Lemony Spice Coconut Cupcakes. Gluten/Dairy free.

     As I mentioned earlier, Tate has now decided to become a chef. The problem with when Tate decides something is that it is not optional. When he has an agenda, it is my sole purpose to fulfill his dream. That is according to Tate, anyways. He ALWAYS has a project and lately, it has been cooking. The little guy will google whatever he has in mind and I have to create it. Right now, we are into cupcakes, pies and hermit crabs. Fortunately, the hermit crabs are not for eating. He just thinks they are way cool at this moment in time. 

     Today he was adamant that we make cupcakes. Since he is dairy and gluten free, we have to make some changes and I was low on GF flours. We had to improvise a bit and Tate did the work. I added a couple things that I didn't think would go together but they are totally delicious and these absolutely don't need frosting! They are moist and flavorful and perfectly yummy. Tate agreed. No grains, dairy or refined sugars involved! 

     He is very serious about his work. I told him to make sure all the lumps were out. Believe me, they were.

     Once you get a basic Coconut flour muffin/cupcake recipe down, you can really tweak it to any flavor you like. I only had about 1/3 cup coconut flour left and I needed 1/2 cup so I put some  shredded, unsweetened coconut in the blender and blended until fine. It was perfect and gave the cupcakes a little texture, which I like. Here's the skinny:

Lemony Spice Coconut Cupcakes

1/3 cup coconut flour

2 T. finely blended unsweetend coconut

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Blend together.

melt until just mixed:

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey.

You don't want this hot, just let it get warm so they honey and coconut oil will mix.

Add to the flour mixture:

Oil/honey mixture

4 eggs

2 T. Coconut milk or Almond milk

2 tsp. Vanilla

5 drops lemon essential oil (not extract)

Mix with hand mixer until lump free. Fill mini muffin pans with liners or silicon muffin trays. Bake about 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees or until the middle springs back. Let cool. Freeze any extras. 

Which diet for you?

I have been getting lots of emails about special diets for kids on the spectrum, diets for leaky guts, diets for female issues, etc. The burning question is what diet will fit the need at hand. The problem is, each person is different so there isn't an exact diet to follow. Don't get me wrong, there are a good handful of diets out there that serve as a wonderful outline for following but you need to take it all in with prudence.


When I first started realizing that Tate had issues with leaky gut and Autism; I read everything I could get my hands on. My first very favorite read was "The Viscous Cycle" by Elaine Gotschall. The book gave me a huge intro into gut issues and lead me to take on the SCD diet it outlined. The Simple Carbohydrate Diet is a diet that took out all grains and uncultured dairy and many more things to heal the gut. I followed that for Tate for a year. We saw great improvements but in the end, with the limited food selection, he became allergic to eggs and almonds on top of all the other things he was allergic to.


We then tried a few other diets which each came with some good and not as good points. The problem was not the premise of the diets, but the premise that Tate could not fit into a diet. No one really can fit into one particular diet. We all have different dietary needs. What we need to do is tweak along the way, listen to our bodies and change as we see fit. The problem we have in our eating today is that we don't pay attention to what our bodies are telling us.


For instance, I am a believer in cultured dairy. Pure, good, raw dairy. I have cultured it for years. We don't drink fluid dairy. I have made yogurts, used pastured butter, raw cheeses , etc. Then, in an effort to heal some ailments in our family, I decided to tweak a little of what I was feeding my family. I have a son who was suffering from acne. He is a good eater, he is healthy and has done everything to help his skin. I believe completely that skin issues are a manifestation of problems with diet. Through my motherly gift of inspiration, I knew that he needed to go off all dairy. In addition, I had a son with a rash on his backside that has been persistent for quite some time. He LOVES yogurt. Tate, or course, can't handle dairy at all and hasn't had it for 5 years. My husband and number 3 child have stuffy noses. Even with my cultured, raw dairy; I believed whole heartedly that dairy had to go. I have some good troupers in my house who obliged their mother and wife and went with it. Amazingly, not surprisingly, the rashy backside completely healed, only to return when he ate yogurt one day. He decided that that was not worth it. My stuffy nose group sound much clearer; the one with acne knows completely that his acne is a result of dairy intake along with hormones. If he eats it, he will have large acne eruptions by the next day. If he doesn't, it is much, much more under control. I never knew I had an issue with cultured dairy until I quit. I realized that when I did eat cheeses or dairy products, I felt bloated. I no longer have that feeling and my stomach is nice and flat. I feel great and absolutely desire no dairy, whatsoever. 


It was a little challenging at first removing all dairy as an enchilada just isn't the same without cheese. But, it is now easy peasy and I find food actually tastes  much better without it. Really, we don't miss it. There is a wonderful coconut ice cream that we enjoy as a treat to substitute when you just have to have ice cream. 


If you want to feel better; if you want to heal your body and change your life; you will never, ever go wrong with taking the garbage out of your life. Take away the sugar, the uncultured dairy ( or all of it), the processed foods. Going gluten free is always good to help heal the body. Don't eat soy products. Eat organic foods. Eat local. Cook things yourself. Limit your meats. Drink green smoothies. Drink lots of water. Don't drink soda! 


If everyone just stuck with those basic rules, a majority of disease would be gone. Weight would be under control. 


If you have eczema or stomach discomfort, keep a food journal and try to pinpoint what is making you sick. If you avoid that food for some time, at some point you will probably be able to eat it again. Tate used to be allergic to over 32 known allergens; we are down to about 3. You can heal your body. 


Listen. Pay attention. Do your body a favor. Eat for your health and vitality. When you adopt this behavior, you will stop feeling that you are depriving yourself of certain foods; you feel that you are blessing yourself with certain foods. 


I had a great email from a husband who was thrown into a gluten free/ paleo diet after his wife emailed me a couple weeks ago. Their son had just been diagnosed with Autism. I gave the wife my lecture on going gluten/dairy free for their son and didn't hear back. The usual. Few go with it. When I saw the email from the husband, I thought I was going to get the lecture from him about what I told his wife. Quite the opposite. It was an email telling me of the amazing changes in their lives after just a week or two of the diet. He has diabetes and after just one week, his insulin levels have decreased by one half. Amazing. They are convinced. I am so proud of them! It always works. Always. 


You can still enjoy food, if not more, when you start eating right. Food will start to taste better. 


I made these little gems below today from the wonderful blog, The Sprouted Kitchen. You can find the recipe here. Soooo yummy. A little guilt free Almond Joy. Dairy free. Gluten free (when using gluten free oats).The only sweetener is a little maple syrup. A perfect treat for a girl who loves her chocolate. 

I am so not deprived. My mouth and tummy are very happy. Eating healthy can be delicious. 

Grain-free Brownies

I am absolutely in love with coconut flour. You can make the tastiest gluten free/grain free treats around. They don't have any after taste like some of the gluten free grains do. Coconut flour recipes are actually good so I actually want to eat them as well. Giving the gut a little break from gluten is always good. 

These gluten free brownies are delicious. They would even be better with some GF chocolate chips sprinkled on top before baking for a little extra delight. I make these a little less sweet with the coconut sugar but you can always make them with white sugar for the real deal brownie. However, using coconut flour, coconut oil and coconut sugar yields a very nice low guilt treat!

Grain-Free Brownies

1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa

6 eggs

1 cup coconut sugar or other sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flour

Coconut milk as needed

optional, nuts and chocolate chips

melt coconut oil/butter with cocoa on stove until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in cocoa mixture. Whisk in coconut flour until there are no lumps. It will thicken as you stir.Add coconut milk if too thick. I seem to add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Pour into greased pan or individual muffin tins. (I love the square muffin cups) Bake at 350 for 30-35 for whole pan , 8X8 or 12-15 minutes for square muffin pan or mini muffin size. Don't over bake so check during baking. All oven times are different.

***Recipe taken from the Tropical Traditions website.

Orange Blossoms for Tate

Tate gets the raw deal a lot of the time around our house and at parties. He can never eat treats anyone makes and usually takes it pretty well. However, he is getting older now and is starting to understand that he is missing something. I decided that this boy deserved a little something special and that I needed to make something that actually tasted sweet and delicious yet still stuck with his diet of no refined sugars, dairy or gluten. These little gems were absolutely delicious. Not just delicious for a gluten free kid that didn't know the difference; they were the kind of yummy that the other non-gluten free kids in the house wanted also. Tate was so happy. He grinned from ear to ear. I grinned from ear to ear also to make this little man so pleased. I made him some pretty rockin almond butter cookies as well. He deserves something good for all the rotten things he has to go through in this life!

Orange Blossoms

6 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk

7 T. honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp. orange zest

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp celtic salt

juice of half of an orange

Melt coconut oil and let cool a bit. 

whisk eggs, coconut/almond milk, honey, zest and vanilla. Add the coconut oil when not too warm and orange juice. Add coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until lumps are gone. Pour the batter into mini muffin pans, either greased or lined.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Do not over bake.

Ice them with the following:

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp orange zest

couple tsp. honey as desired

Whisk then put in the fridge to let cool enough to thicken. Whisk now and then. It doesn't take long. If you want it sweeter, add more honey. This is really an amazing icing! 

Frost warm cupcakes. 

Hot Fudge and Caramel Sauce.

Let me first warn you, there is nothing at all healthy about this post. My SIL just called and wanted me to give her my hot fudge and caramel sauce recipes. I thought it would be nice if I just shared it with everyone. I mean.....we can't be healthy all the time and it is homemade, not the bottled up plastic versions. For me, these sauces are drinkable. The ice cream is just the means to get to the sauce. The more the merry. Unfortunately, my older, more mature stomach can't handle the cream well so it is a rare occasion I make this. Serve this at a party and you are a hit. The smell is just too much to handle. OOOOH, hot fudge. I miss you so.

Hot Fudge Sauce

3/4 C. semisweet chocolate pieces

1/4 C. butter
2/3 C. Sugar
2/3 C evaporated milk

In a saucepan, melt chocolate and butter. Add the sugar, gradually then stir in milk. Bring to a boil stirring constantly then reduce heat. Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Serve warm over ice cream. Makes about 1 1/2 Cups sauce.

Caramel Sauce

1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/3 C. light cream
2 T. light corn syrup (I know, horrible. moderation girls)
1 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla

In a saucepan mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in 1/4 c water. Stir in cream and corn syrup. Cook and stir till bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream or with fruit.

Gelato-ish

This is not my photo but you can get the idea. My photo posting problem is still there and it has nothing to do with my abilities. It is an internal Mac problem which now requires a little trip into town to the Apple store. Fun. Thanks for all of your tips and the one-on-one, Kelli. I really hope to get this figured out next week! Just imagine this is my real recipe since it really looks the same.

Since my little Tater can't enjoy the real deal Gelato, I had to figure out an alternative for him. I don't like him to have sugar and any "Mock" ice cream you can buy always has sugar of some sorts. In my experiment with soaking grains and nuts, I came upon this little gem and he couldn't be happier. In fact, he can even have this for breakfast if he wants. (and does)

Let's first discuss why you want to soak nuts in the first place. I am fairly new to this concept due to a dragging of heels of sorts. I new it was the way to go but it is just one more thing to do. I finally purchased a book on sprouting and soaking and dived on in. I am still very much in the learning phase but this one is an easy one. Nuts are simple. You just have to cover them and let them sit, then rinse and dry if you want them crunchy again. Why do this in the first place? Here you go:

The Benefits of Soaking Nuts

A nut is coated in an enzyme inhibitor that protects the nut as it grows. Unfortunately, this inhibitor inhibits the digestive process of the nut. Also, because of that, the vitamins contained in the nut are not digested as well. The phytic acid in the nuts is reduced when soaked to also help the absorption of vital minerals.

Sound reasonable? Well another great thing about soaking a nut is that it can change the consistency of certain nuts to take on a creamy, dairy type texture. You get the cream and no guilt to go with it. You can use the soaked nuts in recipes to fool the palates.

Here is the basic "Gelato" recipe and once you try it out, you can do just about anything with it. Delish. You need a good blender to get it really smooth and you want to take your time to really churn in up. Keep it really frozen like ice cream.

1. Pinon nuts: (Pine nuts) I get mine in bulk at Costco. They are not real cheap but you don't need much. Use 1/2 cup in a jar covered with water. Put a lid on it and soak it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2. Fruit: I started with banana flavor. I cut up two banana's in small slices and put it in the freezer. My other favorite flavor is blueberry using frozen berries.

3. To mix: Add the following for the flavor you desire:

Banana

1/4 cup soaked pine nuts

2 frozen, sliced bananas

1 tsp. real maple syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

Blend until completely smooth. You will need to stop and stir. Add a little water if needed but keep thick and frozen.

Blueberry

1/2 cup soaked pine nuts

1 frozen ,sliced banana

1-2 cups frozen blueberries

1 T. maple syrup (totally not needed in my opinion)

a little water if too thick

Blend until creamy. Eat right away. It doesn't freeze well. It is very sweet and looks just like a soft ice cream/gelato.

You could do just about anything with this. Pine nuts are amazing but it doesn't work if they are not soaked.

Try this out on the little ones. If you tell them they are getting ice cream for breakfast, you will be the hero of the day. Even my older kids love this and ask for it. I have more nut recipe's to share but hopefully I will have pictures to share along with them. (finger's crossed).

Could it be fall in the air?????

If you wake up early or stay up late, you might feel it. You might notice that the leather seats don't have the same scalding effect when you first take your seat. After all, it will be October come morning time and it really should feel like fall. It seems in AZ that this takes forever but I really think fall is in the air. I smell it at night as the aroma of the nearby dairy farm rolls in.....only a fall and winter treat around here (even cows can't stand to be here for the summer). Apples in the store are crisper and sweeter, the "in season" result. Craft stores have the Christmas decor out already and my kids are already telling me what they are going to be for Halloween (of course that started last fall).

I do get a little sad that summer is ending because I love the summer produce. I love my fresh salsa made with vine ripened tomatoes. I love fresh peppers and chili's. I can't get enough of the beautiful berries, peaches, nectarines and melons. I love the fall and winter but it's bounty is a lot less appealing and less in variety. Let us focus on the good, however. Apples.

Go here for last years apple discussion and delicious apple crisp recipe . If you don't want to take the time to read about them, just take my word for it; they are good for you. There is truth to the "apple a day" saying. Believe me.

We try to eat them the healthy way as much as possible; raw, with natural peanut butter, baked with grains or rolled up in a whole wheat crepe. Sometimes though, we must indulge and go for the sinful sugar glazed desert variety. If you too need to indulge, this little cake is divine. Must be served with ice cream or at the very least, a healthy dose of real whipped cream.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/3 C. brown sugar
2 T. maple syrup
2 large, crisp apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 C. coarsely chopped almonds (opt.)
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
3/4 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan, one at least 2 inches deep. In a medium sauce pan, melt 4 T. butter. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup and stir over medium heat until the sugar bubbles. Remove from heat and stir in apples, nuts, lemon juice and cinnamon. Spread on bottom of cake pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Then whip 8 T. butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Mix and add in vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix until just combined. Drop by spoonfuls over apples in pan and covering apples completely. Bake until golden about 35 min. When done, let cook 5 min. then flip over on plate. Let sit about 5 min. then remove pan. Serve with ice cream.

And now for a little business.....I have many of your supplements in but didn't get it all; it appears I cleaned them out of D3 and need to wait for another shipment. Hopefully next week. So, If I didn't contact you, you are on the next week list. Since I will be ordering again Monday, let me know if you want to be on the second go round.

Next item: Preparing Wisely's October deals.

20% Off of regular price of all MountainHouse #10 Cans For the first two weeks of October we are excited to bring you special savings on MountainHouse #10 Cans. All of our MountainHouse #10 Cans will be on sale for 20% off of the regular retail price. This includes all Freeze Dried Entrees, Freeze Dried Breakfast Meals, Freeze Dried Meats, Freeze Dried Vegetables and Freeze Dried Fruits from MountainHouse. This MountainHouse authorized sale will last from October 1st, 2009 through October 14th, 2009, so don't miss out.

Canning Jars Preparing Wisely now carries the following Cases of Canning Jars: Case 1/2 Pint Jars Regular Mouth: $7.50 Case Pint Jars Regular Mouth: $8.50 Case Pint Jars Wide Mouth: $9.50 Case Quart Jars Regular Mouth: $9.75 Case Quart Jars Wide Mouth: $10.75 Case 1/2 Gallon Jars Regular Mouth: $9.75 ****They also have a few of my cookbooks in if you are still wanting one. I hope to have my second printing done by the end of October.

Granola Squares....Gluten Free

I love these little granola bites. I started making these for my little gluten free Tate

but I have to admit that I probably eat more than he does . They are really tasty and very great for your body. They are a perfect little snack after a good workout to get the protein in you. They are simple and I love to make them and freeze them. Eat them straight out of the ice box! They are also great crumbled up in some applesauce.

Granola Bars

1/2 C. raisins

1 1/4 C. raw pecans

1 C. unsweetened shredded coconut ( I also use unsulphured coconut)

1 t. vanilla

1 T. coconut oil

2 T. honey

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until fairly smooth but still with some texture. Press evenly into an 8 inch square on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 300 for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool then cut into squares. Freeze.

Eat Naked segment....Granola Bars.

These are actually labeled as "healthy" choices for snacks for school . After all, they use whole grains so they must be good for you. Right? I just so happen to have a box of these in my pantry right now, a left over from a school function but not at all a normal thing in my home. Once in a while won't kill us but for those of you who do keep this as a regular healthy snack in the home, take a gander at the ingredients:

(its long, get comfortable)

Granola (whole grain rolled oats, sugar, rice flour, whole grain rolled wheat, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonssed oils with TBHQ and citric acid with natural tocopherol added , whole wheat flour, molasses, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, caramel color, barley malt, salt, nonfat dry milk, corn syrup, crisp rice (rice, sugar, salt, barley malt) semi sweet chocolate chips, sugar, dehydrated marshmallows (sugar, corn syrup, modified food starch, gelatin, artificial and natural flavor, sodium hexametaphosphate, blue 1) corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, honey graham cracker crumbs, high fructose corn syrup, whole wheat flour, vegetable oil, sorbitol, calcium carbonate, salt, water, natural and artificial flavors, molasses, soy lecithin, BHT, citric acid.

Yum. No, I did not accidentally keep retyping High Fructose Corn Syrup and sugar. That is how it is listed. There may be some whole grains in there but they are surely overshadowed by the junk. A health food? NOT. Here is a granola bar kept simple. Try it out. Eat Naked!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

combine:

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup raisins

In saucepan whisk:

3 T. oil ( I use coconut)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 T water

Heat over low heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly. Whisk in 1 egg white. Pour over oat mixture and spread in 8" square parchment lined pan. Bake at 30o degrees for about 30 min or until golden brown on edges. Cool for 10 min. Lift out of pan and cut into bars.

(one of the fabulous recipes that will be featured in my cookbook!)

Canning Apple Pie Filling.....

I wish these were my cans of apple pie filling but mine are yet to be made. They are on the schedule of the "to be done". Apples are cheap right now if you can find the right deal and will be even cheaper soon. With Azure Standard you can get a 20 pound box of the tastiest Organic apples for under $20 bucks. Now is the time to can these delicious little treats. I have canned them plain, now I am going to can some apple pie filling. It is easy and tastes delicious. If you too are feeling adventurous and want to add a little sweet to your year supply, here is your recipe.

Apple Pie Filling

For seven Quarts:

6 Quarts fresh apples sliced 1/4 inch thick.(perfect size in the apple peeler)

5 1/2 C Sugar

1 T Cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg (opt)

2 1/2 C cold water

5 C. Apple Juice

3/4 C bottled lemon juice

3 C. Ultra Gel

Peel, core and slice apples; place in water containing ascorbic acid or fruit fresh. Blanch no more than 2 quarts at a time in boiling water for 1 minute and keep warm.

Combine sugar, spices , water, apple juice and lemon juice in large kettle. Add ultra Gel gradually with a wire whisk and stir until smooth. Cook until thick and bubbly. Fold in drained apple slices. Fill jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Adjust lids and process immediately in water bath or steam canner for 35 minutes or per your canners instructions.

**Ultra Gel can be ordered online or purchased locally at Shar's Bosch Center in Gilbert. Also, if anyone has info on if this stuff is horrible for you , let me know. I know this is a corn byproduct and is better for you than cornstarch. I know any corn byproduct isn't great but either is sugar. I can't find out any more info so enlighten me if you can. Until then, I will use it sparingly when needed.

An Apple a Day.......

This is what my kitchen will look like come Wednesday morning as my shipment of apples are delivered. I will be busy peeling, coring and canning these delicious rounds of juicy fiber. I love the smell as it fills my kitchen, it signals the arrival of fall to me. It is apple season and as a I have mentioned once or twice before, we are to eat our fruits in season as was intended by our creator. If you are in the practice of selecting your produce from a farmers market, you will be doing just that. I have been purchasing the local fresh apples, just picked at the Mesa Farmers market and the smell and taste is unbelievable. It is what an apple should taste like. Not a grainy, watery , low flavor taste that you get from the local supermarket. Anyways, now it is time for a little apple education so you know exactly why the saying goes "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Apples have been around forever. We have even tell about them in Biblical times, remember Adam and Eve? There are 100's of varieties of them and they are grown everywhere around the world. They were used medicinally to cure many ailments especially with the Greeks who often prescribed apple juice as the first known antidepressant. The Greeks would also serve them raw at the end of a meal to stimulate proper digestion. The apple is filled with insoluble fiber which adds bulk to the intestinal tract keeping in water to help cleanse the intestines and move the food along. It is also full of soluble fiber which helps to prevent cholesterol build up. Another component of the apple is the content of flavonoids which is an antioxidant used to improve immune function; thus, as the saying goes, keeps "the doctor away."
The pectin content in the apple also helps regulate blood sugar level controlling the insulin level. This helps the sugar to release slowly unlike sugary junk food. The apple contains many nutrients such as folate, Vitamin A, C, and Calcium. In addition, the apple is great to munch on for massaging gums and cleansing teeth. Make sure you leave the peel on as it contains 1/2 of the Vitamin C and contains much of the fiber. There is 3.7 grams of fiber in one medium apple. Don't give in to those pre-sliced and peeled apples in those cute little packages. We already went over that with baby carrots. Do it the old fashioned way and cut them yourselves. My Costco now carries organic apples which I have to say were incredibly delicious and a great price. I love you Costco!

If you also find yourself with an abundance of apples, here is my apple crisp recipe that is simply delicious, especially if you don't leave it in the oven too long and have apple mush instead of apple crisp. I know a girl.....

Apple Crisp

6-8 apples
1/3-1/3 cups sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
3 T. flour

Peel and slice apples into desired size.Toss lemon juice and above ingredients. Place in 9X13 pan and top with:

2/3 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. oats
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/3 C. butter.

Mix until crumbly. Use hands, foods processor or pastry cutter. Crumble over apples. Bake at 375 for about 30 min or until apples are done.

So, do as the Greeks !!! Eat an apple after every meal and keep those Dr. bills down.Add a little natural peanut butter for a perfect snack. YUM.

A Real Peachy Dinner.....

Saturday was my day dedicated to getting the rest of the peaches off my tree and processed. I have frozen 18 bags of peach filling and still have plenty to go. So, tonight I decided we would be having a "peach theme" for dinner to use up a few more. I googled "Peach Recipes" for the main course and have to say that it was super delicious. It was a Grilled Chicken with a Chipotle Peach Glaze, Garlic Mashed potatoes, Roasted Veggies and Peach Cobbler. After fasting all day, this couldn't have been a better meal. It was very fast and I can't wait to use the glaze in other recipes. It reminded me of a similar dish from Tia Rosas that I have often reminisced about. Try this out. You can make it as spicy as you want. My whole gang loved it and the cobbler is so fresh and tasty. I don't use whole wheat on this, it is not meant to be a health food. You have to go a little crazy now and then! Here you go, wish I had pictures, it looked as good as it tasted.

Grilled Chicken with Chipotle-Peach Glaze

1/2 cup peach preserves (I used homemade peach jam)

1/4 cup lime juice

1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped (not the whole can, just 1 and you can freeze the rest of the chile's for later)

1 tsp adobo sauce from can of chilies

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

8 chicken breasts or 12-14 tenders (I prefer tenders)

garlic powder

salt

pepper

cumin

In small sauce pan, mix preserves, lime juice, chile and heat over low heat until jam melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in chopped cilantro and set aside. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and cumin and rub in. Grill chicken and baste with glaze the last few minutes. Save some glaze for the chicken when served. I served the chicken over the garlic mashed potatoes. I left the potatoes chunky, laid tenders over them and drizzled more sauce over that.

Fresh Peach Cobbler

1 1/2 cups fresh peaches, thinly sliced

1 C. Sugar, divided

1/4 C Water

1 egg

1 T. shortening

1 T. milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Combine peaches, 1/2 cup sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. keep peaches hot. With a fork, combine egg, 1/2 cup sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add milk. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Spread batter in prepared 11X7 baking dish. This will be thin. If you want to use a 9X13 size, increase this recipe by another 1/2. Pour peach mixture over top. This will be runny. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You can serve with ice cream or whipped cream but I like it plain.

Peach-a-licious!!!

Do NOT make this cookie!

Since I just gave you some sugar facts, I thought it natural that the next blog is about cookies! Hey, if your going to eat sugar, make it count! Well, Saturday my daughter and her friend wanted to make some cookies. I don't like cookies in general except for chocolate chip. I decided that since I was trying to loose a couple Christmas pounds, I would stay away from the chocolate chip and try something I thought I wouldn't like. Well, after pounding away at least 4 cookies, I had to physically remove myself from the kitchen. These were quite tasty to say the least!

Here is the recipe but first let me pass on a few cookie tips that I have learned from my very talented sister-in-law, Melissa, (who really should open a bakery) and my neighbor, Anne. To get that perfect shape to your cookie, like Mrs. Fields, the key other than a good recipe is to beat the sugar and the butter until very light and creamy. Not just mixed. You want the sugar to no longer be in the crystal form. This keeps the cookie from looking like a cowpie. Next, when the cookie is done, just after taking the pan out of the oven, drop the pan hard on the counter. It flattens the cookie and gives it a perfect shape. Try it out! Just be careful when making
this cookie, as I stated, do not make this cookie if you are trying to loose weight!


Triple Chocolate Cookie

2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips


Beat butter and sugar till very light and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla
and beat again until even more light and creamy. Add the rest of the
ingredients except for chips. When mixed, fold in chips. Bake at 350 about
8- 9 mn . Take out and drop on counter!