Homemade Gripe Water

A friend recently asked me about making homemade gripe water. When Tripp was a baby, we went through quite a bit of gripe water, and buying it from the health food store was pricey. Several big box stores carried it as well for a little cheaper, but the kinds there had not so great ingredients.

So, we made our own. 

It's really simple, too.

Homemade Gripe Water

3 cups of water

2 teaspoons of chamomile (appr. 2 tea bags)

1 teaspoon of crushed fennel or dill seeds

2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger 

1 teaspoon of agave nectar (you can use 2 teaspoons of sugar, but I just don't want to give my babies sugar)

Put all your ingredients (except agave) in a tea strainer, tea ball or muslin cloth bag (whatever you use to brew loose leaf tea) and add to the 3 cups of boiling water. Allow to boil for a couple of minutes and then, turn off the heat & allow it to steep for 20 minutes or so with the lid on your pot. Strain and add your agave. Store in a sealed container (a mason jar works well) in the fridge for a couple of days. 

All the ingredients are traditionally known and used for dispelling gas, calming the stomach, calming the nerves and general digestive aids. We would give this to Tripp using a dropper several times a day and especially before bedtime.

Spinach, Walnut, & Blueberry Salad w/ Grilled Salmon & Homemade Poppyseed Dressing

Is there anything that screams summer like fruit a top your salad dressed with poppyseed dressing?

Not really.

Poppyseed dressing perfectly compliments many of summer's ripened beauties.

We bought blueberries at the farmers' market on Saturday, so they were just waiting to be eaten.

We also had spinach and cucumber from the market and since we've been under extreme heat advisories for what, a week or 2 now, I decided to make a salad with it for dinner. We're in full summer no-cook mode because it's just TOO hot!

All we needed was to marinate the salmon in some honey, tamari and lemon juice before putting on the grill and then make the dressing.

aren't the sunflowers a nice touch?

They were Tripp's pick at the market Saturday.

So, the dressing.

Easy-peasy.

Homemade Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (the real stuff w/ the mother)
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2-3 tablespoons poppy seeds

1-2 teaspoons of grated onion

1 cup olive oil (or walnut, grapeseed, etc use your fave salad oil)

In a bowl whisk together vinegar, agave nectar, dry mustard, salt, poppy seeds and onion. Slowly add one cup of oil, whisking vigorously as you add. 

I store mine in a mason jar in the fridge.

Layer your salad...Ours was Spinach, cucumbers, blueberries, walnuts, feta and grilled salmon.

Give your dressing a good shake and then, dress.

Mmmm...enjoy!
And thank me later!

Our Favorite Sandwich Bread

I've baked LOTS of bread over the past 4 years and tried multiple recipes.

There are so many different breads for different occasions and when deciding to replace store bought breads with homemade, the biggest challenge was sandwich bread.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this Soft Sandwich Oatmeal Bread for bread machines by Melanie Cooks. SO, So good! I've adapted the recipe for us and bake it in the oven after letting my bread machine do all the dough work because I don't like the thick crust on my bread baked in the machine.

Here's my adapted version of Soft Sandwich Oatmeal Bread:

1 1/4 cups plain almond milk (warmed to body temp)
2 tbsp olive oil, melted butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 cups flour (1 1/2 cups of King Arthur bread flour and 1 1/2 cups of stone ground whole wheat)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine in order of manufacturer's directions and set to 1.5lb dough cycle. If you are doing it by hand, knead until you have a smooth dough and let rise until doubled in size. Shape into a loaf and let rise for 30 minutes more. I take the dough out of the bread machine, shape into a loaf and place in my loaf pan and cover w/ lightly greased plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, maybe longer if you have a slow oven. Or maybe mine is fast? I start checking at 20 minutes. I think this loaf took 22.

Straight out of the oven, I brush the top with melted butter or olive oil and top with more oatmeal for the rustic look and because Tripp will magically eat bread crusts with oats on it.

 Cool on a wire rack, et Voila!

The best homemade sandwich bread!

A Lunch Playdate

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful group of mama friends.

Not a week goes by that we don't all meet up for something fun at one of our houses and we generally visit the park at least once a week...then there is storytime at the library, La Leche League and all the other fun events around town in which we all enjoy venturing together.

Thursday, we all went to our friend, Amy's house for a fun lunch date.

We each all made something quick, easy and healthy and brought it to share.

We had a wonderful assortment including a FAB Greek salad, noodles w/ peanut sauce (recipe to follow), hummus w/ carrots, pitas w/ feta & mozz served with homemade tzatziki & feta sauces, homemade chewy granola bars and peanut butter cookies. And Landon's extra sweet tea was a nice addition to our meal! 

The kids had a blast as usual and the mamas enjoyed chit chatting.
I especially enjoyed talking about one of my favorite topics...organic foods raised the way nature intended, specifically meats.

 Had I known the chopsticks were going to be such an issue, I wouldn't have let Tripp talk me into letting him take them. But nonetheless, he gobbled up his noodles.

Hen Hen was the lucky recipient of the other pair of chopsticks.

Charlie was smart about it.

He waited until all the big kids were done eating and off playing.

Then, he stealthily climbed up onto the table and helped himself.

Thanks Amy!

We had such a nice time!

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup of chicken stock

3 TB peanut butter

3 TB tamari or soy sauce

1 1/2 TB honey

3 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of lime juice

1 tsp sriracha or other chili paste, optional

1 tsp fresh grated/diced ginger, optional

soba, udon, ramen, vermicelli noodles (spaghetti works as would most any other noodle of your choosing)

Toppings: chopped peanuts, green onion or chives, julienned veggies, bean sprouts, etc

Mix all the ingredients for sauce in a small sauce pan and simmer/stir until combined. Meanwhile, prepare the noodles according to the directions and drain. I like to rinse mine under cold water briefly, so they aren't too sticky, but its optional as well. Pour sauce over noodles and stir. Serve with your choice of toppings but I highly recommend the chopped peanuts if nothing else :) 

Enjoy!

Our Spring Equinox Feast

I was almost hesitant to plan a large Spring meal today.

Last year, we didn't do too much and the year before, we went all out celebrating the arrival of Spring.

And Spring is historically and physically associated with fertility.

It is the time of the year that new life is everywhere.

After our first, big Vernal Equinox celebration 2 years ago, I got pregnant with Charlie not long afterwards.

And BOY, was that a surprise!!

Seriously.

A big surprise.

I didn't want to dare tempt the Universe with too much attention towards fertility at this very moment, but we were travelling home on Will's birthday, I was sick the following day, and so we never had our big meal and cake to celebrate his 32nd year of life.

So, I thought...well, what the heck?

Let's do it big...

but hopefully, all that fertility energy of spring will manifest itself in other ways in our life that need it.

The Menu:

Deviled Eggs

Honey Lime Couscous and Avocado Salad

Broiled Lamb Chops over Organic heirloom Lettuce w/ Sesame Mustard Sauce

Challah

Strawberry Cupcakes  

The deviled eggs are easy to make and need little explanation in regards to their significance. An egg is the essence of fertility and life. In fact, dying and decorating eggs in most common thought to be an Easter tradition, but actually it originates in pagan celebrations on the Vernal Equinox...Ostara or Eostre (which is the original word origin for easter). 

This quick and easy appetizer or snack can be made in a variety of ways. I went with a more classic approach. I took the yolks from 6 boiled eggs (they didn't all make it to the final plate thanks to my helpers) and mixed them with a tablespoon or so of mayo, 2 teaspoons of prepared mustard, 2 pinches of dill weed (my special twist), salt/pepper to taste and then, filled the centers of the eggs. To serve, I sprinkled the tops with paprika. Tripp wanted his eggs plain as you can see in the pic above :)

The honey-lime couscous and avocado salad was meant to be this recipe with quinoa, but I didn't realize I was out of it, so I just made a pot of couscous instead. We pretended the couscous were tiny seeds and the presence of avocado is not only delicious, but also is an in-season food and adds a nice springy green coloring. This was YUMMY!

The lamb was my version of PF Chang's wok-seared lamb that they serve on a bed of iceberg lettuce. I broiled the lamb chops with a touch of sesame oil and salt & pepper. Then, I thinly sliced it and served it on top of some beautiful and tasty organic lettuce from Isis Gardens in Tupelo, MS at the North MS Green Festival that a friend and I attended. On top of the slices of lamb and lettuce, I drizzled the oh-so-delicious  sesame mustard sauce. 
If there were actual good sources for lamb around here, I would eat it (this) more often.
So.Good.

Oh, and let's not forget the symbolism...
Lamb is a traditional Ostara/Easter food and the gorgeous green of the lettuce adds fantastic color to remind us of the life returning back to mother earth as well as a tasty representation of her bounty.


And the Challah...Oh my favorite bread on this planet.
A few years ago, I made this for the first time and have been hunting down the recipe ever since. I can NOT find it anywhere on this wide world of webs! And, ya know, that particular challah could have been so good because we were using the fresh eggs from our chickens.
Nonetheless, today's loaf was perfection.
And guess what?!
I didn't bookmark the recipe.
And, now I can't find it anywhere including my history.
I think there is a conspiracy against me and challah.

Anyways, I think I remember everything, so here goes:

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

3 2/3 flour

1 t salt
1/4 cup sugar 

2 t yeast

I added the ingredients in this order to my bread machine and turned on the dough cycle. When it was all done, I divided my dough into thirds and braided it. It rose for about 45 minutes and then, I brushed it with and egg wash, sprinkled on the poppy seeds and baked it at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Y'all...this loaf was amazing!
My braiding skills have really improved as well.

My mom calls challah, egg bread, so in that, you can see the connection to our Spring feast. We also topped it with the poppy seeds for an added equinox bonus.

For dessert, I went with my favorite strawberry cupcake recipe.
You can't go wrong with these.
Seriously.
Yum.
Strawberries ripen in the spring and the color is a nice pastel for the season as well.
I thought they'd be a nice addition since I didn't get to bake my hubby a birthday cake this week.
We didn't stick candles in and sing "happy birthday" to Will, but I'm sure he didn't mind.

So, we welcomed Spring with a lovely meal and enjoyed this gorgeous, albeit more like Summer Solstice with regards to weather, first day of Spring.

Stay tuned for more to come as we welcome Spring with our Spring Nature Table, do a little Spring gardening and more!

Homemade King Cake

This Mardi Gras season, I've seen King Cakes in all the grocery stores and while the basic recipe appeals to me, the ones from the grocer's bakery does not. 

They never taste like they should.

So, I decided a few weeks ago, I'd try my hand at a homemade one.

After recipe researching, I came up with an easy to make King Cake.
Basically, it's similar to a brioche or challah dough and I made the dough in my bread machine.

It would easily be made in the Kitchenaid stand mixer or by hand as well.

Oh, but I love having my bread machine make my dough for me while I do a billion and eighty-five other things.

delicioso!

King Cake

2 1/4 tsp yeast
¼ cup water
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup milk (or dairy free subsitute like almond milk), scalded
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp lemon juice (and i added a little zest as well)
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
3½ to 4 cups flour

2 sticks of cold butter in thin slices 


Filling:

softened package of cream cheese
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts
1 Tb of cinnamon

Glaze:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
approx. 3 TB of milk or water (almond milk works fine as well)



Add ingredient according to manufacturer's directions and turn on the dough cycle. For me, I add all the wet ingredients first, next the dry ones and then, the yeast goes on top. If you are doing this in a stand mixer or by hand, mix yeast, sugar and water and set aside. Combine milk, butter and eggs until blended. Next, add in remaining ingredients reserving the last cup of flour. Mix until well blended and soft dough is formed. Slowly, add in remaining flour until dough is soft, but easy to handle and not too wet. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled. 


After the dough cycle is complete or after your dough has risen, roll out a large rectangle. On one side, place enough pats of butter to cover half of the dough. Fold the other side over and repeat the process on the smaller rectangle of dough to cover half of it in pats of butter. Fold the remaining dough over again and roll it out flat back into a large rectangle. 

 Don't use the butter your 1 year old is munching on...

This creates flaky, pastry layers while the cake is cooking. This is optional but it makes it SO much better! I wouldn't make this without doing the layers. After rolling back out into a larger rectangle, cut the dough into 3 fairly equal strips. Blend together the filling ingredients (you don't have to use cream cheese but it's SO good. you can instead sub with a half a cup of melted butter) and spread across your 3 strips of dough. Roll up the and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill (makes the dough easier to handle for the braiding).

To braid, roll the 3 pieces of dough out into long snakes. I find it's most effective using my hands rolling and gently stretching, allowing each piece to rest for a few minutes and then, stretching it a second time. Next, you just braid the dough like you would hair, but with this filling, go slow and gently stretching and forming the circle with the dough as you go. To end, I just pinch the ends together and tuck them under the bottom. Transfer to a well greased baking sheet and cover with a towel to allow it to rise for another 45 minutes.

Before the final rise...the filling makes it more difficult to braid the King Cake compared with braiding Challah, but it's still doable. You can just skip the braid and do it this way. But, it's definitely not as pretty.

*A little trick...grease a ramekin or a clean old coffee can and place in the center to keep the perfect circle and prevent the dough from spreading and baking together in the oven. *

After it rises, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (though I started checking 5 minutes early and would advise the same as ovens vary).

Mmmm...right out of the oven.

After it cools, then you ice it. I couldn't find purple sprinkles that didn't cost an arm and a leg, so i decided to color my icing instead of using colored sprinkles. The icing is a simple glaze (just mix it all together) and I separated it into three bowls and added a little bit of natural food coloring until I got the desired colors. Pour it on top and then, Tripp sprinkles sparkling sugars on top for the finishing touch.

Voila!

Baked Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Spaghetti is a dish that is easily found in the South at any given church potluck, family gathering and any other good ole comfort food setting.

Typically, when found at these gatherings, the ingredients include a box of Velveeta and a can or 2 of rotel...

Just not my idea of yummy.

Here's an easy, healthier and much tastier homemade version:

Mmmmm....

Baken Chicken Spaghetti

1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken

2-3 cups of uncooked spaghetti 

1/2 red bell pepper diced

1 cup chopped broccoli

1cup chopped cauliflower

2 cups of cheese

1 can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup

*chicken broth-enough to cook spaghetti in, then, reserve 1-2 cups for casserole

parsley, salt & pepper to taste

Generally, I boil my chicken (whatever your preference-breasts, thighs, whole, fryer pieces, etc) to cook the chicken and make broth. I will pull the chicken out and let it cool before picking the meat off. Then, I use the broth for cooking the spaghetti just before it's al dente and reserve the broth needed for the casserole.

Today, I didn't use any chicken (our fridge/freezer died last week and our food had to all be replaced, so an organic chicken was out of budget this week) which meant, no chicken broth. So, I just cooked my pasta in some chicken Better than Bouillon and reserved 1 cup of it afterwards. 

Take the cooked pasta and put it in your baking dish ( I used a 9x13" pyrex). Mix in the veggies, chicken and the can of soup. I used an organic version that was not condensed, so I only needed to add 1 cup of the chicken broth.*If you are using a condensed soup, then add 2 cups of broth. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and continue stirring until everything is combined pretty well. This is when I like to taste before adding my parsley, salt and pepper just so I don't over season it. Based on your tasting, add the seasonings to taste. Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until it's bubbling with goodness.

Let it rest a few minutes before serving and then, enjoy!!

So much better than a processed cheese spread and a can of rotel.

Lil' Cookie Monsters

Boo. It's cold and rainy and it was icy earlier.

On top of being stuck inside again, the weather is not very appealing to taking the boys to the Dudy Gras Parade and Red Beans & Rice Cookoff today.

Kind of disappointing...

So, we've kept busy inside.

Tripp wanted to work on his "sewing"

We roasted hot dogs (uncured, ;) of course) in the fireplace for lunch.

Then, we were entertained by the 2 lovely men from Lowe's trying to install our new fridge.

Such a treat!

Will is working to meet a deadline for his Capstone project, so in an effort to keep the boys out of his office, I decided to bake some cookies.

I'm not sure what they enjoyed more...

the making of or the eating of the oatmeal crispies.

Now, I have some red beans & rice of our own going all that's missing is mardi gras beads from the parade.

Despite the yucky, weather, it was a tasty day around the Sanders' home.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I'm pretty proud of myself. 

I cooked a great supper 2 nights in a row.

Lately, I've been otherwise distracted and cooking, the way I normally do it, has taken a back seat.

Yesterday, I made a tomato-free version of Chicken Tortilla Soup. 

I didn't even miss the tomatoes.

So, so yummy...

Two nights ago I roasted a delicious whole organic chicken. 

With the remaining chicken and carcass, I made the broth for the soup.

I threw in some carrots, onion and garlic and filled my pot with water and let it simmer all day.

Another big pat on my back, because this beckons to the olden days (before child number 2) when I used to meticulously meal plan.

I'd incorporate every detail to use and reuse everything we had on hand for delicious meals.

I've had a twinge of guilt hanging over my head lately about being so wasteful.

I'm kicking my own butt back into gear.

Okay, 

Back on topic...soup!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

-pot full of chicken stock (yeah, I don't really measure)

-1 can of black beans

-1 can of white northern beans (if I'd really been on top of my game, I'd have used dried beans)

-1 cup of frozen corn (off the cob)

-2 carrots, diced

-1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

-3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

-1 diced pepper...I was going to use a red bell pepper, but it was past due :( I'd imagine any pepper to your liking would make a great addition to this soup

-2 cups of cooked rice 

-Spices...approximately (because again, I don't measure) 1 Tablespoon of paprika & chili powder

-1/2 cup of heavy cream (or for dairy free use plain almond milk or other df milk)
salt & pepper to taste

Also, if you're not tomato-free like we are (99.9% of the time, sometimes I must cheat), then a nice addition to the soup would be a jar of canned tomatoes from last summer's garden. What you don't can your own? Well, you should. Grocery store tomatoes are not real tomatoes. :) Or at least, that's the Sanders' family opinion.

Optional Garnishes: avocado, sour cream, green onions, cheese, tortilla chips, cornbread, cilantro...

After making my stock, I strained it and picked the remaining meat off the chicken. After sauteeing the onion, garlic and peppers, add  everything but the rice and heavy cream. Let it cook until the carrots are tender. Add in the rice and cook for another several minutes. Taste to adjust for any seasonings. Just before serving stir in the heavy cream. 

I garnished mine with avocado and crumbled up homemade cornbread. It was delish!!

And don't worry, I'm sure I'll eat another bowl soon and update this post with a lovely picture :)

Smores!

The weather has been taunting us with teases of a snow day (or 2).

Seeing as how we're in Mississippi, I'm more concerned about ice and the chance our power would be out.

So, today I decided to cook.

and cook

and cook

then, bake something

and cook some more.

I made chili, chicken alphabet soup (and a ton of bone broth), a crockpot roast with veggies, baked some pumpkin bread, boiled enough eggs to satisfy Tripp for a few days and made sausage balls.

 

We've only been teased thus far with a fierce hour or so of snow and the remainder has been sleet.

But it's SO cold!

No matter how many times Will explains to me the reasoning behind it sleeting instead of snow even though the temps are in the 20's, I still don't get it.

(see what having children does to one's brain?!)

 

Tripp is a little disappointed, but maybe the predicted snow will come in overnight and he can build his snowman tomorrow.

To appease his disappointment, we made SMORES for dessert.

My child is deprived, I suppose, because he's never had them before.

He was elated that marshmallows were on the grocery list.

And he really thought it was the coolest thing to roast them in the fireplace.

He really is excited.

He just kept making horrible looking "silly faces" every time I snapped the camera.

mmm...tasty!

Stay warm, y'all!!

Cookies!

The lovely stomach bug we all shared kept us from having a cookie making party the week of christmas.

Tripp was really looking forward to making cookies with his best friend and favorite cousin.

So, he and I made the cookies, but saved the decorating until christmas day at my parents' house so they could still do that together.

And, boy it was worth the wait!

These two had a blast.

 I think they may have eaten more sprinkles than made it on the cookies.

 Tripp's pirate cookie

Enjoying their creations.

Homemade Pimiento Cheese Wontons

First off, YUM.

These were "dewishous" and enjoyed by all tonight.

I wish I could take credit for this awesome fusion recipe, but alas it was my hubby who thought of it. 

And sadly, he didn't get to come home after class and before work to even eat any.

Don't worry. I will make him some tomorrow.

First things first.

You must make homemade pimiento cheese.

I have made this particular recipe several times now and it is SO good. It literally disappears at parties faster than you can whip up another batch. After you have a sandwich or 2, you can proceed to making these wontons. It's simple, too.  One small scoop onto a wonton wrapper. Fold it up and sautee in a little sesame oil. Et Voila! Yummy and Uniquely Southern Wontons!

Our resident wonton maker.

Charlie enjoyed his wonton and stirfry.

Speaking of enjoying stirfry...

 I love his concentration.

Success!

Tomato Free Sloppy Joes and Homemade Buns

I was pretty sad when I realized Charlie was reacting to tomatoes via my breastmilk. Eh, I got over it, but I miss a lot of my easy go-to meals like spaghetti, chili and sloppy joes, not to mention, fresh homegrown organic maters this summer. We have tons of our homegrown maters that I canned just dying to be made into one of these dishes. Alas, they still remain untouched. Lately, I have been craving these dishes, so I began my quest for tomato free versions. The last on the list to be conquered was sloppy joes. 

These, my friends, were the biggest success! SO yummy! The tomato base was not even missed.

Oh, yeah!

Tomato Free Sloppy Joes

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow onion

3-4 garlic cloves

2 carrots

1 cup (or so) winter squash puree ( I used butternut squash)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons worchestire (or Bragg's Liquid Amino works just as well)

Pinch of chili powder

water

s&p to taste

I rough chopped all the veggies and sauteed them in EVOO. After a nice sautee and they are soft, toss them into the food processor with a little water to puree them. It doesnt have to be a smooth puree but enough so that this can become the "sauce". While this is going on, I browned some organic ground beef (lentils or ground turkey would work as well). Take the veggie puree and pour it over the cooked ground beef in the pan and begin adding the squash puree. *Hint: an easy trick is to buy the tetra-pak soup purees and just pour it into the sauce pan as needed. A lot less work and mess involved.* Add in remaining spices and allow to simmer. Check the sauce while cooking and add water or more squash puree as needed to thin out or thicken up the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. 

You know it's going to taste good with all those beautiful colors!

To serve, place a generous scoop on top of a bun. And by all means, make your own!

Another friend of mine passed this recipe on when I was frustrated by failing to find a fantastic bun recipe. I enjoy baking our breads and once I made these buns, we were hooked! And, shhh, don't tell, but they're EASY. You won't buy a better bun at the grocery store.

Moomie's Beautiful Burger Buns

 There's a reason they're called beautiful buns.

He's just a plain goose who just wants a plain bun. 

They are that good, folks.