Vegetable Chips

What's going on in my kitchen in the day's before surgery?  Just trying to get some baking done and things put in the freezer.........then I saw this awesome recipe for Crispy Baked Root Vegetable Chips.  These are the easiest thing to make and you can use them to dip in various dips including Avocado Dip.  This is something I can take with me to eat in the hospital since I'm not comfortable trusting just anyone to cook for me and my Gluten-Intolerance.

Then I found a whole list of vegetables you can make into chips at TIPNUT

HAVE FUN!

And the Winner Is

Our Winner is Ronda T, Congratulations!

Thank your for entering our contest!  Stay tuned !

Gardening To Do List For January

Zone 5 List!

Adapted from Organic Gardening (photo from Organic Gardening)

• Order seeds and plants early to avoid substitution.
• Organize your seeds: Discard those that are too old; then make a list of seeds to order.
• Order seeds of onions, geraniums, and other slow-growing plants now so you receive them in time to start indoors next month.
• Draw your garden plan.
• Check the condition of your gardening equipment.
• Build a garden trellis.
• Surprise your friends by harvesting Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips from the garden during a January thaw.
• Start seeds of pansies, snapdragons, and hardy perennials.
• Replenish your supplies, including seed-starting mix and organic fertilizers.
• Where there isn't much snow cover, push back any plants that have "heaved" out of the ground because of freeze-thaw cycles.
• Start a collection of scented geraniums by taking cuttings from a friend's plants.
• If you're growing geraniums indoors in pots, cut back leggy stems by about half, repot the plants in fresh soil, and then set them in a cool, bright window.
• Study the "skeleton" of your landscape and decide where to put new structures, such as pathways and arbors.
• Keep bird feeders well stocked with favorites, such as black oil sunflower seeds.
• Create a computer database of your garden plants with notes on performance.

The Jelly & Jam Story

**NOTE** Our Jelly, Jam, Butter and Conserve varities are at the bottom of this post.
While the precise origin of preserved fruit remains a matter of historical debate, it is known that jams, jellies and preserves have a rich history and long have been recognized worldwide for their fragrance and rich fruit taste.

The making of jam and jelly probably began centuries ago in the Middle Eastern countries, where cane sugar grew naturally. It is believed that returning Crusaders first introduced jam and jelly to Europe; by the late Middle Ages, jams, jellies and fruit conserves were popular there. In fact, the word “jelly” comes from the French word “gelée” which means to congeal. The use of cane sugar to make jam and jelly can be traced back to the 16th century when the Spanish came to the West Indies where they preserved fruit.

Marmalade: A Kingly Delicacy
The world’s first known book of recipes, Of Culinary Matters, written by the Roman gastronome Marcus Gavius Apicius in the first century, includes recipes for fruit preserves. Marmalade is thought to have been created in 1561 by the physician to Mary, Queen of Scots, when he mixed orange and crushed sugar to keep her seasickness at bay. It has been suggested, in fact, that the word marmalade derives from the words “Marie est malade” (Mary is sick), but it is far more likely that the derivation is from the Portuguese word marmelo for quince.

Marmalades were a kingly delicacy and many a royal sweet tooth demanded an array of fruit flavors rich with sugar. Chroniclers of more regal eras describe at length the magnificent feasts of Louis XIV, which always ended with marmalades and jellies served in silver dishes. Each delicacy served at Versailles was made with fruit from the king’s own gardens and glasshouses, where even pineapples were grown and candied like less exotic fruits.

Jam and Jelly Arrive in the U.S.

Tea for You!

I've been known as THE TEA LADY and for years have given teas for 2-100 participants with various themes:  Birthdays, Children's Teas and even Victorian/Civil War teas.  In 1995 I became a CERTIFIED TEA CONSULTANT and have also given various talks on tea and etiquette both now and etiquette from the past.

In the 90's I owned an on-line coffee and tea company called THE BROWN BAG GOURMET or BROWN BAG GOURMET GOODIES that sold coffee and tea products.  I sold the company in 1999 but just can't stay away from tea.

Today I grow many of my own components for my herbal teas and when I source ingredients I look first for local components and then look for the best quality components possible.  I think you'll love our teas and prefer them to the mass produced, bagged teas that are made with cheap components.

When purchasing actual tea leaves I buy only the best available and you'll be able to tell by the flavor.  We try to avoid China whenever possible and are currently using Pre-meltdown Japanese Tea (when these are gone there will be no more for several years).

A list of our teas are below:

Consider a Quarterly, Three Week, Low-Carb Fast

**NOTE**  A weeks worth of menus with recipes are found below!

What's all this about a low carb fast. Typically a 'fast' is a way to cleanse, rest, heal your body and a low carb fast is no different. What we are trying to accomplish is to remove sugar and high glycemic carbs from your diet to give your body a rest from the on slot of all that insulin rushing through your body which makes your body turn insulin resistant just to survive.



When a fellow blogger suggested this proposition I was very curious. As a Type 2 diabetic I do not like taking pills and getting the side effects from them. I wondered..........was it possible to reduce the carbs enough to stabilize my blood sugars? What I found out was amazing.

First I want to say that I am not a Physician and what I have to say in this article should not be construed as me taking the place of your Physician. Please see your Dr before making any dietary changes.

I discovered several things about this type of fast. First of all, after several days on the diet I did see a huge change for the better in my blood sugar control. It was amazing. I haven't made it through a complete 21 day fast but I'm going to do some additional research and go for it.

It is important to remember that while weight loss might be a great side effect of this fast, it is not the goal. The goal of this fast is to cleanse, heal and rest your body systems. Great care should be used when beginning this fast, during the fast and in ending the fast. If you are diabetic remember to watch your blood sugars carefully.

Some Things I've Learned

Pickled or Fermented Lemon

WOW, Fresh ORGANIC lemon peel is often a great go to ingredient in todays healthy recipes. Not everyone, including myself, can just run to the store and get an ORGANIC lemon and ORGANIC is the only choice I'll make when I need lemon PEEL.

Pickled or Fermented Sugar Free Lemon is now my go to choice and sooooo easy to make plus it holds in the refrigerator for months.

Lemon and Lime have long been used to treat scurvy; lemon juisce is also an effictive diuretic. In tests of plant extracts, lemon extract was found to be effective in killing roundworms. The high acidity of lemon juice, and its disinfectant and antimicrobial properties, make it ideal for marinating raw fish. The Romans believed that lemon was an antidote for all poisons, including venomous snake bites.

****IMPORTANT NOTE****Most commercial lemons and other citrus fruits are treated with neurotoxic cholinesterase inhibitors to prevent spoilage, so it pays to seek out organic lemons, oranges and grapefruit.

Ingredients

5 organic lemons (more if they are small), preferably thin-skinned
2 tablespoons sea salt
3 cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 tablespoons whey
juice of 2 lemons (more if they are small)

Wash the lemons well, slice thinly and cut slices into quarters.

Toss in a bowl with salt and cinnamon sticks. Place in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer.

Mix lemon juice with whey and add to jar, pressing down so that the liquid completely covers the lemons. Lemons should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cver tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, turning the jar once a day, before transferring to cold storage. When adding to redipes, remove pulp and cut skin into a julienne.