Author Archive

I am so excited to see a wonderful giveaway today from Cultures of Health hosted by one of my favorite blogs, Nourished Kitchen.  It is a total kit to start fermenting vegetables at home.  My entire family needs to eat more fermented foods at home and it has been a trial to convince my husband to give many of them a try.  My son however loves real sauerkraut and I think he’d adore some of the recipes on Nourished Kitchen for fermented foods.

The perfect recipe to try and entice my reluctant hubby would be Nourished Kitchen’s recipe for Pickled Jalepeños.  My husband loves jalepeños, and even though he’s from Maryland he embraced many of our often considered strange Texan quirks of putting jalepenos on everything from breakfast to dessert.

We also do a fair amount of Tex Mex, Spanish and Mexican cooking and these Pickled Jalepeños would be an excellent addition to my recipes.

If I win this kit I will be sure to share my new found discoveries with you all as i try out various recipes on Nourished Kitchen’s website and also experiment with my own.  I remember a tasty looking spicy carrot pickle that Alton Brown made on Good Eats however that was not fermented.  It would be great to give that one a try with some healthful probiotics in the mix.

Rating: 5 Stars

This novel is an excellent read.  It takes us on a journey through a  most difficult time in our country’s history when the Civil War ravaged us and the greatest evils were perpetrated against mankind.  There is a lot of grim, gruesome reality in the novel as well as poignant beauty.  The love story drives the novel and yet our lovers spend the majority of the novel torn apart by war and distance.

Our female heroine, Ada and her friend Ruby show us the wonder of working the land and the power that can be gained supporting oneself through labor and industry.  I am so inspired by many of the ideas I read in the book for my own farm that we are starting including the use of Martins to keep crows and birds of prey away from gardens and livestock.  And with more research I find the Purple Martins need our help, have been trained by the Native Americans to nest near human habitation and that with a simple house (gourds being the traditional type) the birds will happily coexist with us and add beauty to our lives.

I learned various uses of corn meal, the various parts of a pig from “chitlins” to the brain, and the importance of lard in our traditional cooking methods.

I had hoped for more ideas and guides than the book offered though based on a review I had previously read.  Still the book is an inspiration and I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was rich in detail, the characters had depth and substance along with very real emotions, passions, flaws, and the beauty of spirit.

Our hero, Inman journeyed through the south after deserting the hospital where he was recovering from a near fatal wound.  His journey was rife with adversity, danger and miracles.  He would nearly starve then find a gift as if a higher power was looking out for him.  His trials give perspective to all of us that struggle with day to day life, heartache and pain.  If we can have just one ounce of his courage and leave our fates in God’s hands we can achieve great things.

All in all I give the book 5 stars.  It is well written, the plot is driven, the characters are rich.  Besides being entertaining it also encourages deep thinking not only about history, the civil war but about the nature of people from the most ruthless and sociopathic killers to the most honorable, caring and evolved souls.

The novel _Cold Mountain_ by Charles Frazier is an excellent story of the struggles of two star crossed lovers who are driven apart by the American Civil War. Inman was horribly injured and barely escapes death, he is plunged into despair and depression by the things he has seen yet he cannot sit and be forced back into fighting when he heals so he takes off, still injured and on foot, to go back home to Cold Mountain and the Woman he loves. Ada on the other hand is left by her father’s death penniless and clueless on how to raise the only asset she has left, a 300 acre farm. She is likely to starve until a local woman shows up to help named Ruby. Ruby shows her how to farm the land and Ruby is going to show me as well.

This is not a review of the book, I haven’t finished it yet but just an introduction. What I am finding, and the reason I picked it up was that the book is reputed to be an excellent guidebook for sustainable farming and I’m amazed already. The review in Wise Traditions, the Weston A Price Foundation Newsletter, mentioned this in some detail so I had to check it out. I trust the reviews from that newsletter and so should you. If you want to get the newsletter then join the organization, it’s well worth it for the fantastic articles on health and nutrition an Book Reviews.

We are slowly, so slowly, staring up our family farm. Though I come from a long line of farmers I find myself disconnected and cut off from that heritage. My parents had little interest in farming and for my mother it was not happy memories of childhood on her parent’s ill run and unhealthy farm. I do remember fondly my father’s grandparent’s farm and the delicious home cooked food she made with such ease until old age took their toll. Some of my few happy childhood memories are in the house and I miss them dearly. I knew unconditional love and that I was always welcome, and always safe while I was there. And I was always well fed. We did not go hungry as children but we did not eat a healthy diet by any means. Ours was the typical diet of the low income people we were with no fresh vegetables, little fresh fruits and the rest processed foods.

I am so inspired already with Cold Mountain and I am just a few chapters in. I have decide to take some notes and then do research on the great things I a learning and blog about it with you all. So we will have a weekly Cold Mountain blog theme with tips from the book backed up by research and enjoy this adventure together. I will be finished with the book rather quickly, it’s too good to put down for long, but the research can go on for awhile. Then as we step up our farm efforts I can blog about putting to good use what we’ve learned from the guidebook, er I mean novel.

I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I am already.

These delicious pork ribs are slow cooked in the oven but can easily be put in a smoker instead and then finished on the grill.  Use fresh and organic spices for the best flavor and natural benefits.

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back pork ribs

1 tbsp New Mexico Chili Powder (or other favorite chili powder)

1 tbsp Ancho Chili Powder

1 tsp Rapadura or Maple Sugar (Turbinado also works)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

1/2 tsp Texas Red Dog Chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, for an extra kick)

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt (course)

1 tsp ground black pepper (white or mixed peppercorns also a good option)

Finish with your favorite BBQ sauce.  We used Annie’s Naturals Organic Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free)

To Prepare:

Prepare ribs if your butcher has not by rinsing and removing the silver skin and if necessary cut the racks into two pieces for ease of handling.   This blog has a video that shows how http://nibblemethis.blogspot.com/2009/04/bbq-pork-loin-back-ribs.html

Dry the meat with a lint free towel.  Place meat side down in a roasting pan and apply rub liberally to both sides of the ribs placing them back in the roasting pan meat side down and cover pan with foil.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes with rub.

Place in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 4 hours.  Ribs are done when the bone is starting to show or you can see if the ribs easily fold with a pair of tongs.

Serve dry or to finish wet:

Take them out and place on the grill meat side up and apply sauce, allow to cook 2 minutes then flip.  Cover bottom with sauce and allow to cook another 2 minutes before flipping once again and putting more sauce on the meat side and cooking another 2 minutes then pull off the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare totally on the grill put the grill on a low heat and place the ribs meat side down away from direct heat.  Close the grill and allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours and test as above.  To finish the wet method see above.

If you don’t have a grill and want to finish them wet in the oven that’s easy.  Put sauce on the bottom of the ribs with meat side down and put oven at 350 degrees.  Cook about 5 minutes then flip and cover the top with sauce and cook another 5 minutes.

Always allow the ribs to rest 5 to 10 minutes  before eating so the juices can settle and you don’t burn yourself. =)

Happy BBQing!

This is one of my favorite holidays for food and fun. It may be 100 degrees outside but that hardly seems to matter when we sit in the shade, enjoy a good beer and fire up the grill. We love to serve some of our favorite BBQ delights with some cold or room temperature sides, some organic brewed tea (sweet tea is a southern favorite but we opt for plain or with a touch of stevia), and for dessert a peach cobbler.

This year we’re on a tight budget but the local Sprouts store had some good things on sale so we can still enjoy our holiday together. On our menu:

Baby Back Ribs
Dawn’s Texas Potato Salad
Creamed Corn
Grilled Vegetables (mix of zucchini, egg plant, onions, or whatever is ripe or on sale)

Beverages: Texas Beer, Coconut Kefir Water, “Sweet” Tea

Dessert

Peach Cobbler or Fresh Watermelon

Look back for our recipes as we add them and I hope you all have a happy, healthy and naturally Texan July 4th Celebration!

Hard to believe it’s summer again, and sweltering in Texas though we’ve had a nice break the last few days with a good amount of rain due to the hurricane down south. Here in Texas we’ve always taken great joy in celebrating Independence Day. After all we are one of the few states that can boast our own independence.

I find myself thinking about what that really means these days though. Are we truly free? In some ways yes, but in other ways we are definitely not. It’s been a busy summer already with reports of food and health freedoms being trampled upon by an over-eager government enforcing outrageous regulations and not just in our country.

Locally we felt it. It was with great sadness and not a little anger that I write about one episode close to home. Our local CSA was shut down by the USDA because of outrageous requirements that make sense on large farms and no sense at all on small operations selling directly to the customer. What was the evil they committed? Recycling wax boxes to save money and prevent waste instead of always using new ones when harvesting the organic produce.

In Great Britain they are now banning the sale of eggs and other food products by number instead of by weight/volume. That sounds alright on the surface but then again when you consider it is now illegal to buy eggs by the dozen or a dozen dinner rolls, or even to see how many rolls are in a package it begins to become absurd. These regulations are burdensome on the producers and end up costing money to regulate which increases the tax burden and they cost money for the producers to comply. For example in this situation the egg producers and shopkeepers will have to design and obtain all new packaging, will have to design new methods to weigh and calculate instead of just put 12 medium sized eggs in the medium carton and the costs for all of this will be transfered to the consumer. Read more here: EU to ban selling of eggs by the dozen

Back here at home we have the FDA telling us that we do not have the right to obtain our own food or to make informed decisions about what types of food we will purchase and cosume. Read more: “FDA says ‘No right to eat what you want’”. This was in response to the law suit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) claiming that the federal regulations against the purchase and consumption of raw milk are unconstitutional.

With this news it should come as no surprise that the FDA is also moving to severely limit the amount of “sodium” in processed foods, also sounds good on the face of it but is it really? Real salts have minerals that are good for the human body and are required for many foods to be preserved, and also for them to taste good. What do you suppose will take the place so producers can make sure their products don’t spoil and they taste good? Probably dangerous toxins like MSG. That would likely suit the FDA just fine as they’ve shown a serious conflict of interest with the large corporations that make food additives, GMOs and other products including the monster Monsanto. The FDA has a revolving door with Monsanto where Monsanto executives end up running the FDA, then head back to Monsanto and big bucks and who knows what else. When will this corruption end? Read more: Labeling Issues, Revolving Doors, rBGH, Bribery and Monsanto

This Independence Day I’d like to ask you all to think about what freedom means to you. To think about what our country fought for when they decided to declare their independence. Did that include the most fundamental rights to choose what we eat and how we live? I think so. How about you?

Yesterday I pulled out the never before used bread machine that my Great Aunt Ann so generously gave to me a couple of years ago. I had a bread machine before and loved it but going gluten free I never thought I could use it. Then I realized not only does it have a gluten free setting but there are various products out there that work in bread machines.

Now, there are better ways to make gluten free bread, certainly more cost efficient and healthier (real sourdough). Unfortunately for me I am new to this so this is now my bread of choice until I can get to the next level.

Trying to keep my son on a gluten-free diet is a challenge with his father wanting regular bread and the our son wanting to do everything daddy does. So I had hopes for this bread though not a lot of expectation as I’ve really been disappointed before with cardboard, super dry, and lead like ‘breads’ that I worked really hard to make.

Following the directions on my bread maker I put the wet ingredients in first including some raw milk instead of some of the water. I heated up the filtered water (1 cup) to melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil (I doubled the fat on the package directions). While that cooled to be just warm I beat together 2 eggs and mixed with 3/4 cup of milk then slowly mixed in the warm water making sure not to scramble the eggs.

All the wet ingredients went in first, per the bread maker’s direction, then I added the flour mixture from the package. Lastly I made a well in the flower and added the yeast. Then I followed the directions to put it on the setting for gluten free. I chose medium crust but with gluten free bread I think that’s too dark. It was still good but next time I will go with light and never with dark.

While it was kneading I scraped down the sides with a rubber spatula then left it alone to do it’s thing. I let the bread cool overnight on a wire rack and this morning my son and I enjoyed a most delicious piece of bread than I’ve had in over a year! I could cry.

The brand we used was Gluten-Free Pantry Sandwich Bread and it is very tasty and I would recommend it especially for your first efforts making gluten free bread. I do not like not being able to control some ingredients and I’d rather use local, really raw honey instead of sugar but this is a fantastic solution for us for now. Once I am able I will begin experimenting with some recipes and maybe even a sourdough which would be really worth some tears.

Thank you, Aunt Ann for a give that keeps on giving!

A delightful crust-free quiche is a great and easy to heat up breakfast.  Serve it with some pastured, nitrate/nitrite free bacon and some organic fruit.  It also makes a great brunch, lunch or even dinner item when paired with some salad.

At our home this is a protein and fat packed, nutrient dense, quick go-to food for breakfast.  I make a couple of quiches and I send them to work with my husband who enjoys them cold for breakfast or as a part of his lunch. The recipe is really easy to double for two quiches that will last all week.  After it cools I cut it into servings and store a few in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

The combinations are truly endless but sometimes I really enjoy the simple quiche the best.

Prep time 10 minutes. Cook time approx 35 minutes. Makes 1-9 inch quiche.

4 large pastured eggs
2 large pastured egg yolks
1/2 cup cream (pastured, raw cream is best)
1/2 cup raw milk (pastured from a local farmer)
1 cup shredded raw cheddar cheese
1 tbsp melted Virgin Coconut oil or organic ghee
1 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt
Ground Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375° F

Start by whisking the eggs, pepper and salt briskly until yolk and whites are fully combined.  The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg so I always add an additional egg yolk or two when possible.  In pastries this may not work so be cautious.

Whisk in the cream and milk next.  Add the oil or ghee slowly so not to scramble the eggs if the oil is hot (or let it cool first but not congeal).  Put the whisk away and use a silicon rubber spatula to mix in the cheese, but save a handful to top the quiche. Now is also the time to add other optional ingredients.  Once combined put into a greased (with butter or coconut oil) Pyrex or ceramic pie dish (oven safe of course!). Top with cheese and bake for 35 minutes. Ovens and baking dishes vary so check your quiche after 25 minutes. You will know when it’s done because it should be set but still a bit wiggly (not loose) when you pull it out. Usually there is a slightly golden color to the edges.

Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting or the quiche will not be set and it will be a mess.

The combinations you can make for your quiche are endless but remember that any additional ingredients will displace the custard and may cause overflow. The quiche will rise quite a bit in the oven so allow enough space at the top of the backing dish and for added insurance place on top of a lipped sheet tray in case of spills. The milk can be reduced by 1/4 cup to make room for things like chopped spinach (remove all excess water or the quiche will come out with an unpleasant mushy feel), all natural pastured pork sausage (browned before adding), grilled vegetables or other items. The addition of about a tablespoon of freshly chopped herbs can be heavenly including parsley, thyme, oregano or basil. Dried herbs will also suit but remember a little goes a long way and a cant tsp of one dried herb is all you will need.

Quiches can be a great way to use up some left overs too. If you had extra bacon from Sunday breakfast you can add that (a delicious topping when added over the cheese). If you made grilled vegetables, or oven roasted vegetables and potatoes these are fantastic when cut into bite sized pieces. Allow to get to room temperature before you make your quiche or the cooking time will be increased and the eggs may burn before the thicker vegetables are warmed up.

For a Texan twist go with inspiration from a Tex-Mex favorite, breakfast tacos.  In a pan brown Chorizo and natural sausage together with some diced onions and peppers of choice. For the brave some garden fresh serrano chiles are fantatic. Use a creamy cheese like Monterey Jack intead of the cheddar and serve with a dollop of Cilantro Crème fraiche to help cool the mouth off and provide some probiotics for healthy digestion.

Father’s day is here again and as I see commercials, ads in papers and the radio I have to wonder how the day has become so misguided.  The day seems more focused on what to buy for Dad, what gifts he wants or should get but what about just spending a wonderful day grilling some nutritious foods and enjoying the family?

So, let’s take the day back for the Dad’s out there!  Fire up the grill and get ready to enjoy a day full of love, laughter and memories.  That’s what we will be doing and I will share the recipes with you over the next coming weeks starting first with my Potato Salad Recipe which is my gift to you for Father’s Day.

Our menu:

Dawn’s Texas Potato Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob (organic, fresh from the garden if you are lucky enough)
Texan Grassfed Burgers
Hot Dogs (Natural, nitrate/nitrite free Applegate Farms w/ gluten free buns)
Sauerkraut
Mixed Grilled Veggies (whatever is available)

To Drink:

Beer for my husband (Gluten free varieties are available but not on my budget)
Kefir water sodas (fruit flavored and ginger ale)

Snacks:

Homemade Popcorn
Carrot & Celery Sticks w/ Dip

Wow, this sounds so good! Now I’m starving. Have a happy Father’s Day everyone!

A simple to make, nutrient filled potato salad that is similar to other ‘southern’ recipes but with my own unique twists and style and much healthier ingredients. I recommend using Creme Fraiche along with fresh Mayonnaise. This is of course a high carbohydrate dish but adding the good quality saturated fats along with probiotics will ease digestion and make this holiday treat more nutritious.

This is a treat for us not only because of the high carbohydrate content of the potatoes but also because it takes some time and time to prepare. It is totally worth it though and is one of my favorite “comfort foods” reminding me of a childhood long past. My father always made potato salad and he used some unhealthy ingredients including “Miracle Whip”. I remember he’d use half a jar and was always very upset if we didn’t have any. One year he had only regular mayonnaise and I told him to pour some of the corn syrup liquid from the pickles into the potato salad and that did the trick. Miracle Whip is just extra corn syrupy mayonnaise… yuck! =) If you are a previous Miracle Whip fan or are serving those that are try adding a touch of sugar to the lemon juice (1 tsp rapadura or maple sugar should work).

On a hot Texas summer day there is nothing like some BBQ food with cold potato salad and cole slaw on the side. It is also great because we can prepare it ahead of time and it’s ready to serve right out of the fridge.

Serves 8

3 lbs organic russet potatoes (peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 hard boiled egg diced
1 small red onion diced
3 ribs celery diced
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
1/4 cup chopped herbs (fresh basil & thyme)
1/8 tsp mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped sweet Bubbies pickles (optional)
1 tsp celery salt (optional, in place of one tsp salt)
2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt
Pepper to taste

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks about 1 inch square but accuracy doesn’t matter just make sure the the size is fairly uniform so the potatoes cook at the same speed. If you have big chunks and small chunks the big ones will still be raw when the small ones are done. If you finish cooking the big ones the small ones will fall apart and taste water logged. Sometimes I use red potatoes for this and I leave some with the skin on.

Place the pieces in a pot of cold/room temperature water until submerged. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for approx 10 minutes and check a larger chunk with a fork. the fork should slide easily but not make it fall apart.

Drain thoroughly into a coriander and then place in a bowl to cool. This recipe works best with cold potatoes so after they reach room temperature I place them in the refrigerator.

All the other ingredients can be prepared while waiting for the potatoes to cool and placed in the refrigerator. Dice or chop the boiled egg, pickles, onion, celery and place in the fridge. Mince up the fresh herbs and mix into the mayonnaise, Crème fraiche, mustard, salt and pepper and lemon juice then cover and put into the fridge to meld the flavors.

When the potatoes are cooled completely mix all the ingredients together but do not over mix. Maintain the chunks for ideal mouth feel and texture. Mayo mashed potatoes aren’t very appealing to most. Place in the fridge again, covered, to meld the flavors and take out right before serving or packing in the picnic cooler.

Garnish with some reserved fresh herbs for delightful color.