Amazon is the best thing ever created!!!!!!!

Dear Amazon,

   Thank you so much for being so great! I really cant even put into words how wonderful you are! After my children you are my 2nd love in life. As a member of Amazon Prime and Amazon Mom I would encourage anyone and everyone to join. My husband and I share a car so it is actually faster for me to order things with my free 2-day shipping than to wait until a day when I have the car to run out for things. I order my kitchen products, soaps, dog food and toothpaste from the Amazon Pantry and have all the family vitamins on a recurring automatic shipment, which I get at a discounted rate. There have been very few items I haven't been able to locate on the website. I used to order from Walmart a lot but they cant even come close to getting me things quickly. The last 2 times I ordered from them their free shipping took a week. That is ridiculous in this day and time. Of course I have heard the tales of the eccentric Jeff Bezos. Building clocks in mountains and using a replica of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine as a bar to dispense his ridiculously expensive liquors. Who cares. He has one of the most brilliant and creative minds around. Kudos to you Jeff Bezos! You have officially set the bar for all others to follow and given the world crazy high expectations. Please, please, please if you are a human in this world that hasn't used this service, please do immediately! Not only will you wonder how you ever lived without it but your memberships will also insure that it never goes away because I don't know if I could live without it!


                                                                                       You happiest customer,
                                                                                            Paula Parsons

Really Eva Mendes?!

I don't usually go on rants but today I am making an exception! I saw a story on the Today show this morning that absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Eva Mendes was being interviewed and was asked how she keeps her partner happy at home. The man doing the interview mentioned sweatpants and she immediately starts shaking her head and saying, "No, no, no, no sweatpants! Ladies, the number one cause of divorce is sweatpants!" http://www.today.com/popculture/eva-mendes-cites-sweatpants-no-1-cause-divorce-2D80561379
As a mother this absolutely insults me! I am not one to jump on bandwagons of attacking famous peoples comments. Usually I just chalk it up to the fact that they cant possibly relate anymore to being an "average" person. This one, on the other hand, rubs me too much! I am a mother of 5 and 2 of those are 2 year-old twins. I get up an extra hour early in the morning just to do laundry, tend to the pets and clean the boys playroom before they get up and destroy it again. I am lucky if I can squeeze in my morning cup of coffee before I have a lap full of babies. I shower about every 3rd day (sounds disgusting I know, but for the most part Im just home taking care of babies), if I have somewhere to go I get up at 2am to shower without babies banging on the door the entire time. You have no idea what its like to be a mom and a partner without money and help! When you make irresponsible comments like that you do more damage than you can possibly imagine. You make women that already have too much on their plates feel less "womanly" because they don't dress up everyday and you plant the thought in mens heads that a "good" partner wouldn't be a slacker and not get dolled up for them. Most women, especially stay-at-home moms, cant afford extra outfits to wear around the house everyday. You have one child that is a few months old and a fairly new relationship. To be giving advice on these subjects is completely out of your spectrum in life. Im sure by tomorrow I will be hearing an apology that your publicist releases in which you state how it was a flippant remark you made while joking around and you came from a hard working family and, in retrospect, completely understand how inappropriate the comment was. I sure hope not! You said exactly what you meant and your comment was interpreted absolutely correctly. Don't attempt a back peddle at this point just suck it up and wake up to reality. Have your maids and nannies and assistants leave you alone for ONE month with your own child and see how you fair. And don't dish out advice to women anymore unless its other women like yourself.

Candied Jalapenos

 

These are soooo delicious and make great gifts because everyone seems to love them! You can make them and enjoy right away or you can let them sit a while before you open them. If you wait a few weeks the flavors mellow and blend really well but sometimes around here that's isn't possible because people are anxiously awaiting. We use them in so much around here. My daughter puts them in her cold pasta salad, my significant other puts them on his sandwiches and burgers, you can eat them on wheat crackers with cream cheese or poured over warm Brie (as pictured below) and I have even made a WONDERFUL brittle with them! Right now I am in the process of making and canning them for Christmas gifts because they should be perfect by that time.

 

                                                                                                            

*2 Produce bags of fresh Jalapenos (basically this recipe makes lots of great syrup so you could do more or less depending on how much syrup you want to have leftover for other stuff). You can use green and red if you want added color and if you like extra hot you can even add Habaneros or Serranos.



*Salt
*4 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
*12 cups Granulated Sugar
*Vanilla- About 4 Tbsp
*1 tsp Ground Chipotle Chile Pepper
*1/2 tsp Celery Seed
*3 tsp Garlic Salt

If you are going to can and process them be sure to have all your jars and lids out and ready. You will also need a chopstick or similar tool to pack your Peppers in the jars tightly.
 
Slice all the Jalapenos into 1/4 inch rounds. If you want to make them milder you can use a paring knife to clean out the inside after you cut off the stem and before you slice them. Another thing some people do is just put your slices in a bowl of water with a lid and give it a shake. A lot of the seeds will separate and rise to the surface and you can just pour them out with water and rinse your slices. Place your slices in a bowl and pour in the Vanilla and a few pinches of salt. Give it a stir and set it aside while you make the syrup.

In a large pot bring the Vinegar, Granulated Sugar, Ground Chipotle, Celery Seed and Garlic Salt to a boil. Be extra careful here because it goes quickly from bubbling to boiling over! Its better to heat it more slowly. Once it gets to a strong bubble reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes. I usually use a candy thermometer just to be sure the temp is rising nicely. I go for about 240 degrees or "soft ball" stage. It usually hits here right at the 10 minute mark. Reduce the heat to medium and add all the Peppers. I continue to cook about 4 minutes then remove from the heat.

To can these use a slotted spoon and your canning tools or a chopstick to stuff them as tightly as you can. Be sure to occasionally move them around to get out a lot of air pockets. I usually get enough syrup that comes along with mine to also fill my jar almost all the way but if you get to the top and realize you need more just add some in. In the sitting process, and especially the canning, the jalapenos will shrivel a bit and settle so you just want to be sure you have plenty in there for a nice full beautiful jar. Fill to 1/4 inch of the top of your jar rim and use your chopstick to release any trapped air. Put your lids and rings on and place in your water bath. Bring to a boil. When I do quart jars, which I usually do, I process for 20 minutes. Turn off the water and let them cool in the pot. And there you have it! A delicious treat that you can do TONS of stuff with!

.........And I almost forgot! Be sure and keep all the rest of that delicious syrup. I can it also and use it in my Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe and put it on Baked Pork Chops and Chicken!

Pork Tenderloin

 

2-2 1/2 lb Pork Loin roasts
2 cups Apple Juice or Apple Cider
1 cup Cabernet (I used Murphy Goode)
3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar ( You can also use Apple Cider Vinegar if you aren't a fan of  the Balsamic)
6 Tbsp Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp Garlic Cloves- minced or chopped
Fresh Ground Pepper ( I almost always use 'Hot Shot', a black and red pepper blend.
3 Tbsp Worstershire Sauce

Mix all ingredients in your crock pot and turn on low. After a couple of hours turn your roasts over and cook another couple of hours. If you want to make lunchmeat from the roasts remove them from the liquid and let them cool enough to refrigerate. Once they have chilled slice them to the desired thickness with a meat slicer or Mandolin.

This is the chilled Pork Loin with one already sliced. It makes a lot of meat so I usually Foodsaver pack one whole and put it in the freezer for later. I also boil the leftover juice and use it like an Au Jus.

We all know one of the healthiest meats we can eat is chicken. Whenever we have a period of feeling like we may have splurged a little bit too much or maybe indulged for a day or two, we will stick to roasted chicken breasts and veggies for dinner for a couple of days. It helps us get back on track and be more aware of what we are consuming daily. But I will be the first to admit that gets boring after awhile so I have started something new that works out really well for our family and keeps our fridge stocked with healthy meals ready to eat for the entire week. Ive found that being able to grab something healthy quickly, cuts down on the snacking. The following is just a simple roasted chicken and vegetables that is super healthy, delicious and I can easily make a few different meals out of it. I prepare 2 chickens at least every two weeks. Some I roast like this, others I put in the slow cooker. For these I only use Organic chicken. Yes, they are a tad pricier but are well worth it for the health benefits and the taste. I dont splurge on the higher priced meats always but because I use the meat in so many ways, and more importantly, I use the bones for my Healing Bone Broth, I believe these should be Organic. If you are not familiar with all the FDA food labels, here is a chart you can have a look at. They can be overwhelming and deceiving. http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/reportChickenLabels.cfm

Best Healthy Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

2 whole Organic chickens

Carrots- One bag ready to use or chop them yourself.

 Sweet Potatoes- About 3, I use actual sweet potatoes, not Yams. I  know alot of people think are almost the same but Sweet Potatoes  are white inside and look enough like a Baking Potato that no one  seems to think about the difference. Its an easier switch for  people that are used to White Potatoes.

Celery- About 3 stalks

Onions- 2 medium

Olive Oil

Garlic salt

Onion powder

Hot shot or pepper

Nonstick baking rack

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Clean you chickens well and be sure to get all the innards from your chicken cavity. You can save them for another use or, like me, just feed them to your dogs. They love it and it is a healthy treat for them.

Place the chickens each in a 13x9in baking dish. I pull the end of the skin up and place a few pats of butter under the skin. Spread a bit more over the top of the skin. When I say butter, I mean real butter! NOT MARGARINE! And when I say a few pats, I mean small amounts! Sprinkle your seasonings of choice (I use basically the same I use on the veggies with maybe an addition of Seasoned Salt if I feel like it) all over the chickens.

Place in the oven for about 40 minutes. Chop your Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Celery and Onion. Place them in a large bowl and pour a few tablespoons of Olive Oil and season to taste. I use Garlic salt, Onion salt and Hot Shot. Hot Shot is a product that is a mixture of Black Pepper and Red Pepper. I dont use too much because I have infants eating also but I like the extra flavor and the added health benefits of the Red Pepper. Mix in your oil and seasonings well. Your looking for your chickens to get started roasting but still about 30 minutes from being done. Pull them out and carefully remove them from their baking dish. I find the easiest way is to stick tongs inside and lift them. Set them aside on a baking sheet and divide your seasoned veggies between the two baking dishes. Stir them well into the juices of your chicken that have already puddled in the bottom. Place your baking rack over the top and spray with some Olive Oil. Place your chickens on top and carefully put it all back in the oven. I use one rack across both pans so I find it easier to place the dishes of veggies back on the oven rack and then placed the baking rack and chickens. Turn the oven temperature down to 400 degrees. Cook about another 25 minutes. 

Your looking for an internal temperature of about 165-170. I always use a meat thermometer for this. There is not much worse than cooking a great meal only to have someone cut into it and its raw. You also want your veggies where they can just be punctured by a fork. 

When everything is done I lift the rack with chickens off the top of the veggies and place them on a baking sheet then remove my veggies from the oven. You can also do this if your chickens happen to get to temp before your veggies are as tender as you would like them. This chicken is so tender I just break it apart with my hands. We will usually eat about half of one the same day I cook them and refrigerate the rest. I will add a few of the other recipes that I make from them and be sure to save ALL the bones for a Healing Bone Broth, another recipe I will be adding in the next day.

Tex-Mex Chili

                             

                             Tex-Mex Chili

This Chili is soooooo good! Try it on a cold day, it will warm you to your bones.  :D

Ingredients:
Saute oil of your choice- I use Olive and Grapeseed
3 lbs. Chunk Chili Meat
1 lb. Ground Beef
4 tbsp. Chopped Garlic
1 large Sweet Yellow Onion
4 Jalapenos
6 tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tbsp. Ground Chipotle Chile Pepper
2 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
2 tbsp. Ground Cumin
2 tbsp. Mexican Oregano
Salt
2 (15oz) cans Crushed Tomatoes or Rotel
2 (2 oz) bottle beer- I use Shiner Bock
3 cups Beef Stock
2 packets dry Ranch mix
Optional: 2 cans of Kidney Beans
A thickening agent: I use 2 tbsp. Ground Flaxseed and 1 tbsp. Masa Harina. You can use 3 tbsp. Masa Harina only if you don't care for the Flax, I try to hide a little something healthy wherever I can. 

In a large pot, heat the oil and meat over medium-high heat. Stir and break up pieces until the outside has a light brown color. About 5 minutes. I put the Garlic, Onion and Jalapenos in my food processor and chop. You can seed and de-vein the Jalapenos if you want it more on the mild side. 

Add the Onion Garlic Jalapeno mixture, Chili Powder, Chipotle Chile Pepper, Paprika, Cumin, Oregano, 2 packets of Ranch and Salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, just long enough to soften the onions. Add the Rotel or Canned Tomatoes, Beer and Stock. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, UNCOVERED, until the meat is tender and the liquid has cooked down about half. Usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. If you want to add beans, do that after about an hour. Mix the Masa in a bowl with a small amount of water. It should be a thick paste. Add to the chili and stir in thoroughly. Cook an additional 30 minutes on low. Serve hot topped with some Sour Cream, Grated Cheese and Fresh Cilantro. Enjoy!

This is the before and after cooking. You can see how much the liquid will cook down.

I have been doing alot of cooking lately so I am going to just spend the next few days adding some of my most recent recipes. Today is salsa. My daughter and I did Hot Salsa and Peach Salsa. I love using fresh peaches in mine but this day I had a can of peaches that I needed to do something with so we used that instead. It was still very good and saves alot of time slicing and peeling. 

                             PEACH SALSA
Ingredients:
1 can of Peaches in 100% juice
1 Serrano pepper
2 Jalapenos
4 large Tomatoes
2 yellow Chiles
2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 can fire-roasted Tomatoes
1 (or to taste) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
1/2 bag frozen Peaches
2 sweet yellow Onions
1 Shallot

Put everything except the Peaches in your blender or food processor. If you want your Salsa on the mild side slice and clean all of the veins and seeds from your Jalapenos and Serrano. I usually clean half and leave half intact. If you like your Salsa EXTRA spicy add a Habanero Pepper. Chop to the desired consistency and then add the Peaches. Pulse just enough to break them up and mix without turning them to mush. You can add a pinch of salt if desired but I usually dont because any chips used for dipping are plenty salty.

                                   HOT SALSA

Ingredients:

1 large yellow Onion

1 Shallot

1 can Fire-Roasted Tomatoes-diced
1 Serrano Pepper

8 large ripe Tomatoes

2 large yellow Chiles

2 large Jalapenos

1 lime

1 (or to taste) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo

1 bunch of Cilantro

Salt to taste

If you like EXTRA SPICY add a whole Habanero Pepper and if you like it more on the mild side you can de-vein and seed half of your Jalapenos and Serranos. For EXTRA MILD de-vein and seed ALL of your Jalapenos and Serranos. 

Put the Onions, Shallot, Serranos, Chiles and all of your Peppers in the food processor. Pulse to your desired consistency. Add everything else and squeeze in your lime. Chop. If you like your Salsa a bit chunkier just put all ingredients in together and pulse til its chopped enough for your liking. This Salsa has a great flavor and we keep a constant supply of it around here!