Lentil Fauxsage and Vegan Biscuits

I have no photos because I'm not a fancy food blogger, my camera is broken, and I make food to eat, not to photograph.  Besides it's lentils.  They look like lentils.  Google it.

I will gush a bit, as food bloggers do, though, before I post the recipe.  It was SO GOOD!!!  Tasted just like a sausage biscuit should!

Lentil Fauxsage

1 c. lentils
2 c. water
1 t. coconut oil

1/2 t dried sage
pinch dried rosemary
1/2 t salt
3/4 t coarse ground black pepper
pinch thyme
1/2 t dried parsley
1/4 t turmeric
pinch cloves
1 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t coconut sugar

Mix everything together in a rice cooker and use the brown rice setting.  It came together perfectly!  If you don't have a rice cooker you'll probably need to add another cup of water and cook how ever long lentils need to cook, I think it's 20 minutes or so.  Don't take my word for it, google it.

Boy, you really wouldn't confuse me with a fancy food blogger, would you! ;)

Vegan Biscuits

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1/4 of a block of vegetable bullion
water

Preheat the oven to 350*

Pulse the flour, coconut oil, and vegetable bullion in food processor until it's all mixed up.  You really can't tell.  Give it half a minute or so.  It's good enough.
Drizzle in water while it's running until the dough is the consistency you want it.  I like it a bit wet so I can just scoop it out with a spoon and dollop it on the pan.

Scoop the dough out with a spoon and dollop it on the pan.  It made 4 pretty good sized biscuits this morning.

Bake at 350* until browned.  20 minutes or so.  Maybe 30, depending on your oven.  My oven is stupid, so I really don't know, but def. check them after 25 minutes.



Scoop a little of the biscuit out to make a well for the lentils, and enjoy your fauxsage biscuit!

Apple Butter

Canning Apple Butter has been on my to-do list for a while, and now I'm going to make it happen! 

I've made crockpot apple butter before, and it's delicious, but I've always put it in the freezer.  But we're trying to cut down on our electric use (three freezers going besides the one on top of the 'fridge) and I want to try canning the apple butter this time. 

I'm going to change up the recipe just a little, by using allspice instead of cinnamon.  Fingers Crossed!

Homemade Remineralizing Toothpaste

I should have posted this Long Ago!  It is Amazing!  My teeth have been so weak for so many years - cavities, I've had nearly all of my back teeth pulled, because fillings just won't work and have to be re-done eventually - then I discovered that I could HEAL my teeth!

You may scoff, but it's Truth!  I wish there was some way to show the difference this toothpaste has made in my front teeth - the most visually obvious place.  They used to be nearly transparent.  I could put my finger behind them and wave it and you could see my finger.  Well, I can't do That any more!  They're opaque now, and feel So Strong!! 

No longer any pain when I eat cold things.  Haven't had a toothache in over a year!

But, on to this amazing recipe!

The basic recipe is:

2 parts baking soda
4 parts coconut oil

I don't actually measure these ingredients, I just add what looks good to me:

calcium/magnesium (grind calcium/magnesium tablets in a coffee grinder)
turmeric (probably about a tablespoon, maybe two) - fights inflammation
peppermint (I use dried leaves from my garden, finely ground, about a tablespoon) - for flavor and fresher smelling breath


In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil, and stir in the baking soda, calcium/magnesium, turmeric and peppermint.  Pour into glass containers and let harden. I liked the cups that come with a yogurt maker for this, but dropped and broke mine, so I'm using a Pyrex bowl with a lid now.

When you use it,  just use something to dip a bit out (don't put your toothbrush in, that's just gross) - you don't want to use too much at once! - and brush.  DON'T spit in the sink, because the coconut oil will clog your pipes; spit in the trash can, and DON'T drip on your clothes, because between the turmeric and the coconut oil, those stains won't come out (trust me).

Tabasco-like Recipe

I thought for Sure I had already posted this recipe here, but I bought peppers today, and came looking for the recipe to make tabasco-like sauce, and it wasn't here! So here it is....because I need it where I can find it. :) Tabasco-like sauce, second recipe

Homemade Tabasco Style Sauce Because the chiles are not aged in oak barrels for three years, this will be only a rough approximation of the famous McIlhenny product. You will have to grow your own tabascos or substitute dried ones that have been rehydrated. Other hot, fresh red chile peppers can be substituted for the tabascos. Ingredients: 1 pound fresh red tabasco peppers, chopped 2 cups distilled white vinegar 2 teaspoons salt Directions: Combine the chiles and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and place in a blender. Puree until smooth and place in a glass jar. Allow to steep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Remove, strain the sauce, and adjust the consistency by adding more vinegar if necessary.

Link to Homemade Cleaners!

Home made cleaners 

and

this idea  , which I LOVE!  (I hope pinterest links will come up on a blog.  We'll see.)

Dry Milk Powder

It seems like my milk packages always tell only how to reconstitute huge amounts at a time, like how to make a gallon of milk.  Since I usually use my dry milk to cook with when I'm out of regular milk, I Never need to make an entire gallon. 

I found this handy little chart online - Yay!  I'll never have to guess (wrongly, generally) again how much powder to add to my water! :)

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/reconstituting.htmhttp://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/reconstituting.htm

Decluttering, Part 2

Regarding the decluttering links I posted before - this blog post.....

I worked 4 hours last evening finishing off the last of the first week of January's list.

My kitchen has never looked better! It's so amazing....

Decluttering!

Two resources I'm using this year, in an attempt to be more organized:

http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm

Salad Dressings

I'm trying to lose weight, because my blood pressure has been up. I enjoy eating salads, but can't stand only having oil and vinegar dressings, so I searched for easy, homemade dressings that won't have hoards of additives.


I found these two that sounded like what I was after:
Ranch dressing and Thousand Island dressing ....here's hoping they're as good as they sound! :)

VERY Helpful Site!

I came across this site today:

Hillbilly Housewife ....awesome resources for those trying to save money!


She even has a worcestershire sauce recipe! I've searched high and low for a good, easy, worcestershire sauce recipe, because I haven't been able to find one without HFCS at any local stores.

Woo-Hoo! ;)

Pumpkin Pie!

It's been too long since I've posted!

I miss the pumpkin in the picture in my last post! I kept it sitting around the living room until January, then I finally cut it up...heartbreaking! lol I kept seeds, though, for this year's garden, and I PROMISE to take better care of them!

Anyway, I peeled him, and put all his lovely chunks of flesh in the crockpot with a bit of water and cooked him over night. In the morning, after he'd cooled, I packed him into freezer bags in two cup portions and froze him.

Then, when I got a craving for pumpkin pie I pulled him out and ATE him! Bwahahahaha! I mean, YUMMY! lol

He tasted very.....squashy. Not unlike the cushaw squash of my childhood. (My grandmother always grew cushaw squash and kept them under her bed until she needed one.) ; ) He was much more squashy-tasting than pumpkin-tasting, but VERY TASTY! : )

His two little brothers I sliced into thin slices and cooked like Apple Pie, like Laura Ingalls Wilder mentions in By The Shores of Silver Lake.

(Ah...a link that with a recipe! http://www.stoptheride.net/2007/09/green-pumpkin-pie.html )

The recipe calls for vinegar...and when I make it again I'll use less. Emma refered to it as "pickle pie", although she said she liked it. I liked the comment about topping it with a dollop of molasses before the top crust goes on, too...I'll prolly try that.

Fall Decoration - Easy Cute Pumpkins

I was reading a blog somewhere the other day with instructions to make pumpkins from rolls of toilet paper. I thought they were cute, but didn't think about making any, because I don't generally have a stash of orange cloth around.

BUT, Monday we stopped at a thrift store to drop off some stuff, and they had orange tissue paper.....for .25! SO, with the thought of pumpkins in mind, I bought it....and they're SO cute!


This is a blog that has pictures and instructions. Enjoy! ; )


TP Pumpkin Decoration

(My picture includes the one pumpkin that survived my *garden* this year. I don't know why, but the plants didn't want to grow until about August, then they took off and covered everything and started producing...too late for most of them to mature.)

Home Made Laundry Detergent

I've posted about making the homemade laundry detergent before, here and here .

I've just (at the beginning of October) bought another box of Borax and Washing Soda, meaning three boxes of each for the ENTIRE year.

They're something over three dollars each, we'll say $3.50 for fun, so about $21 for laundry detergent for the year.

Our clothes are clean and smell fresh, I haven't had any more problems with stains than we had before (I'm not real big on working on getting stains out anyway.....I'm more likely just to turn it into a rag than try to re-wash), and no one has had an allergic reaction to any of it. All good things, IMO. ; )

Super Easy Candy Bars

We were wanting something sweet and easier than a cake a couple days ago, so I stuck together what I had handy sitting around the kitchen....other than the cats, I mean....

I melted about seven or so caramels in the microwave, then a handfull of chocolate chips. While the chocolate chips were melting I stirred peanuts (shelled) into the caramels, until I couldn't fit any more in. Then I stirred the chocolate really well, to take out any lumps or unmelted bits. I rolled the peanut/caramel part into logs and dipped them in the chocolate, then laid them on waxed paper to harden. They were AMAZINGLY So good....and simple, just about five minutes total working time, then how long they took to harden...I didn't notice how long it was, but I think it was about half-an-hour.

Another thing...I think I've mentioned this blog on here before, Econobusters ....just thought I'd mention it again. ; ) There was a brownie recipe from them in a magazine I'd like to post, and thought I'd better mention their names again before I do. LOL (I won't type it out today, though.)

Recipes I Am SO Going to Try!

The Main Page and the

cookies I'm going to try ASAP! : )

101 Cookbooks .com

Freshly-Squozen Lemonade

I had lemons, and Anna asked why. I said, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" She said, "Or, if life gives you tomatoes, make V-8!" lol

ANYWAY...I made some lemonade; and it wasn't too tasty.

So I looked up a recipe online, and this one looks the best.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method
1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Serves 6.

Home Made Deodorant

I've never thought of actually *making* deodorant...the rock stuff works well for me...but this looks so interesting (and easy) I might try it sometime. ; )

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2008/07/homemade-deodor.html

Cream Soups Base

Yesterday I made some delicious Cream of Spinach Soup, with fresh, organic spinach from my garden. It was SO good!

I found this recipe today, good for whatever fresh veges you have in your garden...well...maybe not lettuce... ; )

Base Recipe for Cream Soup

You can use this recipe to make cream soup from most vegetables. Consider this for asparagus, fresh pea soup, carrot soup, celery soup, and more. Since tastes and veggies vary, be ready to tinker with amounts until you have it just right. You can make hot or cold soup with this recipe.
This is a great recipe for summer when the garden is overflowing with produce.

1 sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups vegetables of choice, diced
salt to taste
2/3 cup cream
Sauté the onion dices in the butter until they are tender and translucent but not browned.
Add the flour and stir and cook until a soft paste has formed but not browned.
While still cooking, pour in 1/2 cup of the broth while stirring with a whisk. Gradually add the rest of the broth, stirring to make the mixture smooth and not lumpy as if you were making gravy. Continue cooking until the mixture is bubbly and has thickened.
Add the vegetables and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft enough to mash easily.
Pour two to three cups of the liquid into your blender. Puree the mixture until it is smooth. Continue in batches until the entire soup is puréed.
Pour the soup through a strainer into a clean pan. Press any pieces through the sieve with the back of a spoon.
Salt the soup to taste. Add the cream. If the soup needs further thinning, add water. Reheat and serve.

This is basically the same recipe I used, with the exception of garlic. My recipe called for minced garlic, so if you wanted to add garlic to your onion, feel free. ; )

(To give credit where credit is due, recipe is here. )

I kept thinking homemade croutons would be good with my soup, but I didn't have any, and couldn't find the recipe, so I made toast to go with it.

Tee Bags...Recycled Shopping Bags

These are cute....cute and simple...my kind of craft! ; )


Tee Bags

Update on Homemade Laundry Detergent Post

I have updated the Homemade Laundry Detergent post again, with this added:

The boxes of Borax and Baking Soda I was using to make my detergent lasted until the last week of April, so that's four months without having to buy detergent.

I think that averages out to about $1.50 a month. Not bad, not bad at all. ; )