Saturday, April 7, 2012

g is for ginger tea

Today I'm gonna start with one of my favorite types of tea. Due to health issues I have to limit my caffine intake. Some days I due better than others. Until recently I couldn't really stand to drink herbal tea until recently. It was just bland. Then I came across some information that caught my attention about ginger tea. Here's what I found:






Ginger Tea ~ The Universal Tonic
The benefits of ginger are nearly endless. Its healing effects are most often associated with settling an upset stomach, but ginger does so much more!

Gingerols (the compounds that give ginger its pungent flavor) in ginger have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Study after study shows rapid reduction of pain and inflammation in arthritis patients with minimal amounts of this healing root. Those same chemicals also slow the growth of certain types of cancer (colo-rectal and ovarian) cells in humans. 

Ginger also promotes immune health with its strong antioxidant effects, cleanses the system of toxins, and even promotes respiratory health, making it ideal for winter months when cold and flu germs are everywhere!

This multi-purpose root also reduces cravings for sugary sweets... a huge plus right after all those holiday treats!
 
Well after seeing this article I was usurious so I decided to give ginger tea a try. I was amazed as soon as I pour the water on the ginger root. The aroma was instantly soothing. After a few days of drinking ginger tea twice a day I noticed I started feeling better and about a week later I noticed that my sugar cravings were gone! I still eat sweets way to much but at least i don't crave them now. 

So without further ado here's my recipe for ginger tea:
Ginger Tea 
8 ounces boiling purified water
1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root (peeled)
Thin slice of lemon, optional 

If you need sweetener, use pure organic honey or pure maple syrup or other natural sweetener of your choice, but try to keep sugar low. 

Add ginger to boiling water and allow it to steep for up to 5 minutes. Strain if you wish, or drink with ginger bits in tea (they are good for you!). Add lemon and/or sweetener of choice, if using. 
Sip away and find out exactly why this simple elixir is so healing...post signature

Friday, April 6, 2012

F is for Faith

Image Detail

The older I get the more important my faith becomes to me. To me faith is believing in God as well as my realtionship with Him. It's me spending time with Him and dwelling with Him through the good and the bad. I wanna share one of my favorite hyms that I think talks about faith.
Enjoy!
What does faith mean to you?

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

E is for Enchildas

Growing up in Southeast Texas I've been raised on Mexican food. The semester of college spent of Saltllo, Mexico further cemented my love. My family and I eat Mexican food at least once a week. So for letter E, I'd like to tell you a little about enchiladas and share my favorite enchilada recipe.



The history of enchiladas can be found when the Mayas first invented the tortilla. In the time of the Aztecs, they would wrap tortillas around small fish or other bits of meat. There is also evidence that they would fry the tortillas in grease, then put them on a plate and pour salsa over the top, add cheese, then another tortilla, cheese, salsa and so on. They would then top the stacked enchilada with a fried egg and some lettuce.It’s progressional history, I might say. We have taken an ancient dish, gave it a name; (in 1885, the word enchilada first appeared in print, meaning “chili filled”) and transformed it. We now stuff tortillas with cheese, shrimp, beef, pork, and the most famous of all, the chicken enchiladas. We have taken something from the past, and brought it through to the future. The Tex Mex enchiladas that are drowning in red sauce are a far cry from the Aztec times, but the enchilada has survived anyway. Now for my favorite enchilada recipe:

Spinach Enchildas                         
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach , thawed, drained and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 10 (6 inch) corn tortillas
  • 1 (19 ounce) can enchilada sauce

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of Monterey Jack.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

D is for Doxie and Dutch Oven





Today I am going to blog about Sophie. I blogged about Rosie yesterday.
I have a miniature daschund and her name is Sophie Sue. On April 15 she will be six years  old and has a personality all her own.
 
She's not a "dady's dog" nor a "mommy dog." She's the happiest when we are both home. In fact, her favorite place is to sit with her front paws on me and her back paws on her dad. She hates being cold but  refuses to wear her doggie clothes for more than a few seconds.  She loves to give kisses! I swear that she thinks a kiss will solve any problem in the world!


She has been such a God send. He knew we needed her! She can make me laugh or comfort me. She loves to be a lap dog. She thinks she's the Queen and guardian of the house. Unfortunately, the Queen does not eat unless we are both home.I think she worries that we are not going to come home to her! Why wouldn't we? I've heard speration anxiety is a daschund thing but I am not sure.   She loves to burrrow and play-espcially if you say the word outside!.  She's able to get all of her toys out of her toy box but never manages to put them pack. I'm still trying to teach her that one! She's had so many fun adventures since she's joined our family. I can't wait to share the next one with you.



"Nothing will turn a man's home into a castle more quickly and effectively than a dachshund."- Queen Victoria


Okay I know I'm supposed to keep my a-z post short so here's a quick run down of why I love cooking in my cast iron dutch oven. Anything you can cook in your oven or crock pot, you can cook in a dutch oven. Whether you want a meal of chicken and rice, pot roast and potatoes, chili, or even pizza, a dutch oven does a great job! All you need to do is practice and have confidence.
 A Few Tips For Dutch Oven Cooking:
1. Keep checking your food. Yes, opening the oven does reduce the temperature temporarily. But its better to know what’s going on in there than to burn or  under cook your food. You can check the food quickly with practice.
2. For easier clean-up, fill the DO with water after you’ve removed the food, but do not use cool water in a hot oven it will crack the oven!
2. Practice makes perfect so use your DO frequently and learn!
4. To make the oven easier to clean you can line it with foil or use a foil or tin pie plate in the bottom of the pan. Grease the oil or pan just like you would the Dutch Oven before usising it.
And last but not least my favorite dutch oven recipe:
Dutch Oven Peach Cake 
12 inch Dutch Oven, butter
1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 – 30 ounce can sliced peaches with juice
Butter a 12 inch Dutch Oven.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and syrup from peaches. Stir til smooth.
Pour batter into a buttered 12″ Dutch oven. Arrange peach slices over top of batter.
Cover oven and bake using 8-10 briquettes under the DO and 14-16 briquettes top for 1 hour or until top center of cake springs back when touched.
Delicious with whipped cream!
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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

C cats and chocolate

C is for Cats and Chocolate

Well this one of my furry babies- Rosie. She's not actually a baby. She's 11 years old. I refer to her a "Momma" because she's old enough to be my mom in cat years. She's very laid back, and happy go lucky except when you pick her up. Then all hell breaks loose.  She absolutely hates being picked up. No matter what! I don't know why. I've picked her up since she was a kitten!  Is that normal for cats?
But on the plus side, she has definitely mellowed out and become more affectionate with age. She loves her belly rubbed! She always has a smile and a meow for me when I come home-no matter what kind of day I've had.



Now on to one of my most favorite things ever CHOCOLATE! I am a chocoholic. Espeically when it comes to dark chocolate. Here's one of my favorite chocolate recipies. I espeically love to drink this during our hot Texas summers!


Frozen Hot Chocolate

  • 6 ounces of chocolate chips ( you can use high quality dark choc. like he suggest, it would be even better)
  • 1/2 cup of  1/2 and 1/2 ( I used 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup milk because that is what I had)
  • 3 cups of ice
Melt chocolate in 1/2 and 1/2. Be sure not to boil. I did this in the microwave, but you have to watch it closely if you do it that way. And stir every 30 seconds or so. Once melted place in blender with ice.  Blend until desired consistency. Mine had some very small ice chunks in it. We liked it like that. It was not smooth like a milkshake.
recipie courtesy of Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

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