Sangria and Ice Cream

I went to the dentist for an exam, ended up with a cavity being filled. In the way back lower molar. Difficult to get at, double dose of novocaine, still a little sore. Unexpected costs. Then I traveled an hour each way to pick up raw meat for the dogs, finding that it started to bleed as it started to thaw in the back of the wagon, trying to fit it all in the freezer that R. unexpectedly filled yesterday with raw meat, smelling gas and finding that the tank is leaking, Harley having Tourette's type of barking....It was a "Calgon take me away" kind of day. Time for a shot and a beer. 

The other day I was given a pre-made bottled of carbonated Sangria to try. So I popped it open. I'm not really inclined to chew food tonight so I knew I'd be having some ice cream, too. 

Then it hit me. 

Sangria with a couple scoops of strawberry ice cream. A 'root beer' float for adults. Yeyyyy....and yummy! You should try it.

A Skellie Chicken

Last night at camp as we sat at the picnic table getting ready to eat some local free range chicken that R. grilled, his daughter who takes pictures of everything decided to play with her food...growing up this was highly discouraged by my parents, but I'm not my parents so I cheered her on and then had her send me a picture so I could blog about it, which supports her playing even more. But, hey, after playing, she eats her food. So in a matter of minutes, Skellie was gone.

Are You Feeling Foggy? Tired? Can't Think Straight?

Wow, this got longer than I expected...if you want the point of the story, skip to the bottom. LOL 

There's a lot of hub bub from different blogs about going gluten free. Over the years, I have tried a few different ways of eating. I was meatless for about 7 years and then I met R. and he looked at me and said, "you need some meat protein, I can see it." I knew he was right, but I didn't believe meat was right for me. I took his advice and started to eat meat again. I knew my body wanted and I would cheat once in awhile, but I was denying it because my brain thought differently. I tried raw foodism, but couldn't get the hang of the work often involved. I've cut out carbs before and felt great, but I am a sweet-a-holic and if it's in the house, I'm eating it...often. Then I have sugar crashes. I generally wait too long before eating, too, which often makes me crash. Not good. Although I do incorporate a lot of fruits, vegetables and nuts in my diet, and lean or natural meats, I've been eating a little too much lately of the not so good for you foods. A few weeks back it started with this:

If I hadn't eaten it all before thinking, you would have gotten a picture of the whole cake...

I was going to make this back in December but hadn't gotten to it. It's a rum cake recipe that Ree of Pioneer Woman put on her blog. I finally made it although I don't typically eat a boxed cake or boxed pudding. I figure if you are going to have something baked, make it from scratch. But she made it sound so delicious so I finally put it together. OMG! I could have eaten the whole thing in one day. My taste buds were screaming for more. The evening that I made it I asked R. if he wanted a piece although he was about to go to bed. He cut himself a slice, understood from the first bite why I was so addicted and then had two more pieces! Fortunately for the both of us I have two neighbors that I like to share food with, 1/3 of the cake was given away...I put two pieces in the freezer...and scoffed the rest. And vowed that I would never make it again. Well, maybe not until next December. I even wrote to Ree and asked "how dare she do such a thing to me" LOL

So that was the beginning of the end. I started baking regularly again. I was doing it for R. because I know he likes homemade treats. The problem was that I ate them all and saved him the crumbs. It had to stop.

I've been planning to go grain free because the dermatitis on my scalp seems to be getting worse and although it's something my mother and brother also had an issue with, for most of my life I pegged it as hereditary. As I continued to research being grain free and gluten free, my gut was telling me that my head issue could be a food issue. I also know that stress doesn't help it at all. When I was regularly stressed out (for about 10 years due to the relationship at the time) it was also on my face.

On Thursday I had a fruit smoothie, then waited too long to eat again, I knew I needed some protein, my blood sugar was going down fast so I started to scramble up some eggs. Well, while I did that, I stuffed my face with some cake. Then I ate the eggs, then I crashed big time. I was tired and lethargic and I couldn't think straight. It took over an hour to start to come out of it. That's when I said I needed to pay attention and stop fooling around. In my fantasies of food, I'd be able to take a pill when hungry and be full and energized. The reality is that I have to have a plan and prepare food for my day. The evening meal isn't a big deal, which includes a big salad (what my friend Lois would call a kitchen sink salad) I do that regularly, but the daytime hours of wanting to get a lot done, or just plain laziness, was really effecting my body, my mind and my moods. I needed to get on track.

On Friday, I had a fruit smoothie, a few hours later an egg, a couple hours later some quinoa with chicken sausage and peppers, then an hour and a half later a Wendy's Jr. cheeseburger, mini fries, and a frosty. I never eat this stuff and I usually don't eat too much....except then. It was situational, then I went to family dinner and had garlic bread, turkey pot pie, a salad, oreos, and ice cream. I drove home at 11pm with pains in my side. Sharp pains. Pains that make you say, "alright, this has got to stop"

Saturday it began. I was grain free all day, I made sure I had enough protein and fruits and vegetables. Did I want that ice cream sitting in the freezer? yes, but I just reminded myself of the day before. I made sure that Sunday morning I didn't wait too long before eating. I knew we'd be going to the flea market and it would be very normal for me to not eat thinking I'd find something along the way and then end up crashing from a sugar low. One of my favorite things to do is get a coffee for the drive to the flea, even after one day of not putting crap into my system, I could immediately feel how my body reacted to the coffee after two sips. Maybe it's the coffee, the sugar or the cream, either way, my body wasn't liking it too much. I continued the day being good with my food choices and am better for it. I've been bright and clear and that is such a good feeling. My stomach is not extending from being bloated, and that's a GREAT feeling.

So I will continue to pay attention and do my best at keeping myself feeling better. I did start an ice coffee today but after 3 sips, I dumped it. It just wasn't feeling good and I actually ended up not having a taste for it.

The point of this story is twofold: to tell you about a delicious cake (but proceed with caution, I'm warning you) but also to put the bug in your ear if you aren't aware already, that if you're feeling sluggish, unfocused, moody....maybe it's what you are eating.

Speaking of Recipes...

I was linking from one blog to another a couple weeks ago and came across a post about a delicious gluten free flourless chocolate cake. Debby from Quilty Pleasures talked about it as she was without her stove for a few days and was trying to make due with a toaster oven, and made this cake. I asked her for the recipe because it sounded so interesting. It's made with chick peas. Yup, garbanzo beans! What a great idea! and it was so quick and easy. Turns out she found it on allrecipes.com.

photo taken from Quilty Pleasures

Most of the few people I made try this liked it. I cut back the sugar by a third and it was still a little too sweet for me. Next time I would cut it back a little more and use a really dark chocolate. I may try a little less egg, too, as it wasn't as dense as a flourless cake would normally be. It definitely would be tasty with some raspberries or a raspberry syrup drizzled on it. Raspberry and chocolate -- can never go wrong with that!! unless of course, you are my friend Vanessa who believes that baked goods and fruit do not belong together. 

I would love to be on a gluten free/mostly grainless way of living again, I know I will feel better, so this was a great recipe to find because it didn't substitute flour with another gluten free grain. Of course, I say this as I just popped into the oven a cinnamon beer bread! LOL and last night made chocolate chip cookies for the Man and my neighbor...a few cookies for them -- a few spoonfuls of batter for me...eating the batter does not make them gluten free Denise.

Lemon Mousse Bursts Flavor in Your Mouth

I had guests for dinner Friday night and made a lemon mousse for dessert...found it via an internet search, I got the recipe that was from Barefoot Contessa and then I found this from the blog Indian Simmer... (which, by the way, you should check out for some good recipes and beautiful food photography.)

Photo taken from Indian Simmer 

Can I just say DELICIOUS!!? So light and lemony (I had left out the lemon curd called for in the recipe because Prerna from Indian Simmer said it was good without it.) I served it in Martini glasses drizzled with bittersweet chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. YUMMMY! everyone loved it. I think I might make it again using orange zest and juice and maybe separating layers of fruit infused mousse with dark chocolate mousse.

Spoons were diving in before I thought that I should have taken a picture, but it looks pretty in ramekins, too.

Red Lentils and Rice

I just made this Red Lentils and Rice recipe that was on a new blog I found -- Casual Kitchen --

photo from Casual Kitchen

I didn't have the curry or cayenne but it still tastes yummy with a delicate taste of ginger. I've not made red lentils in awhile and was talking with a friend about them yesterday. The way she described how yummy she thought they were, made me want to rush out and get some....so I did. Then I looked up a side dish recipe. Reading more of the blog, I found that I like what she has to offer as recipes and thoughts on food, too. So she's been added to my long list of daily reads...no wonder I don't get anything done around here.

hmmmm, will have to work on that.

Jimaca Gicama

photo courtesy of defeatdiabetes.org

Jimaca (pronounced Hicama) is a food I realized today that I haven't eaten in awhile. Out shopping today, I picked one up remembering that I like it. It's crispy and has a light taste. It's great as a cruncher instead of chips or such and it's wonderful in salads. I just cut it up and put it in a bowl of water in the fridge for easy grabbing and retaining it's moisture.

But, I didn't know the vitamin benefits of it, or 'what' it actually was. I 'googled' it, (thank goodness for the internet) and this is what I found. ...you know, in case you're wondering....


"Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. Jicama has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Jicama has a unique flavor that lends itself well to salads, salsas, and vegetable platters. The roots can sometimes grow to be quite large, although when they exceed the size of two fists, they begin to convert the sugars that give jicama its sweet flavor into starches, making the root somewhat woody to the taste.

Jicama is actually a legume, and it grows on vines that may reach 20 feet (six meters) in length. The vines tend to hug the ground, terminating in tubers that may grow up to 50 pounds (22 kilograms) in size, although the majority of jicama roots sent to market are approximately three to four pounds (1.3-2 kilograms) in weight. Before eating, the coarse brown outer layer of the jicama should be peeled to reveal the white inside.

When choosing jicama at the store, look for medium sized, firm tubers with dry roots. Do not purchase jicama that has wet or soft spots, which may indicate rot, and don't be drawn to overlarge examples of the tuber, because they may not be as flavorful. Jicama will keep under refrigeration for up to two weeks.


Jicama is excellent raw and is sometimes eaten plain. It can also be used as a substitute for water chestnut in Chinese dishes, in which case it should be thrown in right before serving. Jicama also appears in stews, juiced drinks, stuffings, and a variety of other recipes. In addition to having a unique flavor and texture, jicama takes flavor well, making it well suited to culinary experimentation. Jicama is a great source of vitamin c and is fat free—making it a superb on-the-go snack.

Jicama grows best in warm, dry climates. It can be planted and grown year round, although tubers form better during the winter time. Jicama plants sprouted in the late spring tend to produce extremely robust tubers by the winter, while jicama planted in the summer produces the most flavorful tubers, although they are typically somewhat smaller. Jicama prefers full sun and moderate rainfall, and it is subject to frost damage, making it a poor choice for northern climates. In addition, jicama produces a natural insecticide in the above ground vine, meaning that the plant protects itself from harmful pests.

Who knew? it's a legume!....and packed with Vitamin C...yey!!

Now go try it!

Easy Homemade Granola

I found the recipe on The Amateur Gourmet's blog...she got it from this cookbook:

I doubled the recipe. After putting the dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients, I remembered that I don't particularly like real sweet granola, so I tasted it. Yup, too sweet for me, I added 2 more cups of oats. I also chopped my almonds, don't have hazel nuts so omitted them, ditto on the dried cherries, and raisins won't go in until after I go back to the store. Other than that! LOL....

.....it was still warm and I couldn't wait, I scooped some plain yogurt into a bowl and put a few spoonfuls of granola on top. Yummy.

My original intent was to make Crock Pot Yogurt. I've never made yogurt so this was a double experiment. I don't drink milk so it took me 10 minutes yesterday standing in front of the all the milk available to me in a half gallon. I was looking for organic and NOT Ultra-pasteurized. I finally found one, I couldn't find much on the homogenization and pasteurization so I took it as the best choice. WELL, today, as I'm decanting it, I'm looking for homo/pasteur info. and I find it in VERY light type in a VERY small font. You guessed it! ULTRA PASTEURIZED!! Ugh! $4 down the tubes, since it was opened, I can't return it unless I lie about it's taste or something and I don't want to do that. Fortunately, my neighbor's kids drink milk so I'll give it to them. Ugh.

I was mostly disappointed because I really wanted to make it this morning, didn't want to hoof it to the store for another half gallon, but it looks like someone else had different plans for my morning. This is going to end up being very expensive yogurt. The things you do to try to be more health and earth conscious.

If I don't make it soon, the plain yogurt I bought for 'starter' will be completely gone.

Crock Pot Zucchini Bread

I've been trying to put my crock pot/slow cooker to work for a couple of reasons....1. my vintage stove is 50º off and even with an oven thermometer baked goods aren't rising right. I thought maybe it was my baking powder or flour so I changed them out but no, I made chocolate cake, it came out like a brownie, I made brownies, they came out more like cake...2. keeping heat out of the kitchen ... 3. less use of electricity and 4. I don't have to spend the evening making food.

I made a chicken dish the other night that was tasty, it had onions, apples, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and chicken thighs, the apples gave it a nice sweetness. If I could remember the website I got it from I'd link you there.

Today I made Zucchini bread. R. brought some squash and zucchini from the garden and I know there will be an abundance so lots of making and pureeing and sauteing and grilling will be happening. I decided to look up a recipe for Crock Pot Zucchini Bread, found one, put it all together and voila! pretty cool. Lower use of electricity, much less heat brought into the house, tasty goodness. It's denser than what I'm used to with this type of bread but it's moist and tasty. The cinnamon and nutmeg add a nice flavor.

ps: notice in the recipe it calls for 1 tablespoon...it doesn't say of what....I'm sure you'd figure it out but I'll tell you, it's vanilla. typically it's one teaspoon of vanilla that goes into a recipe so that's what I put in....


As that was cooking I was steaming up some squash, zucchini, onions and lots of garlic in chicken stock, we'll have some venison steak and boiled carrots and be good to go.