Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Clipped from: chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com (share this clip)

Bitten by the Smitten Kitchen

Deb's been cooking again, and I am SO making these!   Don't they look GOOD?

roasted peppers with capers and mozzarella | smitten kitchen: "

Clipped from: smittenkitchen.com (share this clip)

"

spring salad with new potatoes | smitten kitchen

Food has power, y'all! It has power over us, our husbands, even over our own wills if we let the beast get the best of us! Kingdoms have been fought over, risen, and fallen over just one bowl of stew! I have been following Deb & Alex Perelman in the Smitten Kitchen, and let me tell you, this couple in their tiny kitchen, have produced amazing things!

I've recently discovered in myself what appears to be a gluten "sensitivity" if you will, and was delighted to know that the humble potato, has none of this offender! (whew...love potatoes!)

Enjoy!

spring salad with new potatoes | smitten kitchen: "

Clipped from: smittenkitchen.com (share this clip)

"

a delicious accident

 Hello Lovies!  Here's a little quiz to test YOUR culinary knowledge....

What is this green vegetable?

Good, Good!  Now.......

What is this green vegetable?

I was getting ready to make Carne Asada the other night, and needed a few veggies at the market.
My DH volunteered to pick up what I needed at Kroger's on his way home from the golf course.

Don't know if you ever have experienced this phenomena of the DH going to market for the DW.
One time I requested this:

and DH came home 2 1/2 hours later with this:

to which I demurely replied and or requested him to kindly fire up the chain saw so I could add it to the 

evening meal which happened to be vegetable soup or some such....lol!

I KID YOU NOT!!!!!  Ask him already, it's a family joke!  

That's a background and history behind what happened at our house on Wednesday evening....

In any case, I was needing

and NOT 

although to his credit and the DIScredit to the 18 year old who checked him out and assured him that 

this

WAS even though the TEXT and picture DID INDEED SAY

THAT IT WAS 

and not only that, was also CERTIFIED ORGANIC this, and to boot,

I have 2 big plants of THAT growing as we speak in my organic garden!  LOL!

So you may be wondering the point of all this cyberbabble. but truly there is a point and a recipe!   

I duly Cut off Her Bottom stalks, and put into a big picture of cool water and set her on my counter,

not wanting to waste her!

So anyways, we are a Waste Not Want Not Family as are probably you these days, right?

Wednesday mornings are our one Big Breakfast Mornings.  More on why later.

So I got up and proceeded to make whole grained blueberry muffins, fresh yard eggs, bacon,

and fresh smoothies.   I always freeze bananas and have them ready for our smoothies and just happened to 

have some beautiful strawberries and yogurt and apple juice right there for the "smoothing"!

So I saw the Big Green Organic Green Vegetable Mistaken for This Other Green Mexican Vegetable and 

crinkled my brow, and said to myself....."I'll GET HIM!!!! Mwhuahuahua"! 

 NO!

I said, "I think I'll throw some of that in and maybe no one will be the wiser!"

So into my Oster went:

• Two frozen bananas
• 4 Tablespoons Nature Sunshine's Colliodal Minerals
• 3 Tablespoons frozen concentrated Apple Juice Concentrate
• Big Handful of Ice Cubes
• 3/4 Cup of Dannon Non Fat Non Sweetened Yogurt
•  HUGE handful of snipped Mysterious Mistaken Identity Vegetable.

And I tell you.........

YUMMYLICIOUS!

It was really really good!

Now, at  my house, I would ordinarily be reprimanded for such unseemly conduct, BUT no one complained or even fussed.  It was so cool and refreshing, and fruity and green.....

So here is the Case for Green Smoothies, and I think I will dream up some more recipes for you to enjoy!   But read below what a pack these nutrients punch when eaten raw and fresh:

Sourced from:  Are you getting your phytonutrients?

"Phytonutrients (pronounced “fight-o-nutrients”), also called phytochemicals, are natural bioactive compounds found in fruits and vegetables that works together with vitamins, minerals, and fiber to promote good health.

The National Cancer Institute recommends eating at least 5 – 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Other reputable sources recommend at least 9 servings for men, 7 servings for women, and 5 servings for children.


Research shows that fruits and vegetables are powerful defenders of our health. The research supporting a critical role for fruits and vegetables in good health grows stronger all the time. Scientists now agree that fruits and vegetables should be the foundation of a healthy diet. In addition to helping you feel better eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can also help reduce your risk of many chronic diseases including cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other diseases.


The sad part is that despite these benefits, only 10 percent of us are able to follow this advice. I for one, find it difficult to eat this many servings of fruit and vegetables on a consistent basis. For those of you in my situation, we are probably not consuming the necessary dosage of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to stay healthy, unless we are taking some form of vitamin supplement. However, traditional vitamin supplements do not provide us with phytonutrients.


The bioactive functions of phytonutrients — or the way they work in your body — is an ongoing area of research. Some studies show that phytochemicals can:

• Act as antioxidants
• Stimulate detoxification enzymes
• Stimulate the immune system
• Positively affect hormones
• Act as antibacterial or antiviral agents

Common Phytonutrients include carotenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, indoles, lignans, isoflavones (including genistein and daidzen) organosulfurs and phytosterols. Hundreds of other phytonutrients have been discovered, usually related to the color of fruits and vegetables — green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white.. This leads to the recommendation that you should eat fruits and vegetables of varied color each day.
Phytonutrient-rich foods:

• red, green, yellow and orange vegetables (apricots, peaches, melons, squashes, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, pumpkin)
• cruciferous veggies (kale, broccoli)
• dark leafy greens (spinach and romaine)
• fruits (citrus and berries)
• flaxseeds
• whole grains and legumes
• garlic and leeks
• soybeans
• green teas and other herbal teas

Are you concerned about getting the necessary phytochemicals? Juicing provides a great, natural way to get phytonutrients that you need. Remember to juice fruits and vegetables that have a variety of colors to maximize your phytochemical intake. Despite juicing, if you find it difficult to get the 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day – especially in sufficient variety to give you a broad range of phytonutrients, I have recently found an amazing source of Phytonutrients from 24 fruits and vegetables, packaged in a convenient “on-the-go” approach.
For more information on phytonutrients and recommended daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, you can refer to the government's website called Eat 5 to 9 a Day for Better Health. "



What?   You still don't know?  
I sent him to the store for Cilantro, and he came back with Italian Parsley!
LOL!

Herbes d'un vert tendre

Bonjour, mes amis!

So I promised you a post about my wonderful invasive weeds...em...herbs!  I've been wanting to create a wonderful baby soap made with green herbs found locally.  I have a  recipe and it looks ever so luscious. It would aid in diaper rash burns and a host of other maladies.  Yep, It would have.  But.....

But I have been horrible at doing infused oils.   Namely, I gather them, I dry them, I get expensive oil, I pack them in sterile mason jars and cover them with oil.   But something always goes awry.   That something would be ME.  Yours truly.

Either I put them it too cool a clime, or too hot a clime, or I forget to shake them, or put them in the sun, or take them out of the sun, or take them out of the oil or WHATEVER.

This last time was no exception.   Every morning for DAYS I went out to gather herbs in the fresh morning dew.  I gently rinsed them, snipped and cut away any bad parts or roots.  Picked pine needles out of their tender entwines.   Gently laid them on fresh tissue paper for them to evaporate most of their moisture.  Gently turned them every day until they diminished in mass and water content.

Went out and purchased some extra virgin olive oil.  Placed them lovingly in the crock pot.  Which has two temps: low and high.

Covered them in the olive oil, set my timer to about 10 minutes, placed the crock pot on LOW, and walked away for 10 minutes, after which the timer notified me to turn crockpot off.

Here is a picture of them, freshly gathered:

If you are imagining that they are fragrant, then you are right.  More about these weeds/useful medicinal herbs later.  My daughter Casey is who informed me of this particular wee/useful herb; and that it should be used in our endeavors.  That in itself made me glow with pride.  Hehe....

So last night was the end of a long day of multitasking at it's finest.  I had been carefully adding herbs to my crockpot for a couple of days.   Setting the timer for 10 minutes, dutifully turning it off to steep, on and off, several times a day for about 3 days.   Turning it, basting the precious herbs in the expensive olive oil.   It was turning into a  fine, BEAUTFUL emulsion.

Last night, however, I said to myself:  "OK,  Let me saute this chicken for ข้าวผัดไก่, affectionately and phonetically pronounced Cow Pot Guy.    I would not forget to shut the timer off.  Nope, not me".  It was all under control.

At about 9:00 PM I heard a popping in the kitchen.   The dogs' ears perked up; we all glanced that way but "Nah.....what could it be"?  we surmised.

About 15 minutes later I heard a pop sufficiently loud enough to get me off the couch and bounding into the adjoining kitchen.  "Cranky old hot water heater," I thought.   But then the lid on the crock pot was cheerfully emitting a steady green-smelling vaporous steam into the kitchen, and I heard the weeds/useful medicinal herbs not simmering, or poaching, but BOILING, and I mean boiling loudly.  A raging, full ROLLING boil, as they say.

So sad at my own ineptness, I turned the crock pot off and lifted the lid.  A nice herbal spa treatment greeted my curious visage, and only about 10 seconds later, Joe asked me, "WHAT'S that smell????"  To which I replied, "Another experiment, FAILED....." simpering soflty...

I just wanted to update you as promised.   I will toss this oily mess into the garbage and start over.   I will  not be foiled.   Even if I have to stand there every 10 minutes, not diverting my gaze, and wait.   I will prevail!

Ha! So THERE!

In other news, I read this most interesting article today on Etsy.   I try to read as much as I can but thought this was of particular interest, and something for all of us who produce handmade goods to think about it.
Why not take a read:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/noted-can-local-manufacturing-make-a-difference-12575/?ref=fp_blog_title


So then, dear one, I so love that you take time out of your busy schedule to read my posts!
You have no idea how much that means to me!


Toodles!

Goo-ay TEA Oh....

Sa-Wat-Dee-Kha!   Been young ay, na kha?

Okay so most of you know I used to live in Siam, now called Thailand.  I spent
3 years there, ate everything imaginable, learned to read, write and speak Thai.
It was an awesome adventure, and I owe my lovely Thai friends there for putting up
with me.  

One of the wonderful things about Thailand is the sumptious food.  Although people
there live a very simple lifestyle and most live at our poverty level or under, they manage
to make food that will absolutely delight your tastebuds.   Savory hot soups that surprise with
a sour twist, cool sweet tropical fruits that sell for a dime, spices that will cause even the stouthearted to
almost faint (another story!), curries that are so creamy and delectable, and the fabled lemongrass which lends a citrusy and cool fragrant flavor to many dishes.  These, my friends are the wonders of "Aahaarn Thai", Thai food.  

If a dish is delicious, you compliment your hostess, saying   "A roy Maak"; meaning very delicious.   When you simply cannot eat another bite, you say, "Imm leew!"  The older or one who has the most authority pays the bill, and the person who invites pays the bill.   Fortunately for us, the bill was always cheap; we ate for about .75 a day!    Amazing!

Thailand is a very colorful place filled with smiles, tropical beauty, wild orchids and lovely floating markets.  The fruits and fauna are beutiful beyond my ability to describe.  Here is a typical market scene:

Okay so!  Would you like a brief lesson in Thai cooking today?  I thought so!

We ate this soup nearly every day in Thailand.  Goo-ay TEA oh.  

Let's get to it, shall we?  

GOO AY TEA OH    

Prep Time:  1 1/2 hours

One half of a chicken

6 - 8 cups of water

Vinegar

Sugar

Chicken Stock Powder

Fish Sauce

Ramen Noodles chicken flavor (or glass noodles but we like Ramen)

Cilantro

More Fish Sauce

Garlic

Crushed red chili peppers

1. Boil the chicken in the water with the stock powder or buillion cubes.  I like it strong!
2. While boiling, add vinegar and sugar to taste.   It should taste sweet and sour.   Keep adding until it does.  Approx. 1/2 C. white vinegar and approx 4 tablespoons sugar.  Sorry, I'm a right brain cook.
3. Add fish sauce to taste. Fish sauce is what they use instead of table salt.  YOU DON'T LIKE FISH SAUCE?  Stop the bus and get off right now!  I GA RAUNTEEE you, you have eaten fish sauce if you ever ate anything Thai.  So smile and get over it.
4. Chop coarsely about 6 large cloves of fresh garlic and saute until golden brown. I know, it's a pain, but oh man!  It's worth it!   It only takes 5 minutes, don't wimp out and use the powder! Drain garlic on a paper towel.  Save the garlicky oil for later use; it makes great fajita saute sauce.  
5. Cook and debone the chicken.  Skim some but not all fat.  Fat = flavor!  Never trust a skinny cook anyways.  
6. Add chicken, shredded back to the soup dish.
7. Chop some fresh cilantro.
8. Boil the Ramen noodles for 2 minutes, add into the soup mixture and then serve into bowls.  
9. Top with chopped cilantro, crushed red chilis, and more fish sauce.
10. Use chopsticks and a spoon to eat.   
11. This goes great with this that you can pick up at any Krogers:

Crunchy rolls from Kroger Sushi Deli.... See that ginger? I could eat that all day long!

.   Mmmm mmmm Good!

Let me know how you like this dish! 

Here is my daughter scarfing away; it's her favorite Thai dish~

And this was her in Thailand at the Bangkok airport at 2:30 AM after traveling 24 hours to get there in 2004:

Is she cute or WHAT?   

And, if you are just not able to jump on the next jumbo jet and fly away into the Siam sunset, why don't you try this fresh bar of Thai Market Soap?   Your skin will thank you, and you will feel almost like you might be walking through a Thai market on a soi in Bangkok, Thailand, the Land of Smiles!

Until next time, my friend, SaWatDeeKha, and Bon Appetit!

"Po' Boy" Peach Snapple

By now, my readership knows that I am from Texas, if they are not indeed themselves from the Lone Star State.

Actually, I'm a transplant; so I have had to be introduced into this culture slowly, surely and over a long period of time before actually being "accepted" as a bonafide, certified, Texan.   In fact, I married a Texan and bore a child here, and they proudly, loudly, jubilantly, and animatedly remind me that I am the outsider in "these here" parts.  At which point, I remind them that the Gulf is a wash bucket/toilet bowl compared to my beautiful Pacific Ocean, which I pine for daily, and which now we all mourn over her fallen estate even more so in light of recent events.

So today I  want to talk about the culture of Iced Tea in this great state.   It's almost a religion.   Iced tea is served at every meal here and there are two camps:  "Sweet" and "Un-Sweet".    I would venture to guess but have not taken a poll, that most Texans (died in the wool ones), are in the "Sweet" Camp, due to the fact that they also have a large percentage of the population who in fact consume Dr. Pepper and a candy bar for breakfast and when you go to Luby's Cafeteria, their salads, some of them are PINK.   Yes, pink. Bright Candy Pink.   At which, my snobby California senses are inflamed and my eco-friendly green spinach temperament flares up to high.

But let the pontificating end here.   I remember back to when my fat Grandma from Ohio used to come to visit for a month at a time.    She would spend her days in the kitchen, baking up a storm with all kinds of confectionary sweet things to make us fat and endear us to her.   But one of my favorite memories was of her Sweet Tea.   My mom never made it so it was a real treat for me, even then the Caffeine Queen.

Have you noticed the bouquet of Tea?   I truly do not know anything more fragrant and just well delightful about my kitchen after I have steeped a giant bag of No Name Cut Black or Orange Pekoe Tea to make Iced Tea.   There is nothing more thirst-quenching (aside from water) than a tall glass of tea, iced down and all sweating with condensation to refresh you after any manner of activities.  I have become addicted......

Here in my house, we like Snapple (great website, by the way! I wish I could get a flash like that on my own website all manner of fruit and veggies floating into the air and inviting the reader to indulge in all kinds of aromatic adventures!)  Ah, but one day.....and we're getting off the subject here so, let's digress back to the culture of tea.....

So, we like Snapple and even though my daughter begs with tears and eyelashes flashing about me, never have I indulged in a 4 pack at the grocery store.   At $6.00 for a 4 pack, my German good sense bids me not.  I have caved to a single serving though at Walmart or other such grueling marketplaces, when drained of energy or emotional resources, but to pay that much I just, well, cannot.

So here is a recipe for a Near Snapple or a Po Boy Snapple!   Not exactly the same taste, but it makes enough for a whole family of 4 to enjoy for nearly a day.  So, at the cost of $2.69 + 1 tea bag, I would say it is a steal of a deal!   Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Steep one of these bags, or your choice of overpriced designer tea bags in approx.  2 cups of boiling water.
Set aside to cool.   When appropriately cool, add to pitcher with the contents of the juice container, freshly taken out of the freezer to be as cold as possible.   Add 3 to 4 juice cans (or more if you don't want to stay up ALL night) of cold water, stir and pour over ice.

I am not saying this is healthy; and I have not checked the label but I am almost certain the ingredients are corn syrup and natural and artificial flavors.   I will be searching for a real Peach juice concentrate, but so far have only come up with Dole's White Grape and Peach but that does NOT have the same ring to it, nor do I like the taste of the White Grape Juice in it.

Oh, and, since we are talking about the singular, delightful bouquet of all things Tea, (Cha, Chai, The) here are a few products than can be made in TEA!   IN fact, here is some Tea Soap that I made with real tea from Assam, India.  Long has tea been purported to have antioxidant qualities and in skin applications, is slightly astringent. This makes it good for those with OILY skin!

Wash with this

Or, burn this in any of the following scents:

Orange Pekoe

Green Tea

Black Tea

Lychee Red Tea (delightful)

Or, apply to your skin in these delightful flavors

Black Tea and Mint (very popular)

Lychee Red Tea (delightful, Asian inspired)

Green Tea

Matcha Tea

What kind of tea do YOU like?    Comments!  Please leave comments!

Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Extra-Ordinaire Soap!

Comfort Food

For Your Skin!

Guys, I am stinkin proud of myself today! I dreamed up this soap and finally put the fragrance I bought one, yes 1 year ago to good use! Now my kitchen smells full of comfort and goodness on a cold winter morn! Introducing Oatmeal Milk & Honey Cold Processed Soap with Spiced Apples and Pecan and Cinnamon on top! All that is missing is the gigantic melted pat of butter, but inside are so many awesome oils and skin lovin' ingredients that the butter is there, folks!

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Soybean Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Aloe Vera Juice, Hydrolyzed Oats, Ground Oats, Distilled Water, Fragrance Oils, Ground Cinnamon.

I have to put this loaf to bed with blankies for a day or so; then I will cut it and I can't wait to show you the "swirl" I did! It will have to cure and dry for 4 weeks; and will be available on my Etsy shop for $5.00 per 5.5 oz. slice!

My friends, I wish Your Life to be as fragrant as Cassia's Kitchen! Till tomorrow!

CAN YOU TELL WHO'S WHO?

ANNE MARIE, I LOVE YOU. AT LEAST THERE IS SOME HOPE THAT ALL THIS MADNESS AND CREATIVITY MIGHT POSSIBLY PAY OFF. I FEEL SO TWISTEDLY VALIDATED. WHAT WOULD MARTHA SAY?

I JUST WOKE UP ON THE COUCH. DROOL HAD DRIED IN THE CORNERS OF MY GAPING OPEN MOUTH. EYES SIMILAR, BLOODSHOT AND TEARY FROM OVER USE. JUST 36 HOURS TILL TERRI'S PARTY AND STILL SO MUCH TO DO. OUCH. WHAT TO DO?

GO TO BED OR KEEP GOING?