My Way, No. 23

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

With the pic links now included, these ‘My Way’ posts are becoming as long as a newsletter. I hope you can hang with me!

— I saw this on my food co-op’s social page, so I thought I would link to it: Who Is Behind Organic Brands. This came as no surprise to me, as I try to steer clear of certain products for this very reason. But, many people assume some of these brands are small (possibly family-owned, or even local) businesses, when they are really just some of the country’s largest food producers. This is also true of natural and organic hygiene/body products, etc. Some of the brands I’ve enjoyed in the past have been taken over by some of these large producers, so I then stop purchasing them. Some brands I have no issues with, though. If you’re one of those who wants to support certain businesses (and not support others), I encourage you to take a look at this list. Or, perhaps take a look for updated info, if this news is already familiar to you. I found several I didn’t know about.

— Did you enjoy the list of coping skills for anger, anxiety and depression? I think everyone can benefit from this list. I have some decent positive ones already in place, but I would like to add a few more. Setting boundaries and learning to say “no” could be improved upon, as well as enjoying more of nature. Also, keeping a positive quote with you seems easy enough. I like, “Ye shall be a blessing.” It’s one thing for others to bless you, but (IMO) empowering others to prosper provides rewards like nothing else (emotional and physical). As far as looking at the negatives went, I tried to not get too down on myself. We can’t change everything at once. I think I have improved in several areas, but still need some work in others. I have been better at not enabling others to take advantage of me. One of the things I despise most at this stage in my life is people attempting to use me for their own selfish ambition. So, I need to make sure I am not just sitting back, allowing those circumstances to occur. Several years ago, I was encouraged by a former football player who said a friend told him (something to the effect of), “Never allow people to use or exploit you for their own profit or gain.” I think as a former ball player, people just assumed they could take advantage of him for their own purposes. Anyway, I’ve carried that bit of advice in my heart since then.

— Speaking of football players, I was really touched by this article concerning Herschel Walker’s mental health advocacy: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/os-herschel-walker-mental-health-orlando-20150513-story.html. If you’ve lived in Texas for even a short period of time (as I have), you most likely know who Herschel Walker is — even if you don’t follow the NFL. A very encouraging story.

After posting the latest installment of my Mental Health Series, I found a few articles that made my heart sink. Many of the most disheartening stories come from major news outlets (not all the time, though, as you can see from a variety of pieces I’ve posted). They so often focus on the negative or sensational. Some of the most sensitive and thoughtful pieces I’ve come across are from student newspapers. I thought perhaps profit has something to do with that, or maybe it’s just that the younger generations are starting to leave behind the stigma and discrimination that has plagued our society for so long. I used to laugh at a news station in the Phoenix area that always broadcasted so much positive news. It was the oddest thing to me, haha. It was a nice change.

— Today’s Adventures in Food: Hot diggity dog ziggity, boom…I didn’t have a chance to pick up hard red winter berries yet, so I made my Memorial Day hot dog buns in the same manner as the previously posted burger buns. Really a joy! The wheat blend is such a great idea. I may try sprouting them, as well. The day old buns were great dippers for a low-cal (non-gratinee) onion soup I made. The adjustable slicing blade in our new food processor works like a dream! It easily sliced through mounds of onion. My last processor, while a decent (very old) model, sometimes had slicing issues.

Holiday chocolate chip cookies had to get packaged up and shipped off so I didn’t consume the whole lot, lol. As they keep nice and soft, I think they would be grand for ice cream sandwiches. I couldn’t wait for the Holiday to make the chickpea flour spätzele. So, I made it Sunday, then again on Monday. I subbed some quickly sautéed kale for the collards (it was less expensive at the store) and cooked it in beef broth. I really like the textures in this dish. I think I will be making it a couple more times before the week is up.

As I was already grinding chickpeas for the spätzele, I thought I would also whip up those Cashew-Mint Pakoda I posted. I left the flour with just a slight coarseness. I went for a bake-fry by Misto-ing a little oil in the pan, as well as on the dough. I flipped them over when they were browned on the bottom. They turned out so nice and crunchy! You would not have known they were baked instead of fried. I really would have liked a dipping sauce with them. Maybe a cashew crema or something? I was too busy munching to make one, though.

The roasted curried cauliflower I made for my garlic, herb, & tomato pita was the tail end of a cauliflower party. I enjoyed the Buffalo Cauliflower Bites posted here and Spiced Moroccan Cauliflower Couscous – Tabbouleh (both from the same site). I am not a huge fan of couscous, so I was excited to try a version with cauliflower. I used my homemade skim haloumi, and it was fab. Really easy & delightful. Of course, using the cauliflower slashes the calories considerably, so make sure to take a peek. When I was preparing the Buffalo Bites, I suddenly thought I could also make a few with sesame-honey sauce. So, I did half and half. Otherwise, I only altered them slightly by using whole wheat pastry flour and coating with a bit of panko. I love Buffalo sauce so much, so I put a little extra on the outside, lol.

I found another comfort food use for my pitas. Did you ever have spaghetti and meatball sandwiches when you were younger? I made spaghetti and Italian lentil meatballs (just like the ones here, but with “Italian” seasonings), and the next day had a craving for this sandwich, haha:

We used to slather butter on good Italian bread and stuff it with our leftovers. Good memories!

— How quaint is this?

White Garden Canopy | housetohome.co.uk.

Ahhh…I wish I were there right now. *Sigh*

25 DIY Headboard Ideas | Freshnist.com.

This is a cute idea. Music sheet decoupage on wood: Paper | Valerie Carr | Pinterest.

— In this AZ summer heat, I adore white clothing. Linen is especially lovely. What about your plain white tee? Check out this easy corseting technique that you could apply to a number of items: DIY Corseted White T-Shirt or What to Do with the BF’s Old T-Shirts #2 | Chic Steals.

And, you know I love RE:Fashion: 13 DIY Clothing Refashion Ideas with Picture Instructions | Clicky Pix.

— The FFFF for today (Fab French Food Finds ):

You know my affinity for all things French, so here are several selections from the same site:

Provencal Style Mussels | French Cooking for Dummies.

Beetroot and Goat Cheese Foam | French Cooking for Dummies.

Artichoke, Fig and Parmesan Salad | French Cooking for Dummies.

Strawberry and Peach Salad with Wine Syrup | French Cooking for Dummies.

Parisian Shirred Egg/ Oeuf cocotte à la parisienne | French Cooking for Dummies.

Herbed Mascarpone Stuffed Chicken | French Cooking for Dummies.

Ham and Cheese Crepe/Galete Complete | French Cooking for Dummies.

White Chocolate Molten Cake with Raspberries | French Cooking for Dummies.

‘Til next time!

My Way, No. 19

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick’s Day! This past week, I made the celery juice from this blog post, another batch of the Chunky Corn & Black Bean Falafel, as well as the Crab & Goat Cheese Guacamole posted some time back. All were delish! The falafel will frequently be in my rotation, for sure. After posting the Fruit & Herb Honey Syrups, I made one with fruits and herbs I had in the freezer: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pom, lime, and purple basil. So far, I’ve just used it to top off a little sparkling water, and it’s very nice.

And, I made the cherry-vanilla. A cherry-vanilla float with my Holiday bourbon sounds good. These syrups are super versatile, easy to make, and do not require any cooking. I am thinking I might do pineapple-mint next. If you haven’t done so already, check out the honey syrups here.

OMGoodness, the Spicy Carrot & Hummus Sandwich from my Healthy Work Lunches post really hit the spot!

I made an open-faced sandwich on whole wheat sourdough toast. I used the No-Knead Whole Grain Sourdough (no herbs or garlic this time). The recipe actually calls for einkorn, but I still need to pick some up. One of the reasons I wanted to make this sandwich was that I had leftover garbanzo bean dip. It wasn’t actually a traditional hummus, but it worked. From the picture posted, I initially thought the carrots were raw, but they are sautéed until just wilted. I opted for the alternative suggested cumin vs. caraway seeds to flavor the carrots (as caraway seeds are not my favorite). I can tolerate caraway, but I have never really loved them. I added toasted sesame seeds on top, and it was quite a lovely sandwich!

Just an update, I made a few more ‘energy bites,’ this time chocolate-peanut butter. I made them in the style of the chocolate-orange, but baked them. So, I guess they were more like ‘granola bites.’ I didn’t have peanut butter, so I blended whole roasted peanuts with the rest of my wet ingredients: cooked sweet potato, egg (I had a bit already beaten I needed to use up), powdered chocolate, raisins, maple, vanilla. The dry ingredients were (I think): Oats, ground oats, ground chia & flax seeds, wheat germ, chopped peanuts, toasted coconut, and salt.

I can see using the sweet potato puree as perhaps a pie filling, maybe a base for a mousse, or just a pudding. The chocolate (and peanut butter) makes the sweet potato pretty much undetectable. Sweet potato puree is a great vehicle if you cannot have dairy, in that respect. You can use dates in place of raisins, but that’s just what I felt like using at the time.

And, the last bit about my eats for this post…I baked a few individual soda breads for St. Pat’s in ramekins on the weekend. I haven’t made another batch of the ‘green muffins‘ yet as I still have a few in the freezer. I think Irish soda bread was my first (non-yeast) bread-making venture. I’ve never made separate portions, though.

I still use the same recipe from way back in the day, but I replaced the AP flour with whole wheat pastry flour and butter with coconut oil. The recipe calls for caraway seeds, but I’ve never included them (as I’ve said, they’re not my fave). I love soda bread for toast. SO good! I wanted a hot cup of Irish coffee to go alongside (I didn’t add too much liquor), but ended up with an Irish coffee frappe/smoothie-type drink. I had a few sips hot, then blended in frozen banana, non-fat homemade yogurt, oats, flax, chia, wheat germ, and almonds. I topped it off with a coconut cream-yogurt whip and blackstrap molasses (I am not really fond of chocolate sauce, so I decided molasses would be nice). I forget how nice Irish coffee is until I’ve had it again!

— I made my folding side table! I wanted this to be a table I could quickly set up when needed, then quietly tuck it away. As it wasn’t meant to be a stable piece of furniture, I just wanted it to be presentable without much expense. To achieve this, I decided to re & up cycle as many items as I could. Pic:

Several years back, I cut down and stowed away a large piece of bamboo. It was meant to be a curtain rod, but I ended up using another (thinner) piece (of bamboo). I decided to pull it out of storage and use it for the table base. I cut it into 4 pieces, and put holes (to join the pieces, with glue) in 2 of them. When I was cutting the holes, I thought, Oh, I should make a flute (even though I don’t play the flute, lol!). I made the holes a little smaller than I wanted, then carved away a little at a time for a snug fit. I drilled a hole to adjoin both legs, put a screw through it, then secured it with a washer and nut. I wish the screw was a little shorter, but I used what I had. I purchased 4 rubber leg tips to keep the base from moving around. I then glued two sides of a pic frame to the top of the legs. The spray paint I used did not have primer, so I primed it first, gave it a coat of (leftover) black then a light coat of (purchased) gold. I tried to allow some of the black to show through. Then, I sprayed alternate wisps of black and gold until it looked the way I wanted it to. I do not care for the finish of a lot of metallic spray paints, so I dulled the shine with leftover frosted glass spray. I’ve used it before for other glossy spray paints as well.
The top: I used a picture covered with one of my many fabric remnants. I was going to use wallpaper (as was suggested in my Using Wallpaper Remnants post), but this fabric seemed to fit the space better. I made it waterproof by brushing on melted oil & wax (method found here). You can use beeswax, paraffin, perhaps soy wax, and any fixed drying oil. Some of these are healthier options than others. More on that in an upcoming post. I staple gunned the fabric to the frame and added decorative nails (originally intended to re-upholster a chair. I did it freehand, so some are a bit wonky. I will go back & fix them later. I just wanted to take the pic while I still had a little sunlight). The top is not attached to the legs, so I added “stoppers” (synthetic corks) on the back of the picture to hold the top of the legs (the frame sides) in place. All in all, I think I made out pretty well with just the purchases of the rubber leg tips and gold spray paint!

— I love macrame! There are tons of vids out there if you want to learn how to craft something for yourself. I think you could totally DIY something like this: Glass & Twine Lantern Set | shopterrain.com.

Here’s a sweet macrame bracelet tutorial: DIY Shamballa Style Macrame Bracelet Tutorial | rings-things.com.

— I have tons of plaid. It’s one of my fave things. This is a cute idea: DIY Clothes DIY Refashion: DIY: Ombre Dip Dyed Plaid Shirt | Pinterest | Lacy Hall.
This dress sort of encompasses several styles. A versatile piece, I think: Streetcar Dress in Black Plaid (with pockets) | trendvee.com.

— After looking at the ‘supoon’ and ‘clongs’ from the last ‘My Way‘ post, I checked out some of the other kitchen products they have available. Some really neat items like jots, onpots, teafus, levoons. I love this Scizza | Dreamfarm Products. 

— I saw that Bibi won the election in Israel. Yay! I am not that political of a person, but I like him because he’s dashing, charming, handsome, suave, and did I mention dashing? 😉

— I read an article that mentioned “fashionable food,” meaning certain food, dishes, etc., should (not just do) go in and out of style. This wasn’t referring to dining out. I thought this an odd concept. I mean, it’s one thing if you want to be “trendy” to sell things….but, common folk usually eat (or prepare for others) what is readily available to them, what is at the market during the time of their visit, and what they can afford (if they can afford to eat at all). The average person doesn’t live in a restaurant or test kitchen. They are not usually concerned if their meat and potatoes, beans on toast, Grandma’s prize dessert, or whatever, is “in style,” haha! Most people do not care that much about their clothing being in style, let alone their everyday (or even special occasion) food. It seemed like the article was targeted at your average person, but perhaps not. Perhaps it was more like people who struggle with dilemmas such as, “Should I take the Bentley or the Benz”? Or, more importantly, “Should I ask Jeeves or Parky to pull the car around when I make my decision between the Bentley and the Benz? lol 😀 Anyway…Here are Today’s Featured Recipes (fashionable or not, I couldn’t say…they just looked darn good to me!):

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers | eatwell101.com.

Fugazetta (Argentine Pizza) | Bourbon and Brown Sugar.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Poached Oranges and Basil | Great British Chefs.com.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Grilled Cheese | wellplated.com. Saw this last year and still thinking about it! Great St. Patrick’s Day leftovers idea.

Great tutorial: How to Ice a Cake | stylesweetca.com.

2-Minute Green Spaghetti Sauce

Shellfish Risotto | ciaoflorentina.com.

Have a fabulous day!

My Way, No. 14

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— It’s been a homemade condiment week! I love to look at recipes for homemade condiments, but I usually end up making them with the ingredients I have on hand. I did go ahead and make mirin as I posted about last week. I’ve yet to use it on anything, but I am sure I will re-make the sesame seed tofu (and hopefully salmon, as the recipe originally called for). I didn’t boil the entire mixture, I just added my syrup to my sake:

The great thing about making mirin is that you can enjoy the leftover sake when you’re done! After having those awesome Sriracha Garlic Knux at Maker House, I set about making a whole wheat version. I merged ingredients and concepts from about 4 or 5 pizza dough recipes. Perhaps I will post my actual recipe at some point, but I would like to test it out a few more times. In the meantime, I thought I would link you to a Homemade Lacto-Fermented Sriracha recipe. I just found this and have never thought to do a lacto-ferm version. Anyway, I added parm & garlic to the dough, then basted it with a Siracha-Extra Virgin-Garlic Oil, and finished with a little parm, smoked sea salt, and red pepper flakes. I would have loved butter, but my body has been averse to it (and I was trying to keep it a bit healthier). I was pushing it with the cheese, but it was a small amount per roll. One recipe I gleaned from said a bit of smoked salt can give pizza dough a ‘brick-oven’ appeal, so I thought, ‘why not try it?’ I didn’t have smoked salt, though, so I had to smoke the sea salt I had in the pantry. Maker House had a nice thick ranch they served with them, but I just dipped them in a little extra of the Sriracha Oil. It was a great accompaniment to the Spinach, Red Lentil, and Sweet Potato Curry I made again this week:

I decided to make an individual portion this time, but the pan is almost like 2 servings (with bread) because it’s so filling. Again, I added a little kale and had to improv the curry ingredients. Really a quick and delish dish! More condiment making for Game Day: BBQ Sauce. Yay for my 2nd fave football team winning the Bowl (the first, of course, being the Giants)! After preparing the tofu Fajita Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing, I had a bit of the chipotle in adobo leftover. So, I thought BBQ was in order. I made a “kitchen sink” BBQ with just about anything I could get my hands on, adjusting and tasting as I went. I especially love fresh or dried fruits in BBQ sauce. I added a little orange zest to the Sicilian Roasted Potatoes (with a mix of Yukons, Reds, and Sweet Potatoes) this past week and loved it…so, I thought I would add a bit to the BBQ. I cooked the sauce stove top this time, but I love the slow cooker for a big batch. The BBQ went on roasted garbanzos and these BBQ Garbanzo and Brown Rice Tacos with Dried Figs, Pistachios, and Raisins:

Finished with more orange zest. I made the corn tortillas with a press and baked some for ‘hard shells.’ I Misto the baked ones and use a mold so they stay open. It was tricky getting the taco to stand up for the pic, lol. I also cut a few of the soft ones for chips. I made some plain (served with lacto-ferm salsa verde) and brushed BBQ on a few. I Misto’d them, then baked them off in cast iron pans. I cook the plain ones on only one side, but I prefer to cook the seasoned ones on both:

— If you are renting and want to create a bit of personalized style, check out this link on Decorating Ideas for Renters. And, love this link for 15 Shower Curtain Projects, including using a painter’s drop cloth and turning any curtain into a shower curtain.

— I love vintage-style full aprons. There’s no reason why you can’t look stylish while dicing potatoes! I think you could easily make one similar to this black and white damask apron with just iron-on fabric tape (if you do not machine sew, like myself). I have a friend who cleared out her closet and only has clothing that is black, white, or black and white. She said this was an attempt at simplifying her life. She doesn’t have to concern herself with the items matching or not, haha. Even though black is not my color (on top, anyway), I admit to using the black-and-white-clothing-simplification method all the time now. If you have procrastinated and haven’t planned your outfits for the week…just grab something black and white. It goes from cas to business to formal very easily.

— Baby Chicks Have Left-Right Number Bias Like Humans.

— A few mental health articles that touched me this past week: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/nj_assembly_acts_to_let_teens_seek_mental_health_t.html, http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/sloppy-word-selection-feeds-mental-health-stigma-expert-1.2206217, and http://globalnews.ca/news/1797926/watch-coffee-shop-in-north-vancouver-offers-employment-and-hope-to-people-with-mental-illness/.

— I adore this picture:

Click on the pic or this link to take you to: Dr. Kathleen Young: Treating Trauma in Tucson | Mindful Monday.

— As always, I like to include a few tantalizing recipes that have come my way: Root Veggie Crisps in a Crispy Pancake Bowl (looks fun!), Roasted Makhana, Cheesy Greek Swirls, Mussels, Bacon, and Brie Tartlets, Cold Busting Coconut Gummies (cute & healthy!), Beef and Blue Cheese Risotto. I had a nice 1/2 iced tea & 1/2 lemonade with Bourbon for Game Day, so I thought I would look for other tea cocktails: Chamomile Honey Whiskey Cocktail. 15 Easy and Low Calorie Healthy Fruit Desserts.

Have a wonderful day, and I’ll see you next time!