Cucumber and Napa Cabbage Slaw

Crisp, cool and yummy. I served on side with BBQ ribs. This will be something I make on a regular basis.

Ingredients:

1/2 head Napa Cabbage, finely sliced
1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, julienne cut ( I used mandolin)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on a bias
2 scallions, finely sliced, white and some green1/2 c  roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 c peanut oil or canola oil
1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice (add 1/2 tsp zest)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Red chili flake to taste (optional)

Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. In small bowl whisk together rest of ingredients, then pour over vegetable mixture and toss well to coat.

Leek and Potato Soup

Easy and filling, a healthier version than others that add heavy cream or butter.

1 1/2 c sliced leeks , whites and some green (rinsed well)
4 c diced, (1/2 inch cubes) potatoes (I use red and leave skins on)
1/4 c Smart Balance (or whichever butter like spread)
4 c chicken broth
3 Tbls flour
3/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
nutmeg (about 3-4 sprinkles from jar)
1/2 c milk

Melt butter and saute leeks for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and saute 5 minutes more. Whisk in flour and gradually add broth, then pepper, basil, paprika and nutmeg. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender.
(at this point I mash part of the potatoes in soup, it thickens it without adding cream)
Heat til bubbly. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Thai Shrimp and Noodle Bowl

Original recipe calls for Flank Steak, I substituted Shrimp. I can’t remember where this recipe came from or I would give credit. It was delicious and easy to make.

 

Summer 2016

Very hot summer here in Coastal Ga. Had family visit, went to the river, beach and the city, even took a trolley ride through Historic Savannah. Got to see some things I usually just drive by. Elvis photo exhibit at the Jepson Center was awesome.

Took a watercolor class, still need to learn more technique.

Slept, binged a few series on Netflix, watched my flowers grow and my chickens play, enjoyed some local seafood and some yummy fruit from my Moms yard and read.

 

 

Labor day just passed and it still is in the high 90’s..

 

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Spring Swag

For Mother Day I put this together to give to my Mother in Law to decorate the door to her apartment. Found a nice spray of greens and some silk Dogwood flower branches at Michael’s. I had ribbon and some beads I added to make it unique. Just about any combination of greens, flowers, bows will do, I find when I make these I can easily over-do and have to rein myself in. If I was making something like this to sell I probably would leave out the beading, just to simplify. Below are the items I had and organized prior to assembly.

A hot glue gun, wire cutters, scissors, and floral wire are a must. (I always fill a bowl or small jar with ice water when working with hot glue gun, to dip my fingers should I drip or touch glue.)

I began by trimming all greens and floral into pieces to give me the size I wanted my finished swag to be. (this easily could have become a wreath, just personal choice) I used pieces of floral wire twisting it to attach as I worked my way along, placing floral or greens to create a symmetrical look. once I had a few together I glued the twisted wire. (Important to know if you are working with plastic greenery, it WILL melt when hot glue comes into contact, so a drop at a time where you want it, I have spent time re-gluing greens that I melted right off!)

I didn’t try to bend the wired branches just yet, I will do that once we hang it on door. You could as you go along to see how it will hang or make it more of a spray and not bend them at all. Once I had all branches, greens wired and glued I began twisting a bow. Now, there are all sorts of bow making videos out there so I am not going into any detail on that. You could easily use an already made bow.  Before wiring it in I checked for size to be sure it wasn’t too big or small. This is the nice thing about making your own bow. I even glued a little rick rack type ribbon onto my bow..just because. Then I worked on the beads. I had old curtain rings and keys, other odds and ends in my craft box so I picked out a few things to make it interesting. I used Silver wire to thread and wrap, try to keep it somewhat consistent but I like things to be slightly odd. The letter ‘P’ I glued onto one of the spiral beads, again to personalize it. Michael’s had some bracelet making stuff and that where I found the metal word ‘Loved’ ( they have Hope, Peace and just about any other inspirational word you can think of). I wired my bead dangle onto the word and positioned it, then slipped a bit of glue under each end and held it for a moment. The beads dangle freely. I love the little key I found to hang at end, and teeny heart was from a small silk gift bag that had torn.

Thankfully my Mother in Law loved her new door hanging. Come Fall I will have to make another!

Natural Dog Bath

I have had dogs my whole life and regularly bathed them with store bought shampoos. Being a hairstylist myself for over 20 yrs I learned about sulfates, surfactants and parabens, palm oils and other things that are either not that safe or environmentally uncool to use. Sure you get a great lather when a shampoo is full of SLES but does your dog really enjoy the suds? They can act as an irritant and as I found out when I rescued a little Pug mix, some little dogs are high maintenance. She is the cutest thing and worthy of my time to make her a fresh batch of dog bath about every 4-6 weeks. She loves getting a bath thankfully! This is her ~ Fiona Fugly Pug.

 

 Ingredients:

1 tsp Coconut Oil

2/3 c Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Dry Oats

1/8 c Natural Soap Shavings (or Dr Bronners Castille (I like Baby formula) would work)

3 Vitamin E caps

1 TBSP Fresh Aloe (slice edges off then with paring knife run along just under skin peeling away from all the clear insides)

4 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

4 Drops Calendula Essential Oil

4 drops Chamomile Essential Oil

10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Blend in Bullet or high speed blender till liquefied

(If making in advance, keep in cool dark place. If you refrigerate, you will have to leave at room temperature before use, I wouldn’t recommend storing large batches for long periods of time as it will go bad.)

This recipe fills a recycled 6 oz jar. Enough for 1 bath, approx 20-25 lb dog.

 

I fill my tub with about 4″ warm water, I soak Fiona with water first (I use handheld shower head) Massage mixture throughout body (do not use on face, or in ears) for a few minutes, can be rinsed and repeated. When I am done prior to rinsing her I will sit her down to soak her tail and butt and belly. Finally rinse well with clear warm water. I usually do a couple good rinses to be sure water is running clear. I have to be sure to rinse her feet well, because she is slightly neurotic about them.

Before or after bath I use hot towel wet with clear water to clean her face, eyes, and nose. Here she is after her bath drying off..she is the love of my life ♥

*Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar mixed in a 2 part to one part ratio with distilled water makes a great cleaner for dogs ears, use cotton ball and q-tips, wet but not dripping,  and NEVER stick into deep folds of ear, dry with tissue or dry cotton ball. Keeps ears from smelling, cleans out waxy build up and rids ears of bacteria. Also will cool hot spots or itchy areas and keeps fleas from liking your dog 🙂

*Braggs also is great for treating yeast infections on dogs skin. Diluted with water and a few drops of chamomile and lavender, it helps to kill yeast and soothe and protect from bacterial infection. I will soak a washcloth and use as compress on the spots.

Did I mention she is high maintenance?

Meatball Pitas

Fairly easy, longest part was getting the meatballs made but totally worth it. (TBH you could use prepared bread crumbs that are seasoned  to make it a bit easier, but still add the garlic, onion and cayenne) Recipe makes a lot of meatballs so there is leftovers! Yeah! In a pita with Feta and Tzatziki Sauce it is great as lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 pita shredded into pieces
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 5 coves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/4 c finely chopped parsely
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• Olive oil for coating pan
• 4-6 large pitas
• Shredded lettuce or spinach, chopped roma tomato, thinly sliced red onion
• Feta cheese crumbled

 

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease large baking sheet lightly. Put ground beef in large bowl. Soak shredded pita in milk for 10 minutes, then squeeze excess milk out and add to beef. Add egg and spices. Mix well. Form into small meatballs (about 2 inches). Place on baking sheet, do not crowd. Bake for 25 minutes, turning once about halfway through. When done, remove from pan onto paper towel lined plate to drain any excess oil.

To assemble on pita – Warm pitas slightly, put some Tzatziki sauce on pita across center, cut meatballs in half and place on top of sauce, top with greens, tomato and onion. Add more Tzatziki if you want. Sprinkle feta over top. Roll up sides and eat, or use knife and fork.

Tips:

• Meatballs are JUST as good with pasta and your favorite sauce!
• Meatballs can be made ahead and frozen.
• Pitas can be opened and assembled, then wrapped for a picnic lunch!

 

Tzatziki Sauce

Yummy, healthy, and simple. Great as a dip for Crudités, pretzels or pita chips or use in pitas with your favorite meats or veggies. Delicious on Meatball Pitas

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Mix all together in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours or more. Scoop into medium owl or small ramekin and garnish with piece of dill.

Tip: for a smoother sauce puree in blender for a few seconds

Shrimp with Lime and Cilantro

Ingredients :

• 1 lb cleaned shrimp
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp lime juice w/zest
• Fresh Lime Wedges

Season shrimp with salt and cayenne. Heat skillet, add oil, garlic. Saute slightly before adding shrimp. Stir until half cooked. Add cilantro, stir well, add lime juice and zest. Continue to stir until juice dries and shrimp is cooked and slight charred. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

* Tips :

Can be served over rice noodles  ( I roasted a spaghetti squash and served shrimp over squash, it was delicious! )

Shrimp can be put on Kebabs after seasoning and marinated in cilantro, lime for an hour, then brushed with extra while grilling until cooked

I made Cilantro Lime Aioli to drizzle over top

 

 

 

 

Cilantro Lime Aioli

• 1/3 cup chopped Cilantro
• 1 lime juiced with added zest
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 large clove garlic

Add all ingredients to food processor, blend till smooth.

Use as a dip for Sweet Potato Fries, Grilled Shrimp or drizzle on top of Shrimp with Lime and Cilantro