Dried Greens In Mac And Cheese

O.K. Christmas holiday I have been eating to many sweets and some Mac and Cheese. Well this is Kraft's new Cauliflower Mac and cheese. My son loves it and I had to try for myself. Yum. And then I thought, If I am going to eat this bowl I need more nutrition. I crumbled some dried spinach in it.

Still very good. The spinach is not very noticeable besides giving the food a festive look.  I think I need to be buying the Organic Mac and Cheese with the bunny. (update: The organic bunny stuff is organic pasta only. Why have a product half organic? Ug) Try crumbling your dried greens in foods and soups. It works great and helps me get more greens/fiber. I want to try the dried greens in bread, but have not tried yet. Will blog it if I do.

Have a super New year...

Fruit loops Natural Air Freshening Spray Recipe

I have one in every bathroom. It smells better than the Citrus Lysol I was using.

Get a spray bottle. I got a small one at my local store. It was in the travel section of personal care items.

I added about 1/2-3/4 cup of water in the bottle. Then added 40 drops (each) of 100% Lemon, Orange and Grapefruit essential oil. Put the top on and shake. Spray when you want some fresh air in your home, or bathroom area.

It smells like Fruit loops Cereal to me. Those oils mentioned are non phyto/xeno estrogen's. Much better than the unknown chemicals in other air fresheners. These oils are also antiseptic.

My son love to spray his bathroom every time he uses the toilet. My husband likes it to. I am very happy with this simple spray. You could use only one of the essential oils if you prefer.

My spray soap and fresh air spray are a perfect fit for small sink tops and other small places. The bottles are re-usable and there is less waste. Which reminds me, today my husband was telling me that not only do we pay for water we use here in Pflugerville TX. We pay for every every gallon that goes down the toilet and down the sinks, and shower/tubs to and as an added extra cost. Wow. Time to focus on using less water.

How To Make Coffee With No Machine

How to make a mug of Coffee with out the plastic toxins in coffee makers. This recipe is so simple and it is the old way of making a cup of Jo. An average cup of coffee is considered to be 5 ounces. (Food for thought) Fresh grounds stay fresh for a week and is not recommended to be kept in fridge or freezer. So, grind only enough for about a week. But I do keep my fresh ground in the freezer, in a glass jar for about a week or two. So, it is up to you. I keep my whole beans in the freezer and in a freezer ziplock. A glass jar is recommended because air and moisture can permeate plastic over time, compromising the freshness and flavor. Mental note for myself. Whole beans do not stay fresh forever.

You will need a stainless steel, glass or ceramic kettle or pot to heat water in.
Ceramic or glass mug.
A large Muslin/100% Cotton straining bag or footie sock (un-used by feet)
2 T. Ground Coffee Beans (ground to your liking). Update: 1 T. works to.
Creamer and or milk of choice (optional)
Sweetener of choice (optional)

Start to boil some water in kettle or pot. If using a pot you can add some sort of milk and liquid creamer to. I add it to the mug and microwave it until hot.
Add 2 T. ground Coffee into strainer bag/clean footie sock (I use a 4x6 muslin tea bag).
Put your strainer with coffee in it into the mug. With or with out the hot milks/creamer. When water is almost to a boil, turn off heat and slowly pour it into the inside of the strainer that is in the mug. Fill the mug to you comfort. Now let the it all steep for 4 minutes. When done slowly pull out the  strainer and place it on a small plate to cool off. You can top of your mug with more hot water if you like. Stir, taste, add some sweet if you like. Drink.

It seems like a long process, but it is not. Once you get the habit down it becomes very easy. When the strainer is cool. dump the grains, wash and let dry on towel or hang dry for next day.

I read that drinking more than one cup of coffee can raise estrogen levels very high through a complex equation I do not wish to think about or bore you with. I do not drink coffee, but love a decaf. here and there. I make my husbands coffee and know that his exposure to toxins can cause his harm overtime. I do love to sip this brew I make for him. To know I made it right. It is so yummy.

Corn And Green Beans With Italian Sweet Peppers

This is leftovers from a yummy side I created.

Corn and Green beans with Italian sweet peppers (Serves 2-4 people)

Olive oil
1/4-½-1 Onion diced
2 T.-¼ cup dried crumbled or 1/2-1 cup fresh diced Italian Sweet Peppers. (Or Anaheim Chili Peppers)
1-2 cups of corn
1-2 cups of Green Beans (Cut into bite size pieces and steamed until tender).
Salt
Pepper (optional)
Olive oil

Saute Onion and Peppers in 1-2 T. Olive oil for 5-10 minutes in a large pot or pan. Now add corn, green beans and fold into pot or pan. Add more Olive oil (another 1-2 T. if needed). Salt and Pepper to taste. Heat and stir food until hot. Serve.

If you just want to through your green beans frozen or uncooked in the fry pan. Cover the pot and steam on medium to low for about 10 minutes.

There is a story behind these peppers. A lady I sometimes buy goat whey from had bought sweet pepper seeds and these below grew and turned bright red. She assumed they were hot peppers. Thinking that the garden shop gave her the wrong ones and asked if I wanted the crop. I think she wanted bell peppers to grow. I accepted to harvest these with her.  I took them home to dry and use them for another time. I assumed they were hot/spicy to. I dried them and put them into a jar. I had no idea what kind of peppers they were. I finally made this recipe and thought to add spice. While tasting these as they saute'd I realized they were sweet mild and had a wonderful flavor from the searing in the pan with the Olive oil. I searched the Internet to find out what these peppers were. This is the only pic I could find. This pic shows the right size and the crown like cap on top. Just like the ones I picked and dried.

These peppers are known to be great for frying and sauteing fresh in olive oil. You can broil them and also eat them green or let them turn red which makes them even sweeter. The one pepper that is said to be similar in flavor is the Anaheim Chili Pepper. Great for back up. I want to grow these next year. this was an awesome discovery.

I did nab this pick from the Internet and left the www.chiliplants.com here for my thanks to this wonderful pepper plant pic. Remember Relleno Italian Sweet Peppers for sweet mild meal dishes.