Soak Veggies In Lemon Water To Help Wash Off Pesticides

If you cannot buy organic or do and also purchase non organic fruits and vegetables here is a tip to help remove all the pesticides.

Soak fruits and vegetables in lemon water for 20 minutes before using.

I used to just wash with soap and water so yesterday I read to soak in lemon water to help remove pesticides found on the skin.

Take a gallon container fill with water and add lemon juice, I have that big ol bottle of lemon juice that never gets used up, so I used that. I just poured in about three tablespoons or so.

While I was preparing dinner I tossed in the cucumber, yellow squash, zucchini, and my tomatoes (I also still rinsed with soap and water).

This morning I knew our grapes I bought were not organic so I soaked them before putting them in the kids lunches.

Happy Springtime :)

Tip Of The Day: Cooking Chick Peas

Chick Peas are a healthy addition to your diet. Cooking them yourself vs. purchasing them in the can is much healthier, no preservatives and you control the sodium ;)

The Tip Of The Day: Don't Cook Chick Peas With Salt, It Makes Them Tough!

Soak Chick Peas over night in water. This helps them cook faster.

Add some aromatics to the water, onion quartered, and a bay leaf.

Cover with water and cook until tender. Peas are done when you can squish them.

1/2 cup green olives pitted and slice

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 lemon - zest lemon set aside, reserve juice

Salt

Fresh ground pepper

Fresh parsley

Saute garlic in olive oil for a minute or so, add chick peas and mash with potato masher, heat through, add olives, lemon zest, lemon juice from 1/2 lemon, salt, pepper and fresh parsley.

Serve.

The Thanksgiving Essentials

Guest post written by Mitch Carlson

There are just certain things that you have to eat or it isn't really Thanksgiving. Or at least according to me. I've had alternative Thanksgivings with my friends before and even though they were fun it just wasn't the same, no matter how much I love Indian food or Mexican food. So this year even though I'm having Thanksgiving with my friends, I'm making sure that we at least have some traditional Thanksgiving food.

I've been emailing everyone back and forth to figure out with my CLEAR TV Bundle to see who's bringing what and make sure that we have all the essentials.

Now, none of my friends are really great cooks, so we're trying to be creative in what we do so that it tastes good. I'm handling agreen beans dish that is pretty easy to fix, or at least my brother says that it is and I can cook better than him. But even if the food isnÕt that great I think that weÕll have a really good time together because weÕre all so close that weÕre practically family anyway.

Green Beans with Balsamic Roasted Shallots
Adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook

6 large shallots
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 lb. green beans, end trimmed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Peel and cut shallots in half through the root, leaving the root intact. Place the shallots in a medium bowl and toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the shallots, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet and roast until the bottom side of the shallots are deep brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

While the shallots are roasting, pour vegetable or chicken broth into a large skillet. Set over medium-high heat and boil until the chicken broth reduces to 1/4 cup, 5 to 6 minutes. Add granulated sugar and balsamic vinegar, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the roasted shallots to the chicken broth mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer about 5 minutes, until the sauce coats the shallots. The shallot mixture can be made up to a day ahead, then gently reheated over low heat before serving.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add green beans and cook until the green beans are tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain immediately. Toss the green beans with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Arrange on a serving platter and top with roasted shallots. Serve.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Karen B's Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds

Fall is here and the Holidays are right around the corner.

We will be carving pumpkins, baking squash and baking pies.

Inside these amazing vegetables grown with Mother Natures loving care are an abundance of little healthy tid bits.... the seeds!

These seeds are actually a very healthy snack.

Click here for my recipe for Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds:

Roasted Pumpkin and Squash Seeds

Have the entire Family help!

Enjoy ;)

Easy Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

My Family has made these wonderful crunchy Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles for years. I have taken the liberty to make them a tad bit healthier for you by adding less salt and sugar. Side by side 1/2 liked the original version and the other 1/2 liked the healthier.

Both liked them no matter what before I did the taste test ;)

You can use the early pickling cumbers (the small ones) if you can get them or regular cucumbers also.

Ingredients:

To make 4 quarts or 8 pints:

• 2 cups vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups sugar (2 cups for healthier)
• 1/2 cup salt (use half the amount if you are watching salt intake)
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon Celery seed
• 4 garlic cloves sliced thin

Fresh Dill sprigs
Cucumbers sliced thinly
Onions sliced thinly

Wash and Sanitize your canning jars. You can run them in the dish washer.

Place rings and lids in hot water from microwave to sanitize.

Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, Turmeric, Celery seeds and Mustard seeds in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.

Slice all cucumbers, onions, garlic and chop the dill a few time into large pieces. Combine all in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.

Fill your jars with the cucumber mixture making sure to pack well and do not fill past the neck of the jar. Set aside.

Mix brine well before each scoop and using a soup ladle pour over packed jars filling just above the cucumbers.

Wipe rims of jars with hot wet cloth to remove drips ad lid and ring then tighten. Turn jar upside down on dish towel until all other jars are complete.

Place in refrigerator. Turn and shake the jars every day to mix the brine through out the pickles. Pickles should be ready in three days.

Pickles need to be kept in the refrigerator. Turning occasionally mix up the spices they may settle on the bottom.

These are wonder crunchy pickles you can make any time and serve anytime of the year.

Tie a ribbon around the lid and take for a Hostess gift to your next dinner party!

Enjoy!

Leek What Is It And How To Clean And Store

Leeks

Allium Porrum: A mild onion-like taste, less bitter than a scallion. A member of the garlic family.

The edible portion is the white bulb area and the lighter green sections. The very dark green is usually discarded.

I love to keep Leeks on hand all the time. I use them in cooking, on salads and sandwiches. They keep a lot longer than scallions.

Leeks tend to get very very sandy. The sand collects deep inside and is hard to just rinse off.

To clean I cut them in half length wise. Cut off the very dark greens, leaving them long enough to fit into a large zip lock bag.

Take the half's and rinse under cold running water in the sink. Separating the leaves as you rinse gently to remove the unwanted sand.

I prefer this method so it keeps longer.

You can also just chop up the leek and toss into a bowl of cold water, swish around and then drain in a strainer. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Place into plastic bag and put in the fridge. The leek is cleaned and ready to use when ever you need it.

Enjoy ;)

Quick and Easy Healthy Chicken Stir Fry

In a hurry to make dinner and not a lot of time to do it or are you tired? If so here is a quick and easy recipe any one can do with any meat and veggies on hand.

Here I've whipped up a quick chicken stir fry. In my new handy dandy wok which I love by Nordic Ware provided to us by CSN Stores.

Ingredients:

• Two large chicken breasts sliced thin
• One stalk celery sliced 1/2" thick on an angle
• One large carrot sliced 1/2" thick on an angle
• Two handfuls whole french green beans
• Two scallions (green onions) sliced on an angle
• Two cups cooked whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
• One large clove garlic, chopped
• Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup cold water or cold chicken broth
• Corn Starch
• Salt
• Pepper

You can add more or less vegetables: mushrooms, fennel, kayle, ginger etc...

Marinate the chicken slices in two tablespoons low sodium soy sauce while you are slicing up the veggies.

Add one tablespoon olive oil to wok and heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper add to heated wok, let sit a minute to lightly brown and then turn and cook through. Remove from wok and place in a covered dish, set aside.

Add a dash more oil to wok and add the veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies until almost tender but with a bit of a crunch for that "fresh taste".

Mix in a small bowl one tablespoon cornstarch, two tablespoons low sodium soy sauce and 1/2 cup cold water or cold chicken broth, set aside.

Add cooked chicken, whole wheat noodles and veggies to the wok toss to combine and heat, add corn starch soy mixture, toss to combine until thickened (if too thick add a little more broth or water a little at a time).

Remove to serving platter and enjoy.

Serves (2) healthy size servings.

Happy Cooking :)

German Red Cabbage and Apples

Amy Ruth,

I found this recipe this morning for you from Allrecipes to try. It has a sweet and tart flavor.

Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1 medium head red cabbage, cored and sliced
• 2 large tart apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 2 whole allspice
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cold water

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, toss cabbage, apples and onion. Add water, vinegar, sugar, butter and salt. Place the peppercorns, allspice, cloves and bay leaf on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and stir with kitchen string to form a bag. Add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/4 hours.
2. Discard spice bag. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir in cabbage mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

Serves 6

Happy Cooking!

Easy Stovetop Herb Roasted Yukon Potato's

If you love the oven roasted potato's but don't want to heat up that big ol oven try this quick and easy recipe, I'm sure you will be hooked!

It's very simple and takes less time to cook.

Ingredients:

• Yukon Gold potato's (or your favorite) one per person or more if you have hungry eaters!
• Small Handful Fresh Parsley (chopped)
• Two to three 3" sprigs Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
• One Garlic Clove for 3 people, two for 4 - 5 people (grated or finely chop)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

Wash and dry your potato's. Cut into fours.

In a large deep skillet or sauce pan heat three tablespoons olive oil to med to med high heat.

Add potato's to hot pan sprinkle in the herbs, salt, pepper and grated garlic. Toss or mix to coat evenly. Cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes or until browned and tender. Shaking the pan every five minutes or so to turn potato's. If you turn with a spatula do so gently to prevent them from breaking up. Keep the lid on this is the "tip" it cooks the potato's in their own steam and browns at the same time ;)

Serve with your favorite main dish like: Cooking The Perfect Steak

Enjoy!

Miso Cod With Spinach And Rice

This Cod dish is a easy change for the week, or a great Friday night dinner with some great white wine.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Cod fillet for two (pick out a nice thick piece from your fish monger)
• 1 can low sodium chicken broth
• 1 package Miso soup mix (here I used a single serving packet)
• 1 carrot sliced on an angle
• 1/4 cup dried mushrooms
• 1 Scallion sliced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or about two large handfuls)
• 2 cups cooked white rice

In a sauce pan combine water, chicken broth, soup mix, soy sauce, carrots, mushrooms and scallions. Heat over medium heat, bring to a simmer, cook until the mushrooms have been reconstituted and the carrots are tender but still firm. Season with fresh ground pepper. I don't use salt in this recipe (optional) because the soy sauce and Miso soup mix has plenty ;)

Season the cod with freshly ground pepper.

In a fry pan, on medium heat three tablespoons butter, two tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon soy sauce. When the sauce starts to sizzle (the pan is good and hot) add the cod and sear both sides to caramelize. Remove cod from pan to a plate. Cod should be under cooked in the center at this point.

Pour the broth and vegetables into the fry pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom the pan. Add the cod back into the broth and cook until done and flakes with a fork.

Ladle some cooked rice into a large soup or pasta bowl. Add a piece of cod with broth and vegetables on top of the rice. Place the baby spinach around the bowl (the heat from the broth with wilt the spinach no need to cook).

Serves two.

Enjoy!

Serve with a great Chardonnay.

How To Cook A Pumpkin or Squash For The Holidays

Cooking a pumpkin is a piece of cake and the bonus is you don't need to toss those porch pumpkins out anymore! This recipe can be used for any edible pumpkin or squash.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cut pumpkin in have and discard the seeds. Spray a cooking sheet with non stick oil and place pumpkin or squash halves cut side down skin up.

Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes or until fork tender.

Scoop out cooked pumpkin from the skin. It is ready for any of your Holiday recipes! You can put in a zip lock freezer bag and freeze until ready to use.

If you would like to cook it with spices just turn cut side up and sprinkle with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, butter and brown sugar for a wonder easy dessert. Cover with foil and bake until fork tender.

Enjoy!

Holiday Pumpkin Crunch

We received this yummy recipe from friends and then lost it! So I did research, found a Hawaiian recipe and then found the old one I had lost. After trying to duplicate it I made several versions. The mistake which is this one is the one we absolutely love.

So here is my version of Pumpkin Crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Can Pumpkin with spices added
• 1 Can Evaporated Milk
• 1 Cup Sugar (for healthier version use 1/2 C Sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3 Eggs beaten
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla

Topping:

• 1 Box Spice Cake Mix
• 2 Sticks of Butter melted (Paula Dean would be happy ;)
• 1 Cup or more of chopped Pecans

Additional Topping Optional:

• 1 - 8 oz package of Cream Cheese (or low fat)
• 1 Cup Cool Whip

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 13 x 9 metal pan (preferred over glass if you have one) by spraying with non-stick cooking oil.

In large mixing bowl combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and beaten eggs. Mix well using a whisk. Pour into prepared pan.

Topping:

Sprinkle one box of Spice Cake Mix on top of uncooked pumpkin mixture. Drizzle with melted butter. Then sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 for one hour until set and nuts nicely browned.

Optional Topping:

Combine Cream Cheese and Cool whip, mix well, spread over top of cooked Pumpkin Crunch (we prefer just plain old whip cream on top).

Serve warm for best results. If you liked the Karen B's Homemade Carmel Apple Bread Pudding recipe your gonna LOVE this one!

Enjoy!

Grilled Vegetables For Better Flavored Dishes!

The next time you make Pasta Sauce or and dishes that calls for vegetables try grilling your vegetables first.

Grilling the vegetables instead of sauteing them gives them a more smokey grilled flavor. I did this the last time I made Spaghetti sauce and we all loved it.

I just oiled my grill pan, sliced the veggies, seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled until they got nice grill marks. Then, I chopped them up and finished my sauce as I normally would.

Try it you will like it!

Enjoy!

Italian Simmered Tomatoes and Zucchini

Simmered Tomatoes and Zucchini is a wonderful side dish that can be made anytime and be served with almost anything. It's great all year round. Just add some fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil and your done ;)

Ingredients:

• Three Large Tomatoes sliced 3/4 inch thick
• Three Zucchini sliced 3/4 inch thick
• Three Fresh Garlic Cloves sliced
• Three Tablespoons Fresh Flat Leave Parsley chopped
• Two Tablespoon Fresh Oregano chopped
• 1/2 small Red Onion sliced
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Coat deep fry pan with Olive Oil and heat. Add Garlic and Onions saute until you can start to smell the garlic.

Layer in the Squash, Tomatoes and herbs. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Drizzle some more Olive Oil over the top.

Cover and let simmer, turning occasionally gently until tomatoes are cooked and zucchini is tender. The aroma is amazing!

Serve as a side dish with chicken, beef or fish.

Serves two Adults and two Children. Double recipe for more guests ;)

Enjoy!

Labor Day Corn On The Cob With Dill Butter

Mix it up a bit the next time you cook Corn On The Cob. Top it with quick and easy Dill butter.

If your grilling the corn or boiling it works for both.

Grilling Corn:

• Peel back husks remove the corn hair (leave husks attached)
• Soak in five gallon bucket for 1/2 hour.
• Brush Dill Butter on Corn close up the husks and tie the end shut with string.
• Grill Corn until tender, turning every five minutes and cook on all four sides.

Dill Butter:

• One stick butter
• Two to Three Tablespoons finally chopped Fresh Dill.
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• Dash of Fresh Ground Pepper if desired.

Combine Butter, Dill, Salt and Pepper mix well.

Anti Tummy Bloat Cucumber Lemon Ginger Water

Instead of drinking diet soda's or just plain old water here is a drink that is healthy, all natural and actually tastes great!

Anti Tummy Bloat Water is easy to make and all the ingredients are in your refrigerator. Drink for a couple days before any big event to help get rid of tummy bloating. Or drink it anytime, why not, it's good for you ;)

Ingredients:

• Lemon Slices
• Cucumber Slices
• Shredded Ginger
• Fresh Spearmint Leaves
• Water

Combine all ingredients into a pitcher and fill with water. Place in refrigerator to chill.

You will find this so refreshing it's like going to the spa!

Enjoy!

Refreshing and Lite Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad is quick and very easy to make. If your Family does not like the sour cream version or you are just looking for a lighter and healthier version this ones for you.

Ingredients:

• Three large Cucumbers
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• One Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Chives
• One Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Dill
• Fresh Parsley for Garnish
• Salt
• Dash of Pepper

Prepare the Cucumbers.

With a Carrot peeler, peel the skin off the Cucumbers.

Slice and place into a strainer. Sprinkle well with salt enough to cover, toss the Cucumbers and add more salt. Set the strainer in the sink or in a large bowl to catch the liquids. The Salt will make the Cucumbers sweat releasing some of the liquids so the Salad is not to watery. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes then rinse and drain well.

In a large mixing bowl add the fresh Chives, Dill, 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar, 3 to 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil and dash of Pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon). The Cucumbers are already salted so do not add any more salt at this point. Mix well.

Add Cucumber slices to the Oil and Vinegar mixture and toss well to coat. Place in a pretty serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of Parsley.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Tip Of The Day: Storing Apples

The best way to store apples after you purchase them is to keep them in the refrigerator or in a cool dark place.

If you leave them out on the counter in a bowl (which I may add looks nice) will cause them to loose their flavor and crispness.

Keep them in a vented bag in the crisper drawer to keep them fresher longer. I wash mine thoroughly and place them in a bowl lightly covered with some wrap w/holes at a easy to reach location in the fridge. This way when the kids need a snack they can help themselves and stay healthy at he same time.

The old saying has been found to be true:

"An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!"

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Marinara

Summer Time screams fresh vegetables picked from the garden! Here is one of my favorites that is usually only available for a short time "Fried Green Tomatoes". This very simple and easy recipe with my added touch of the Marinara renews an old dish.

And "yes" these beauties are from my little garden in the city!

Ingredients:

• 4 Large Green Tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 Cup White Cornmeal or Yellow
• 1 Tablespoon Creole Seasoning (or Italian Seasoning w/a dash of Chili Powder is OK)
• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour, Divided
• Vegetable Oil or Peanut Oil
• Your Favorite Jar of Marinara Sauce
• Parmesan Cheese - Grated

Preheat oven to 200.

Cut Tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Season both sides of the Tomatoes with Salt and Pepper.

You will need three shallow dishes:

1. First shallow dish pour in the Buttermilk.
2. Second shallow dish mix together the Cornmeal, Creole Seasonings and 1 Cup Flour.
3. Third shallow dish add the remaining 1 Cup Flour.

Dredge the Tomatoes in the plain Flour, then dip in the Buttermilk and then dredge in the cornmeal mixture. Do this until all the Tomatoes are done, placing on a paper towel lined platter.

Heat Heavy skillet (cast-iron works well if you have one); heat over medium heat (350).

Fry Tomatoes in batches being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, remove to a paper towel lines tray and keep warm in the oven.

Heat 1-1/2 cups of Marinara Sauce.

Arrange Fried Green Tomatoes on a pretty serving platter with the Marinara Sauce in a dish in the center. Sprinkle Tomatoes with Salt, Pepper and Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy ;)

Tip Of The Day: What's The Best Potato For Mashed? Yukon Gold

When your making mashed potato's use the best:

Yukon Gold Potato's

Yukon Gold Potato's are the Cadillac of all potato's! The olden color has the best flavor. Make sure to try them and compare yourself the next time you mash ;)

Enjoy!