a silver lining" but it was in finding them that had always been the problem for me. Now that I've figured out what some of my small things are I'm going to keep looking for them in my life and try to keep my perspective that my small things matter. 


As one of my small things was the recipe for slow cooker roast chicken that I served with a salad, I figured that I'd share it and perhaps it will become one of yours. 

My Recipe for Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken

1 Tbsp Club House NSA Steak Spice

1 Tbsp Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb blend

1/8 tsp S&B Nanami Togarashi (assorted chili pepper) {optional}

1 Medium Onion 

1 Small Whole Chicken (about 2-3 lb.)

Take the first three ingredients and mix in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice the onion into half moon shapes and place into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. Rub the spice mix inside and out of the chicken and place in the slow cooker on top of the onions. Cover and cook on Low for about 7 hours.

Makes about 4 servings.

Notes: Be careful in taking the chicken out of the slow cooker as it will be falling off the bones.  

Don't worry about not adding any liquid as this will make it's own juices.

I have a four quart slow cooker and my chicken fit the slow cooker perfectly so I'm not sure how this will work with the same size chicken in a larger cooker.

I found that the skin didn't get that crisp but it wasn't bad (ie. soggy) and also that there was a fair bit of juice in the bottom of the cooker after the chicken was done. I didn't use the juice that night but I'd bet that it would make a great gravy. 

With the leftovers I've made quesadillas (with the low sodium tortillas) and chicken salad sandwiches. Today I'll be making chicken soup with what's left and the juices.  

A Recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning

I had to recommend this recipe for homemade taco seasoning. I like the fact that you can make up as much as you want and that because it doesn't use salt it will be low sodium. I've used it just like the taco seasoning packets and the filling came out amazing. It's been so long since I used a taco kit I thought that it tasted just the same, except the saltiness of course. I also tweaked it by using Mrs.Dash Garlic and Herb instead of the garlic powder.

Enjoy!

Ginger: More than a Culinary Herb

Image from Wikipedia

Ginger (Zingiber offiniale) has been around for thousands of years as a culinary and medicinal herb. It's warming, spicy flavour is wonderful in stir frys and curries and I like it as ginger beer (plain or in a shandy which is lovely in the summer) and also has been used to disguise the flavor of other medications, but are you aware of it's other uses?

Uses 
The most common forms of ginger are as a fresh root (rhizome) dried and powdered (used in baking and as a flavouring in tea or coffee), pickled (sometimes known as gari , served alongside sushi as a palate cleanser), as a tea, wine and candied (I've used this as just a candy and for nausea- it's easier to carry in my purse). Ginger is also used as a flavouring in sodas as well as in perfumes and soaps.
As a tisane or tea it is used for nausea, colds, bronchitis, menstrual cramps, coughs, back pain and for digestive problems such as diarrhea, but it can also be applied as a poultice to the skin as a rubefacient to increase blood flow to the area particularly for osteoarthritis and muscle pain. In supplemental form, ginger is possibly effective for menstrual cramps, post-operative nausea, dizziness, morning sickness, and osteoarthritis. The essential oil is used as a compress in dilutions of 1%-1.5% for muscle aches, fatigue and arthritis as at higher concentrations it may irritate the skin too much. I use it aromatherapy blends for arthritis as I find it safer to use for people with high blood pressure in stead of rosemary.
Ginger is also being looked at as a cancer preventative and treatment in ovarian, colon and skin cancers.

Side effects, interactions and cautions
Ginger is considered as generally safe when taken in small doses (under 2 gm per kg of body mass) but some minor side effects that have been noted with ginger are bloating, gas, heartburn and nausea mostly with powdered ginger and too much tea (I did that once with too much tea, not fun). Caution is advised if you are taking blood thinners like Warfarin or Aspirin as it may increase your risk of bruising and bleeding. If you have a heart condition and are taking calcium channel blockers use caution as it may lower your blood pressure too much and cause an irregular heart beat (I learn something every day. I take a calcium channel blocker for tachycardia and didn't know this. I've never had a problem but then I don't have ginger tea often). Also, if you are diabetic, ginger might lower your blood sugar so be careful if you are taking medications to control your blood sugar as it may go too low, so monitor your levels and adjust your medications if necessary (under medical supervision). Ginger can also cause problems for people with gall stones as it can increase bile flow. Never take the essential oil internally.

How to use Ginger
The standard dose for ginger supplements is 250 mg four times a day by mouth. 
An easy way to peel ginger is to use the side of a spoon.
Tea is the most pleasant way to take ginger and some like it with lemons or milk and it can be drank either hot or cold. I'm too lazy to make my own tea so I like to get the instant honeyed ginger drink from the supermarket.

Here's a recipe for homemade ginger tea from Smoking Hot Mom 

1-2 Tablespoons freshly grated Ginger (depends on how much you like ginger, I like a strong ginger tea, so I use 2 tablespoons of ginger).

• 2 cups of water
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Honey

How to:

• Grate Ginger (if it’s frozen, leave the skin on and use a microplane to grate) into 2 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15- 20 minutes.
• Strain into a cup.
• Add Raw Honey  (which is a healing food in it’s own right: it supports the immune system, soothes sore throats, and more)

Sources: Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger,

Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/961.html ,

National Centre for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine : http://nccam.nih.gov/sites/nccam.nih.gov/files/Herbs_At_A_Glance_Ginger_06-15-2012_0.pdf?nav=gsa

Aromatherapy: An A to Z    by Patricia Davis

Make Your Own Greek Yogurt

I remember one day when I was living downtown and at my local Greek restaurant when the owner asked me to go to the store to get her a container of Astro's Balkan Style Yogurt.  She was making a B-I-G pot of yogurt for their tzatziki. It was a two day process, one day to make the yogurt, the second to strain it for the tzatziki. That's when I realized that I had been doing this for a long time but I had known it under another name -  labneh or yogurt cheese.

 All you need to make Greek yogurt are a couple of things: a glass bowl, a strainer, a basket type coffee filter or cheese cloth (paper towel will do in a pinch but I find it leaves a funny taste behind) and a yogurt that preferably doesn't have any fillers or thickeners like gelatin (powdered milk is OK as is whey protein concentrate but be aware that these are technically thickeners) .

Bowl, strainer, cheese cloth and yogurt

 What you do is place the strainer, lined with the coffee filter or cheese cloth, over the bowl and put the yogurt into the strainer. Place all of this into the fridge overnight or a bit longer (the longer it drains the thicker it gets). In the morning all the excess whey will have drained into the bowl and in the strainer will be your thickened yogurt. You can then take your yogurt an put it into a covered container. And that's all there is to it. I like doing it this way because regular yogurt goes on sale all the time usually for about $1.99 for 750 g and for my little bit of effort I've saved myself some cash.

My own Greek yogurt

For this batch I'm thinking of adding some protein powder I have lying about to some of the yogurt to see what the taste is like and to up the protein content, the rest I'm leaving plain so I can make tzatziki (just adding garlic and shredded drained cucumber) and a curry marinade. As I'm writing this I'm wishing I had fresh figs for a desert - figs topped with yogurt with some lemon peel and a drizzle of honey or balsamic vinegar-yum.

Have you ever done this and how do you like to use yogurt?

A Useful Recipe

While my mother was undergoing chemotherapy, I was worried about getting nutrition into her because of the nausea and her lack of appetite. I mentioned this to her nurse and she loaned me a couple of books to look through until her visit the next week ( Thank You Nurse!). I busily copied some recipes out by hand and tried them out. One was for a vegetable broth that was quite tasty and I was still using it until I misplaced my copy  after reorganizing my home office (Oops) .

I wanted to share the recipe because it is a great base for any dish, nutritious, and tasty but I couldn't remember the author's name! So, today I decided I'd try googleing for the broth. I figured " you never know, everything seems to be on the net these days and perhaps someone else thought it was a great recipe too". Guess what....I found it! Here's a link to the recipe for the Magical Mineral Broth  (I thought it was called Super Broth but I found it anyway).  Now that I've found the recipe again I'll be making it soon and trying it out in the slow cooker, with a few other tweaks for the husband's dietary needs, and try to figure out what to do with the leftover vegetables (I hate to waste them, they are still full of fiber). 

Because I found the recipe, I now knew the author's name so I googled her and found her website http://rebeccakatz.com/ . She doesn't have a lot of recipes there but I'm going to be trying a few of them and probably get her book The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen which is where the original recipe was from. From what I remember (it has been a couple of years) it was full of stuff on portion sizes, snacks, balanced nutrition, what to eat when nauseous and other great advice. I also liked the fact that the recipes were great for anyone and not just people undergoing cancer treatment.

Enjoy!