It's that time of year

It's that wonderful time of year where the weather is getting cooler, the leaves are falling, and germs are spreading. I am always interested in learning new remedies that are natural AND effective for curing different ailments. A few weeks ago, Stephen started getting some sinus yuckiness so he started eating pieces of raw garlic. It seemed to work very well. He noticed a big difference in a short amount of time. So I decided to try it. I started getting a sore throat today so I made some garlic lemonade and ate a couple of garlic pieces. (Watch out world!) Immediately I can tell a difference. I am going to keep eating it this evening to see how it goes. If that works....hallelujah!

Some benefits of garlic:

High in Antioxidants
Good for healthy cells
Decongestant
A natural antibiotic
A wart fighter
Helps with high blood pressure
Can help get rid of poison ivy

So I encourage you to look into the benefits of garlic. If you find some cool things, let me know!

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Presenting......Cocoa Crackles!

This is a fun recipe to do with kiddos. They are pretty healthy too which is a definite plus. I got this recipe out of a cookbook Jubal got for his birthday. The book is called Yummy Cookies by Sesame Street.
If you are looking for something fun to do today with your kids, this is a great activity to try. What a fun way to bond with the little ones in your life.

Cocoa Crackles

3/4 Cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated or cane sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease to cookie sheets.
Stir together both flours, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour mixture and beat until blended.
Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll heaping tablespoons of the dough into balls. Roll balls of dough in the sugar until they are coated. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
Bake for abou11-13 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool cookies on sheets for a couple minutes and transfer to cooling rack.

Cozy Ginger Scones

I found a great recipe on Organic Valley's website. It is fairly easy and the result is fantastic! If you like ginger, this is the way to go for a yummy breakfast/brunch food.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon peel (grated)***
11 tablespoons Organic Valley European-style Cultured Butter (cut into bits)
3/4 cup Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
2/3 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

***I increased the lemon peel to about 1 1/2 Tbsp. for a more lemony flavor.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter baking sheet. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon peel in a food processor. Add butter and cut in (using "pulse" button) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Make well in center; add 3/4 cup cream. Using fork, stir until just moist. Mix in ginger and cinnamon. Transfer dough to floured surface and gently knead until smooth, about 8 turns. Divide dough in half; pat each portion into 3/4-inch-thick round. Cut each round into 6 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with remaining 2 tablespoons cream. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Coconut Rice and Beans recipe

I am really excited about this recipe. I got it off of 5 dollar dinners.com. I love beans and I LOVE coconut so this recipe sounds so good. I haven't tried it yet but I will be soon. I will let you know how it goes. If you try it, let me know what you think!

1 15 oz. can of lite coconut milk
About 1/3 cup of pineapple juice from a can of pineapple
1/2 cup of water
1 cup uncooked white rice
Salt/Pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked pinto beans
4 carrot sticks, peeled and cut into circles
Honey drizzles
2 broccoli heads

Directions
(1/2. Cook about 1 cup of pinto beans in 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium high. Cover and cook for 1.5 -2 hours, or until beans are soft. Remove from heat, drain liquid.)
1. In medium saucepan, bring coconut milk, pineapple juice and water to a rolling boil. Add 1 cup of rice and return to boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 more minutes (do not uncover!). Fluff with fork before adding the beans.
2. Combine beans and rice in saucepan.
3. Steam carrots in steamer, or cook in 1/2 cup of water in small saucepan. Drizzle with honey to sweeten them up a smidge!
4. Steam broccoli.
5. Serve Coconut Rice and Beans with Honey Sweetened Carrots and Steamed Broccoli!

Dinner's on!

Here is an idea for a yummy dinner for those of you who are looking for new ideas. Stuffed peppers. I have never been a fan of stuffed peppers but I really loved these. I think it's because they are used with a different kind of pepper and stuffed with fresh veggies and beans. We had gotten some huge sweet red peppers from a friend and the banana peppers are from our garden. We stuffed them with cheese, rice, black beans, sauteed onions and garlic, and a little taco meat that I had left over. Can you tell we like Mexican food?
After we stuffed them, Stephen was so nice to grill them. Yum! Happy cooking.

A pretty good crop

I am so excited about our garden this year. It really gave us a good crop and I only had to water it once all summer! I think moving it to a different location in our yard and leaf mulch were the key ingredients. (Tip: if you get leaf mulch from an outside source, make sure you watch out for poison ivy!)
I planted 3 early girl tomato plants, 1 heatwave, 1 grape, and 1 roma. I got enough from the early girls alone to restock our canning supply. Great!
Now that summer is coming to a close, I can concentrate more on fun little sewing projects, recipes, and fun field trips. What an exciting fall it will be!
How has your summer been?

Salsa

Here is a yummy recipe for tomatillo salsa. It's one of my favorites!

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• Salt to taste

Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with tortilla chips. Yummy!