Being sick....sucks

Catching any bug is not fun. The last few days I have dealt with different symptoms: sore body, fever, phlegm (sexy), headaches. Whenever I have any ailment, my go to book for about the last ten years has been EveryWoman's Guide to Natural Home Remedies by Sally Freeman. This was no different, especially having congestion and developing a dry cough. The book gives you herbal and folk remedies; and I find it interesting what people in different regions in the world do. I decided to make the Puerto Rican cough syrup, the recipe follows.



Juice of two lemons
1/2 ounce honey
2 cups whiskey or other hard liquor (I used rum)
2 pieces of fresh anise or 2 teaspoons anise seed

Boil for ten minutes and take as needed.

I did change alittle something in the recipe. Because I buy raw honey, I did not want to cook it and kill it's health benefits. Therefore, I boiled the fresh lemon juice, rum, and anise seed for ten minutes, when it cooled I mixed in the raw honey. Please note that the liquor does reduce, so you will end with a solution of atleast half of what you started with. Also, take it off the heat and transfer after the ten minutes because it can continue to reduce.

Verdict: This cough syrup tasted so yummy to me, tangy and sweet. I also slept better than the night before where I kept waking up with constant coughing.

Traditional Pickling Class

From the flyer:

Class description:
Learn to make sauerkraut, sauer-reuben (turnip/rutabaga), & kombucha beverage. Samples of each to taste and recipes to take home.

Where:
Milagro Allegro Community Garden, 115 S. Ave. 56, Los Angeles, 90042 (behind the Highland Theatre)

When:
Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.

Fee:
$5-10 suggested donation

DIY: Lemon Verbena Face Mist

A few weeks ago I went to the Altadena Urban Farmer's Market and it was such a lovely experience. I stopped by one of the vendors to see all the goodies she had for sale (which happen to be things that she grows.) I asked what those stems with leaves that got my attention were, and she said it was lemon verbena. The smell was dreamy, citrusy and sweet, powerful yet subtle. Powerful enough to have people stop and ask me what it was and where did I get it from.
When I got home I just hung it as a natural potpourri. It dried in about 2 weeks but I didn't want to do dispose of it, I wanted to make something with it. That is when I turned to a book I had bought at the thriftstore called "The Potted Herb." In it, I found a recipe for a face mist; these are the steps I took...

Dried lemon verbena

Witch hazel (this one is from Target)

I semi-crushed the dried lemon verbena leaves with a mortar and pestle

I filled a recycled jar (it's handy to keep some glass jars you have used and thoroughly clean them) with witch hazel and lemon verbena. This is to sit for 2 weeks in a warm area. It has been nippy out here lately, so I left it on my windowsill to get the bit of sun and warmth we are getting. After 2 weeks, strain and place contents in a spray bottle.

Enjoy.

Our hairy, four-legged children.

Growing up, we always had larger breed dogs, and small dogs weren't really my thing, UNTIL this yummy dog entered my life in 2008. She was homeless, dirty, filled with fleas, and yet, I was so in love; the connection was immediate. For the first time I would be taking a lot of responsibility for a dog. First thing I did was research on more natural and healthier approaches to taking care of a dog. I went to the library and I got a DVD by Gary Null about Holistic pet care. One of the things mentioned that really stuck, was the use of BHT, which you will see in some (namely larger "name brand") dog food. BHT is used as a preservative, but that same preservative is also used on tires. Can someone say, yuck? I also noticed one day while looking at a cereal box for humans that BHT was used for the box. No bueno. Gary cooks all the food for his pets, which is wonderful, however I tried it for a couple weeks and found it to be too time consuming to cook a small amount of food everyday. Since then I look for healthier dog food such as Newman's, Halo, etc. She gets a mix of dry and canned foods. Also, something I learned on the video was the benefit of flax oil for the dogs heart and coat.
Recently it hit me that I can make a larger amount of food, pack it individually and freeze it. I came up with this recipe and she loves it. I take out one serving and thaw it out the night before so it can be ready the next morning. Also, once I serve it, I pour a good teaspoon of organic flax oil on top of it (she loves it on it's own, but doing this makes one step less.) By the way, cats are carnivores not dogs, which I thought them to be; still giving dogs meat is o.k. but not completely necessary if it's something you don't agree with.

Nana's homemade dog food
1 cup organic barley
Water (check barley package for amount)
2 organic carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled, chopped into chunks
1 yam, peeled chopped into chunks
3-5 slices turkey bacon, cooked and cut into smaller pieces (I prefer Applegate Organic Turkey bacon)

In a pot I add the water and barley and cook for about 15 minutes before throwing in the carrots, sweet potato and yam. I cook everything for the remaining time together (see barley package instructions for length of time of cooking.) Once cooked, I mash all together till in small chunks. Lastly, I mix in the turkey bacon pieces. And voila!

I then divide the servings into BPA-free containers and put in the freezer until ready to use. If you will be using all of the food within a few days, it should stay good in the refrigerator, but freeze if it will be longer than that. You can also double this recipe easily.

Halloween Chocolates

A couple weeks ago sis and I headed out to Surfas in Culver City to attend their Halloween Chocolates cooking demonstration with pastry chef Jean-Marc Viallet (he is the pastry chef for the Disney Resort). As with all cooking demonstrations at Surfas, you get step by step visual of how to make the recipe, a recipe print-out and the best part, to taste it. Everything was delicious! You can't go wrong with these pumpkin and chocolate combinations. Below is the recipe for the pumpkin empanadas with chocolate chipotle sauce. Yes. It was special. And if you want to visit Surfas or get on their email mailing list to find out about all their cooking demos, click here.


Pumpkin Empanadas with Chocolate Chipotle Sauce Recipe
From the demo: Halloween Chocolates Recipe
Courtesy of Chef Jean-Marc Viallet

Ingredients:
Dough:
20 oz flour
10 oz cold butter
4 oz cold shortening
1 oz sugar
1/2 oz salt
1 cup ice cold milk
Filling:
8 oz of canned pumpkin
3 oz of sugar
Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (to taste)
Egg for wash
For Chipotle Sauce:
12 oz of heavy cream
1/4 tsp of cayenne
Cinnamon stick
Vanilla bean
Procedure: For dough: Mix flour, cold butter and cold shortening. Add sugar, salt, ice cold milk. Mix just to combine. Place in a container with flour, let rest. Roll to 1/3 ” thick, cut rounds of 3″. Reserve.
For filling: Mix pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Deposit a dollop of filling mixture in the lower part of the dough circle. Brush outer side of the circle with egg wash, fold the dough to create a 1/2 circle and press the edges lightly. Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins. Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar.
For the sauce: Bring to a boil heavy cream, chipotle chili, cayenne, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean split open. Let infuse 5 minutes. Pour the hot cream infusion over 12 oz of 75% chocolate drops, mix well . Sauce can be refrigerated for 3 days. To serve reheat in a microwave or in a double boiler.
Serve warm as dip for empanadas.

"the balance that means complete change" -dead prez

image from VTonly

Fun fact: The first day of Fall provides us with a balance of 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night.

Fall Equinox arrived this year on September 22nd, hard to tell out here in Southern Cali where it's about 100 degrees outside. It also takes longer for the leaves to fall and change in color, though it is not as vibrant as the image above. I must say, that Fall is absolutely my favorite season; everything about it provides a balance for me between comfort and motivation.

Even though we are still rockin' tanks and are sun-kissed, the Fall arrival is evident in the farmers markets. We are slowly transitioning from the bright reds of tomatoes and strawberries to the warm colors of yams and squashes. Give thanks that the Earth prepares us for the change in seasons. In a recent Ayurveda workshop that I took, the teacher mentioned that "we don't wear the same clothes all year round, so we shouldn't eat the same foods all year round." Below is a recipe to induldge this season...

Click link for recipe>>>

Slow-Cooked Applesauce

image and recipe from Foodista.com

May is National Strawberry Month

So why not a recipe? This one is simple.

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
• Ice
• Mint sprigs, garnish
• Whole strawberries, garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.

*From Emeril Lagesse

Milk & Cookies waiting for Santa

I came across this cute recipe and just had to make it. The "milk" represents the cake which is tres leches, and "cookies" a chocolate chip cookie that sits on top. I made these as a little holiday gifts for my co-workers. The cookie recipe is one of the best I've tried, so I thought I'd share...

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Baking Illustrated, page 434)

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s Special Dark because that’s what I had)

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Nutella loves you. For real.

So maybe you don't have time to make a crepe, here is a quick recipe that will still make you say... ooh la la

ºFrozen waffle (I would recommend Van's Natural Multi-grain)
ºNutella (however much or little your heart desires)
ºFresh sliced strawberries (preferably organic or grown non-sprayed)

*Toast waffle and top with nutella then strawberries.