Snow Day Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Posted by on Thursday, January 12th, 2012

peppermint hot chocolate

Today there is SNOW in our forecast. In the South this calls for an emergency run to the grocery store for staples like milk and bread and toilet paper and hot chocolate mix. I usually keep a stock of the instant hot cocoa mix during these cold winter months. However, I think my family is done with the fake stuff.  I created this recipe last year while the kids were out sledding.  They commented that this hot chocolate was the best hot chocolate they’d ever tasted.

  • 1 quart half and half
  • 1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chip pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • miniature marshmallows for garnish
  • crushed peppermint pieces for garnish

In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half and chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and well mixed.  Add the peppermint extract.  Serve with miniature marshmallows and peppermint pieces.

Filed in Beverages | 4 responses so far

Becoming Compassionate, Using a Birthday Party to Bring “HOPE” to Honduras

Posted by on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

hopebday_007[1]

Last summer my husband and I were blessed to be able to go on a mission trip to Honduras and take 2 of our 3 children.  I was a bit apprehensive about taking our youngest and was not sure how well she would adapt to the conditions in a hot, third world country like Honduras, which is the second poorest nation in the Western World.  The trip was to be non stop work once we arrived.  Many of the men spent long exhausting hours mixing and pouring concrete the old fashioned way. Some of us taught the children in a make shift outdoor school and delivered food supplies to nearly 100 families.  Medical attention was given to droves of Hondurans everyday.

Our youngest was so touched by the fact that most of the young children were infested with parasites from drinking unsanitary river water.  3 weeks prior to our arrival, an earthquake hit in Honduras and closed up the well that Healing Hands International had dug for this small community a few years back.  The village had no source of running water, much less sanitary water for drinking since the well was damaged from the earthquake.  Our daughter bonded instantly with many of the young girls in that community.  They called her by her name, but in Spanish.  They would come running to us every morning as we entered the village yelling, Esparanza! Esparanza!

honduras2A few weeks after we returned home, our daughter had a birthday party to plan.  She mentioned that she felt like she really did not need any gifts  – epsecially when those children she met in Honduras have so little.  After we tossed around a few ideas for her birthday, she decided to use this time of celebration to raise money to cover the costs of redrilling a well for the village.  She made some sweet invitations with photos of the children and she told about her mission trip and about the need for a new well.  Instead of asking her friends and family to bring gifts for her, she asked them to bring money, coins, or checks to donate towards the cost of the well.  A local cake artist (www.jeniferscakes.com) made the cutest cake shaped like Honduras with a little well pump and a bowl for donations.  Our daughter and her brother put together a video presentation of the trip, served up the cake, then played games the rest of the night!  It was by far the BEST birthday party ever.

My husband and I were very touched by the generous donations. 1/3 of the cost to redrill the well was raised during the party!  A few weeks later, after school had already begun, my daughter and I both got text messages that let us know the well was open and fully functioning.  Our daughter said that was the BEST birthday present she could have ever received – for those sweet friends she made in a country over 2000 miles away to finally have safe drinking water.

Our daughter cannot wait to return again soon.  Plans are in the works for our church to take another group this summer.  Only time will tell if we can make the trip.  But she certainly learned a valuable lesson on compassion last year.  If the opportunity ever arises to take your kids on a mission trip – I hope you can make it!

Filed in Miscellaneous | 2 responses so far

Foods to Eat to Increase Blood Potassium Levels

Posted by on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Although I take a whole food mulit-vitamin every day and try to eat healthy, I was surprised to recently learn my blood potassium was a bit too low.  The fancy scientific term for this condition is called HYPOKALEMIA.  Potassium is an electrolyte and a mineral essential to maintaining proper fluid levels in the body as well as keeping both our voluntary and involuntary muscles in check.  After a two day ski trip I experienced an episode of AFIB – a condition where the top part of the heart (atrium) gets out of rhythm with the lower part of the heart (ventricle).  Although there can be other reasons for AFIB, low potassium is one of the causes. After a checkup with my Doc, he ordered some blood tests which confirmed I’m not getting enough potassium.

The recommended daily intake of potassium is 4-5 GRAMS.  Most people assume we need to eat more bananas to get enough potassium in our diet.  Although there is some potassium in a medium sized banana, one would need to consume nearly 10 bananas a day to get 4-5 grams of potassium.  Most servings of potassium rich foods contain less than 1000 milligrams of the mineral and are high in carbohydrates.  A cup of raisins contains approximately 1200 milligrams of potassium, but packs a lot of natural sugar. Servings of prunes, Lima beans, and baked potatoes with skins contain impressive amounts of potassium too – more than a medium sized banana. Following are some more foods containing potassium, although not nearly as much as the ones already mentioned ones. I got this list from http://www.vitamins-minerals-in-food.com:

  • Dry roasted peanuts
  • Pears
  • Tomato products
  • Melons
  • Yogurt
  • Chicken
  • Papaya
  • Turkey
  • Fish
  • Carrot
  • Celery
  • Dried beans
  • Winter Squash
  • Molasses
  • Milk
  • Kiwi
  • Parsley
  • Dried figs
  • Dried dates
  • Avocados
  • Cantaloupe
  • Cherries
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Onions
  • Orange
  • Nectarines
  • Brussel sprouts
  • Buttermilk

I will certainly try to incorporate more of these foods in my diet, but for now I will also follow Doc’s recommendation to take a prescription strength dose of this precious nutrient every day. And if your family does not regularly eat any of the foods on this list, you may want to consider adding a few of them to the menu rotation.  Your muscles and your heart with thank you!

Filed in Miscellaneous | 4 responses so far

Weekly Menu Planning….Reasons to just DO IT!

Posted by on Monday, January 9th, 2012

Every mom I know is busy busy busy! And I’m no exception.  Ideally I would love to wake up on Monday morning to a clean and tidy house, fully stocked fridge and pantry, dishes done, laundry caught up, and have more time left than chores undone at the end of the day.  But the IDEAL world and REALITY  are never the same here.  With the arrival of the new year comes a time to rethink our lives and how to make the most of our time and talents.  This year, instead of making resolutions, I am vowing to improve situations that suck up my joy and energy – or even elminate them if possible! How does this relate to a cooking blog you might ask?  Here’s how.

My goal this year is to consistently plan a menu for our family on Sunday.  I am not really a list oriented person so this is a challenge for me.  I like to open the cupboards and know the ingredients are stocked to make whatever I’ve got a “hankering” for.  But I often fail to take 15 mintues of time to inventory the fridge and freezer or the pantry and formulate a plan.

Reasons for planning a menu:

  • It will save me time in the long run because I can make a list of groceries to purchase before heading to the store and avoid return trips for items.
  • The kids actually enjoy having a visual menu to look at.  I guess they can anticipate dinner if a favorite dish is on the menu perhaps?
  • Planning a menu saves us MONEY!  I spent HALF my usual weekly amount this week simply by planning a menu around what I had in the freezer and pantry. I am not expecting to see a 50% decrease in our monthly grocery expense, but I do expect the cost to decrease with menu planning.
  • My day goes so much smoother if I wake up with a plan. I know we’ve heard it time and time again, but I need to be reminded, “FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL.”
  • We can eat healthier food if I have planned the meals.  If we have healthy items in the pantry and fridge then it certainly is easier to cook healthy.
  • It is easier to try new recipes if I’ve planned ahead and have all the items needed on hand. My family appreciates the effort I go through to bring new dishes to the table.  Variety is the “spice” of life right?

This week my menu is simply scrawled on the back side of some paper that was going to be recycled.  But I love the FREE planners available to print from www.thehomeschoolmom.com.  Menu planners, chore charts, and home school planners are available to down load from this site.  If you have a favorite free planner, please share  a link in the comments section here.  And Happy Planning!

Filed in Miscellaneous | 4 responses so far

Make Your Own Ranch Dip and Dressing Mix MSG and Gluten Free

Posted by on Saturday, January 7th, 2012

Ranch-Dressing-Mix

I love Ranch Dressing, particularly the Hidden Valley Ranch or O’Charley’s varieties.  However, like many store bought, ready made foods, most dressings and packed mixes contain MSG. According to Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com) this chemical is actually an excitotoxin which can aggravate ADHD, and cause headaches and other unwanted health issues.  MSG tends to mess with my heart rhythm so I try to avoid this chemical in my diet at all costs.

This took all of about 2 minutes to make and I stored the mix in a Ball jar.  This mix is also much cheaper than buying the ready made stuff at the grocery for sure.

(Since I originally posted this recipe last year, our younger son decided to go gluten free.  The original recipe called for 15 saltine crackers to be blended in the food processor.  I recently made this mix and omitted the saltines.  The taste was in no way affected but over time, the mix tended to clump together a bit.  A gluten free brand of crackers  could be substituted for the saltines. So feel free to omit regular saltines altogether or use a GF brand. You may prefer to decrease the amount of buttermilk to suit your own thickness preference.)

You will need:

  • 15 saltines crackers or gluten free crackers
  • 2 cups dry parsley flakes, minced
  • 1/2 cup instant minced onion
  • 2 tablespoons dry dill weed
  • 1/4 cup onion salt
  • 1/4 cup garlic salt
  • 1/4 cup onion powder
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

Dump all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until completely powdered.

For Ranch Dressing: Combine 1-2 Tablespoons dry mix, one cup mayonnaise and one cup buttermilk. (I like 2 Tablespoons).

For Ranch Dip:  Combine 1-2 Tablespoons dry mix and 2 cups sour cream. (I like 2 Tablespoons).

Use this mix to make Sassy Little Oyster Crackers, Ranch Pretzels, Ranch Popcorn, Ranch Chicken, or Ranch Potatoes.

Filed in Miscellaneous | 36 responses so far

Oven Fried Lemon Dill Salmon

Posted by on Friday, January 6th, 2012

oven fried lemon dill salmon

Are you trying to get more fish into your diet?  Salmon is a perfect way to get your omega oils and also bakes quickly.  I found  wild caught frozen Alaskan filets at Aldi for under $5 a package. There were four generous sized filets, individually wrapped in the bag.  I must admit I was skeptical about the quality and taste.  But they were fantastic and I plan to pick up another pack or two next time I visit Aldi.  I’ve created a recipe that is quick and easy to prepare.  This recipe has all the crisp and crunch of a pan fried fish, without the oil.  Add some rice or baked potatoes along side a salad and you’ve got a healthy dinner.

  • 4 thawed wild caught Alaskan salmon filets – rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/4 stick melted butter
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 teaspoons Lemon Pepper Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried Dill Weed
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a shallow dish add the Panko bread crumbs. Set aside.  (Panko bread crumbs can be found in the Asian section or the cooking section near the flour.)

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.  I like to brown the butter for extra flavor.  Then add the lemon juice and whisk until well blended.  Remove skillet from heat and let butter mixture cool 5 mintues.  Next dip salmon filets in lemon butter, turning each filet to coat both sides. Sprinkle each filet with Lemon Pepper Seasoning and dried Dill Weed.  Then dip each filet into Panko bread crumbs.  Press crumbs onto filet, coating each side.  Place breaded, seasoned filet into the 9×13 baking dish.  Sprinkle lemon zest over  filets.  Spray the top of each filet with cooking spray to lightly coat the bread crumbs.

Place uncovered dish with salmon filets into preheated oven.  Bake 10-12 minutes until fish easily flakes with a fork.  Serve immediately.

Filed in Fish,Healthy Cooking,Main Dishes | One response so far

Peach and Green Tea Protein Shake

Posted by on Friday, January 6th, 2012

Peach Green Tea Morning ShakeWe make a lot of protein shakes for breakfast, but this Peach and Green Tea Shake is my absolute favorite.  I use frozen peaches and pineapple along with a ratio of half orange juice and half plain coconut milk.  I also use a scoop of Dr. Mercola’s Whey Healthier Vanilla Protein Powder.  It is made from all organic ingredients AND tastes fabulous.  One scoop is packed with 19 grams of protein and only 90 calories.  It’s also sugar free!  I also use Dr. Mercola’s Matcha Green Tea Powder in this shake.  The green tea powder is loaded with antioxidents.  Considering all the fruit, protein, and nutrients in this shake, I think this is a great way to start my day. YUM!

The shake shown in the photo is a double recipe. But I think it looks so pretty in a quart size ball jar.  I have also made these in a Magic Bullet but my favorite tool is the Vita Mix!

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1/3 cup frozen peaches (or a little more to suit your taste)
  • 2 Tablespoons organic cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon Matcha Green Tea Powder
  • 1 scoop Mercola Whey Healthier Vanilla Protein Powder

Place all ingredients in a Magic Bullet or Vitamix or a blender and blend until smooth.  You can adjust the thickness of the shake by add a little more or less orange juice or coconut milk.  Drink right away and have a GREAT day!

Filed in Beverages,Healthy Cooking | 2 responses so far

Top 5 Favorite Kitchen Items

Posted by on Thursday, January 5th, 2012

What would be your top 10 favorite kitchen items you would really hate to be without?  Here’s a list I’ve compiled of my favorites!

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer – I love the 3 different attachements for whipping egg whites/cream, the one for cakes and cookie batters, and especially the dough hook attachment.  Making breads and pizza crust is so much easier with this attachment.  Someday I would like to purchase the pasta attachment though.

kitchenaid-mixer-nickel-pearl-kp26m1xnp-sq-popup

Vitamix – My son has wanted one of these for a long time.  We’ve killed 2 Magic Bullets already. So for Christmas my dear hubby got both of us the Vitamix. And we LOVE it.  Be looking for a future post about some of our morning concoctions with this machine.  Another plus is the fact that the Vitamix is MADE IN AMERICA!

vitamix

Cast Iron skillets – I’ve got them in all sizes – small ones for scrambling eggs, 10″ for cornbread, and an oversize 12-14″ skillet for making dressing, deep dish pizza, or large portions of casseroles.  To me there is nothing prettier than Southern Dressing served in an oversized cast iron skillet.

Dressing-in-skillet

Cast Iron Grill/Griddle – I must admit this baby is pretty heavy and fits over 2 of my gas cooktop burners.  But I love the fact that one side is a griddle and the other side is a grill.  The griddle makes perfect pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The grill is perfect for chicken or steaks or veggies when it’s too cold to grill outdoors.

chicken sandwiches

Cast Iron 10″ Round Griddle – this baby is perfect for baking biscuits or making small portions of pancakes.  This griddle belonged to my husband’s grandmother and it makes me feel nostalgic every time I bake biscuits.

Cheese-Biscuts

So what are your favorite kitchen items?

Filed in Miscellaneous | One response so far

Southern BBQ Sliders – Made with Snow White Drive-In BBQ

Posted by on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

BBQ Pork Slider

Right now my hubby and I are on a ski trip with a group of 50+ home schoolers.

Right now, we are all exhausted from 2 days of skiing but have had the time of our lives.

Right now, we all have full tummies and are very, very satisfied.

Right now, I’m very thankful I picked up 2 pounds of Snow White’s Pork BBQ and cole slaw before we left town.  All I had to do was microwave it, microwave some Sister Shubert’s Rolls, and set the heated BBQ, the heated rolls, and the cole slaw on the desk in our hotel room.

I yelled, “It’s ready, ya’ll come on!”

Immediately, our hotel room was full of ravenous skiiers, ranging in age from 12-20, plus mom and dad.

And within 5 minutes, 2 pounds of BBQ, 1 pound of cole slaw, and 2 packages of Sister Shubert’s rolls were gone….

And then all the ravenous skiiers left the room to go swim,  or play pool, or go bowling, or play basketball, or visit the hot tub, or go sledding at the golf course.

AND THEN they will all be ravenous again…….

THE END!

Filed in Pork | Comments Off on Southern BBQ Sliders – Made with Snow White Drive-In BBQ

Where We Dine When Momma Doesn’t Want To Cook

Posted by on Monday, January 2nd, 2012

snow white drive in 3

Sometimes Tara is just too tired to cook and we head over to Snow White Drive located right here in our home town.  This place was built back in the 50’s and is still operated just as it was when it opened.  You can “drive in”  and park, then do as the sign says and “flash headlights for service.”  Or you can leave your vehicle and step inside the modest diner for service.  Either way, you are in for a real treat.  This diner could have easily been a popular stop along Route 66 back in the day. But thankfully for those who live in Lebanon TN- Snow White Drive in is located on Main Street.snow white drive in 2

One of the most popular items on Snow White’s menu is their Smoked Pork BBQ and here’s the “smokehouse” located on the property next to the diner.  I do believe they offer the best pork BBQ I’ve ever tasted. The BBQ is especially tasty served on their flat cornbread with some fresh cole slaw.  They also have some of the best burgers and fries and onion rings around.  And they also offer a variety of meats and vegetables – all southern style like country fried steak, chicken and dressing, baked ham, roast beef and mashed potatoes.  And if you save room for dessert – you must try a hand made milk shake or the Coca Cola Cake or the Banana pudding. If you ever pass through Wilson County – this place is a must stop.

snow white drive in 1Finally stopping by on a Friday night in the summer is a double treat since the “car show” is a given.  You never know who you might run into showing off American Classic Cars, or what varieties will be featured.  So next time you are passing through Middle Tennessee, take a detour from the fast lane, and stop a the drive in – where the food is true southern, the atmosphere is nostalgic, and the people are real.  And say HEY to me our paths just happen to cross!

Filed in Uncategorized | 4 responses so far

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