This is my christmas present to you.... Apple Cider caramels.  This is gluten free, but is not in any way shape or form a healthy recipe or one to eat if your watching your sugar.  It is, however, super tasty and great for gift giving!!  These were in our goodie boxes this year.

(Sorry about the picture quality... its a cell phone pic!!
Apple Cider Caramels


2 cup high-quality apple cider

1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream, divided

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup real butter, cubed

(I think it needs less cinnamon nutmeg and allspice, so i halved these amounts the second time I made it and to me it tasted better.  Personal prefeerence!)



- Pour cider into a medium saucepan and boil on high for about 20 minutes or until the cider is reduced to 1/3 c. Keep an eye on it...it might try to run away. Set aside to cool.

- Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper, making sure to leave about 1" hanging over the edges for easy removal. Coat with a bit of vegetable oil and set aside.

- In a small bowl, combine 2/3 c. cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and reduced apple cider. Set aside.

- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/3 c. whipping cream + enough water to reach the 1/2 c. line on the measuring cup, and corn syrup. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Insert the candy thermometer and simmer until the syrup reaches 234 degrees.

- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Add the cubed butter and stir until the cream and butter are fully incorporated. Return the pan to heat and re-insert the candy thermometer. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 248 degrees. (Takes a LONG time!  Dont fear, when I first made this I thought it would NEVER get there and that I had done something wrong... but its about 20 mins or so.)

- Remove from heat and pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let the mixture cool completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I covered the top of the pan loosely with saran wrap and left it out overnight. You could cut the caramels into 1/2" squares and wrap each caramel in wax paper, but I'm lazy so I cut the caramel into 1/2" logs, which meant that I had exponentially fewer pieces to individually wrap. Store in an airtight container or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, but I can guarantee that they won't last that long. These things are delicious!

Mmmm, Vanilla!

Thank you, Pinterest.... once again you have sparked my imagination and made me want to try something new.  And you maed my hubby roll his eyes, once again!  This time I have decided to make homemade vanilla extract.  The original website called for vodka.  I didnt have any and vodka is not gluten free, so I had to think.  We had some rum left over from another recipe, so I decided to use that.

What you need:
1 Jar with a tight closing lid, or a cork.  (I used a mason jar)
2-4 vanilla beans
Enough rum or liquer of your choice to cover beans.

(This is such a lazy recipe!)
Cut beans in half length wise, place in jar, cover with alcohol, put on lid. 

Seriously.  Thats it!

Now... the down side is that it takes 2 months to develop... you should store it in a dark place away from heat, and shake it at least once a week.   Also, as you use the extract, you can replace the alcohol so you have a never ending supply of it.  This would be great as Christmas gifts too... all ya gotta do is find some cheap cute little jars (think... Goodwill store!) and some ribbon and voila!  Gift!

Sorry about my picture... it looks kinda gross, but hey, its a cell phone pic.  What are ya gonna do?

This is someone elses picture and product.  The darkness is how it would be with a clear alcohol after the 2 months.  Dont forget to shake it!!

I want to make more stuff with real vanilla, cause it smelled so stinkin' good, and cause it tastes so good... so whats your favorite use for real vanilla?

Glycemic WHat?

The glycemic index, glycemic impact, and glycemic load are words you will see here a lot. I am on a quest to keep my blood sugars low naturally after fighting with diabetes for a few years. One of the ways to keep blood sugar low to not eat any carbs or sugar... which is impossible. Another way is to watch how the sugars and carbs you put into your body affect your blood sugar. Im choosing that way, because I may be awesome, but Im not that awesome! :o) Here is some info about all this:

What is the Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index is a way of measuring the relative impact of foods on blood sugar levels. Foods with a high glycemic index have carbohydrates that the body can quickly convert to sugar, which makes them more likely to cause a quick rise in blood sugar. Many popular diets (Atkins and South Beach, for example) include food choices based on the glycemic index.
To determine the glycemic index of a food, human subjects are given a portion of a single food and their blood sugar is tested at intervals. The resulting response curve is compared to a control substance (either glucose or white bread) and assigned a numerical value. Glucose (or white bread) is given an arbitrary rating of 100, and all other foods are measured relative to that. Foods that rate above 100 are foods whose carbohydrates digest very quickly and are likely to raise the blood sugar immediately, while those with an index lower than 100 have less impact on the blood sugar.
What Makes a Food Low Glycemic?
Foods with few to no carbohydrates, like meats, cheeses and fats, will likely result in a glycemic index close to zero. The fewer easily-digested sugars and starches a food contains, the less likely it is to create a spike in blood sugar. Dietary fiber, while classified as a carbohydrate, passes through the system undigested, so it has no impact on blood sugar. In fact, fiber works to help slow the absorption of digestible carbohydrates.
Combining High and Low Glycemic Foods
The glycemic index of individual foods can be used as a guideline for meal preparation, but since most of us do not make an entire meal of one food, the interaction of foods in the stomach must also be taken into consideration.
Some foods act to reduce the overall glycemic level of a meal. Similar to the effect of dietary fiber, fats consumed with a higher glycemic food can also help to curb its blood-sugar-raising property. Likewise, vinegar has been found to inhibit the digestion of starches in the stomach. So, for instance, starting your dinner with a salad dressed in italian dressing (fiber + fat + vinegar) should lessen the impact of high glycemic foods in the meal.
What is Glycemic Load?
Like the glycemic index, the glycemic load of a food is used to characterize its potential effect on blood sugar. A food may have a high glycemic index, meaning the carbohydrate it contains will quickly convert to sugar, but if that food does not contain much carbohydrate per average serving, there will not be much impact on the blood sugar.
To calculate the glycemic load of a food, multiply its glycemic index by the number of digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrates in a single serving, then divide by 100. That number may be interpreted as follows:

20 and above = high glycemic load
10 to 19 = medium glycemic load
less than 10 = low glycemic load

Here are some websites for more info:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

If you know of any other websites, please let me know!! Im still learning about this and trying to make better choices for all of us!!
:o)

What is Agave and Why am I using it!?


Agave nectar is a natural sweetner made from the agave plant.  It has a low glycemic impact and is super tasty.
It kinda tastes like honey, but not such a strong flavor.  Its also less viscous than honey and disolves better, so you can use it in cold drinks easily. 
There are different levels of agave, ranging from light with a neutral, mild flavor, to raw with a very rich caramel or maple flavor. 

Agave is vegan and gluten free and we found an 11.75 oz bottle that is ORGANIC for around $3.50 (Madhava brand).
What I am loving about it is the fact that it is a sweetner that you can use when watching your blood sugar becuase of the low glycemic impact it has.  It doesnt cause high spikes of sugar or the inevitable crash after the high.  While I do try to use splenda or stevia to sweeten things, sometimes they just dont work (like my pumpkin seeds... I tried splenda... FAIL!).  In fact, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar actually has a lower glycemic impact than a medium sized apple!
Here is an easy guide to replacing other sweetners with Agave...

Substituting Agave Nectar for Liquid Sweeteners


Honey
Replace each cup of honey with one cup of agave syrup.

Maple Syrup
Replace each cup of maple syrup with one cup of agave syrup.

Brown Rice Syrup
When replacing a cup of brown rice syrup, use 1/2 to 1/3 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/2 a cup.

Corn Syrup
When replacing a cup of light corn syrup, use 1/2 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/3 of a cup. Like corn syrup, agave nectar will not crystallize.

Substituting Agave Nectar for Granulated Sugar

White Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup. This substitution will also work for Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice, or Sucanat.

Brown Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 cup. Because the moisture content of Brown Sugar is higher than that of white sugar, liquids may not have to be reduced as much when substituting agave nectar.

Other Considerations
Agave syrup may cause baked items to brown more quickly, so reduce oven temperatures by 25°F is and increase baking time slightly.
Agave nectar may substituted for part or all of the sugars or liquid sweeteners in many recipes. Drinks, salad dressings, sauces and many desserts are among the easiest substitutions. More experimentation may be necessary when substituting for sugars in recipes containing precise chemistry - for example, cooked candies and some baked goods.

Candy recipes like toffees and nut brittles rely on chemical reactions provided by refined sugars which may be disrupted by substitutions. It may be possible to substitute, but ratios could take some tinkering to produce optimum results.
Similarly, recipes for baked goods containing white sugar may be too sensitive to changes in the moisture level of ingredients. If replacing all the sugar in a recipe (while reducing liquids) does not produce good results, try replacing only half the sugar with agave nectar

So far, I only have one reipe with the agave, but I did use some to sweeten a pumpkin mousse cheesecake I made yesterday.  Check out my Salty Caramel Pumpkin Seeds!

Salted Caramel Pumkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

At Halloween this year, we made our super cool "Jesus Pumpkins" (as Made likes to call them), and decided to roast the seeds for snacks.  I found a couple different recipes on Pinterest but, since I cant follow a recipe, I made my own!  Then, we went to our local health food store, Sonnewald's and found hulled pumpkin seeds.  I did a little research and pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) are full of awesomeness, and have a low glycemic impact, their GI number is only 10.  But I did NOT like them untoasted... or unflavored.  So instead of all sugar in the recipe, I decided to use Agave nectar.  Agave has a low GI compared to sugar, so its good for diabetics or people who just don't want the spike of sugar rush and then the fall that leaves you feeling like you need your 5th nap of the day.

What you need:

3 or 4 cups of pumpkin seeds (hulled tasted better to me, but both were good, so whatever you prefer or can find!)

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp agave nectar (i used light because I wanted sweetness, not a maple flavor... although that would be tasty too!)

2 tsp olive oil

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

First, you have to toast those bad boys (i think they are kinda icky raw), so you put them in a dry skillet on medium heat.  You have to stir them almost constantly, or they will burn.  They will be ready for the next steps when they start to pop and have a light brown color to them.  (Oh, good hulled pumpkin seeds are an olive color and not dried out looking.)  Once they are toasted, add your olive oil and brown sugar.  Mix around till the brown sugar starts to caramelize.  Turn pan down to low and add agave and salt.  Stir until everything is coated.  From here, you can add other flavors.  I have tried cinnamon (YUM) and ginger (I liked them, but Madi wasn't crazy about it), and I'm sure you could try lots of others (chili powder?!?).  Once everything is mixed pour into a bowl or onto a sheet pan covered in wax paper to cool.  The fun thing about the agave is it made clumps of seeds... Madi said it reminded her of caramel popcorn. 

(As always, I don't measure ANYTHING when I cook, so I'm kinda guessing here... if it isn't sweet enough, add more agave.)

AND.... these are gluten free!

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken
This is a great shredded chicken recipe that can be used for so many things!  We used it for Asian Chicken Wraps, salad, empanadas, and even used leftovers in a casserole.

3-5 large chicken breast- frozen or thawed
1 can crushed pineapple, juice and all
3 cloves of garlic, or a few tsp of the pre chopped kind
1-2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced (you could probably substitute powdered maybe 2 tsp)
1 can chicken broth (i used low sodium all natural stuff... no msg please!!)
2 tsp ground mustard
black pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce (to keep this recipe gluten free, i used gluten free soy sauce, but if you cant find gf soy sauce, you could leave it out.)

Cook on low for 5 hours.  Then shred chicken (by this point it just falls apart!!) and cook for another hour.

Asian Chicken Tacos.  Just pile some lettuce, carrots and chicken on corn tortillas and a little of your favorite asian dressing (I made my own with gluten free soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame seed oil, and a few spoonfuls of pineapple or madarin orange juice from a can).  Super healthy!!

To make this into a more "Spanish" style do the above, but add a chopped green pepper and a small chopped onion, then, after shredding it add some lime juice and chopped cilantro.  We made some of the best empanadas I have ever had with this chicken!

To make Shredded BBQ Chicken (kinda like pulled pork), take some chicken, put into a pot with a splash of root beer, coke, or dr. pepper, some brown sugar, and a small bit of ketchup or your fav bbq sauce. Cook on medium until it makes a sauce.  This is great for sandwiches or wraps.

Curry Chicken in the Crock Pot

This is a great recipe that even my PICKIEST kid loved!!!

Curry Chicken

(Optional) Marinate the chicken over night in a plastic bag with lime juice, curry powder, chopped garlic, a little bit of chicken broth and black pepper.

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breast (I use boneless/skinless, but you could also use thighs or whatever!)
2 fresh carrots- peeled and cut into coins
5 or 6 Baby portabellas- diced
1 cup of golden or regular raisens
1 small onion- sliced very thin
2 cloves or garlic- diced
1 can of chicken broth
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons corn starch

Mix all of the ingredients together in crock pot, EXCEPT for the coconut milk and corn starch.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6
Mix corn starch and milk together until starch is dissolved, then pour into crock and stir.  Cook on high for about 25-30 mins.
Serve over rice. 

You can chop up some fresh cilantro and put on top as you serve.
Also, try chopping up some walnuts and sprinkling on top.  Adds a nice nutty crunch! :o)

So, Whats up with this whole blog?

A while back, I really began to think about the food I was feeding my family.  All the additives and perservatives... they made me a little nervous.  I see so many people getting sick so young... and I look at my maternal grandparents who only ever ate what they themselves made, and then my paternal grandparents who not only made everything from scratch,.... they also GREW most of their own food.  Of course own acres of land with orchards and huge veggie patches and even growing cattle in their early years helped all that. (That and living in a perpetually warm climate where they could grow freshies year round.)  They all lived into their 80s.  My moms dad in his 90's, and my her mom is still alive and kicking at 89.
They had it right.  They didnt buy boxed mac & cheese... they bought noodles and cheese and milk and made it.  They used real butter in moderation instead of chemically made butter substitues.  They made homemade bread instead of bleached flour bricks that have no nutrional value.

I have spend over a year finding recipes, and making up my own.  I have a very picky kid... she doesnt like anything that has any vitamins in it. Not even fruits.  So, I have gotten sneaky.  Very very very sneaky!
I put pureed carrots and sweet potatos in tons of dishes.  I chop mushrooms up into miniscule peices and put them into dishes like mac and cheese.  I make smoothies with carrot juice as my secret ingredient.  I try to take our families favorite resturant dishes and recreate them at home.  I use the PA Dutch style food I grew up with (after I figure out how to make them a little more heart friendly).  We make homemade pizzas and stromboli.  We bake our own bread and grow our own veggies.

Organic?  Sometimes.  Organic is expensive.  I try to buy what I can... but I have also found some local farms that are, for all intents and purposes organic, but one little thing or another is keeping them from being certified.  Or the certs are just so expensive, they cant afford them.

So, I am hoping to post my recipes.  This is hard for me becuase I dont use recipes.  I do everything to taste.  I expirament and try new things... but I want to share.  I have been blessed with knowing people who can cook how have taught me things.  I am a homeschooling momma, so I can watch those awesome cooking channels.  I am hoping this blog can be a resourse for people trying to get veggies in those picky kids.  For moms who dont have time to figure out whats for dinner.  Even for moms with little time.  I have a couple tried and true crock pot recipes that I definitly want you to try!

So follow the blog... try some of them out... and leave me some feedback!! LEt me see pics of you attempts and tell me what worked, what didnt, and what you did differently!

Carrot Puree

Ew... I know.  Carrot Puree, sounds like baby food.  But really, this is one seriously awesome and versatile way to add MAJOR Vitamins and serious nutrion to many many dishes!

When I make it, I make it in big batches and freeze it in small containers to add to sauces or even to use as baby food!

There are 2 ways to make this...

Boil method:
As many carrots as you want to use, cleaned, peeled, and cut into peices of the same size.
Put into a pot with salted water and boil until soft.
Put in a blender with a dash of black pepper and blend until smooth.
Cool and freeze!

ORRRR...

Roasted (my fav!)
Again, as many carrots as you want to use, cleaned, peeled, and cut into same size peices.
Put in a bowl with some EVOO, salt, and pepper and pop them into the oven @400 until carrots are soft.  Then put in blender and bled until smooth... if the mixture is a little tight you can add some chicken stock, just make sure its low sodium, especially if you use it as baby food!
Cool and freeze.


BABY FOOD TRICK!
Spoon cooled puree into ice cube trays, freeze and put into baggies.  When its time for babies feast... simply grab a cube and microwave it!  EASY PEASY!

Other cool trick.... do the EXACT same thing with sweet potatoes for some UBER Vitamins in your kids bellies!  :o)

Veggie Tomato Sauce

1 finely diced medium sized onion
2 medium cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 32 ozcan of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 cup of cooked spinach
1 8oz can of finely diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of carrot puree or sweet potato puree
Small pinch of crushed red pepper

Turn pot on medium add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and onion and garlic.
Stir occsionally
When onions turned translucent add the rest of the ingredients then seasonsing to taste.  Let simmer for at least 15 mins.  If sauce is too thick, simply add some chicken stock.

Seasonings to add:
Salt
Black Pepper
Oregano
Basil

Tips:  You can always add more seasonings, but you cant really take them out, so start small and keep tasting until you like it!!

FUN ADD-
Dice up some peppers... red yellow green... taste the rainbow, they all taste great in this recipe!  Add them in after the onion and garlic start to soften, but give the peppers a few extra mins to get happy and soft before adding the rest of the ingredients!

Sneaky Cheesy Potato Soup

Savory Potato Cheese Soup
(an adapted recipe)

2.5 pounds of potatoes diced

1/2 red pepper diced

1/2 onion diced

2 24oz containers of chicken broth

1/2 stick butter

(My Veggie Additions)
1 sweet potato diced
1 head of cauliflower (or half a bag of frozen)
1 package of mushrooms (if I am blending it i dont cut them small, but if I blend it i will just chunk them up)

Simmer that all together until the potatoes are soft. (Sometimes I have to add a bit more water or chicken stock.)

Add 1/2 package cream cheese

Add 8 oz shredded other cheese (if i use sharp i dont use all 8 ozs to save myself some fat)

Stir until melted.

In a bowl, add 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup warm water. Whisk until in lumps are gone then stir into soup to thicken.
Serve as is, or blend to make a creamy soup that hides those veggies perfectly!!!