As I post these recipes you may notice that I use a lot of butter. If you're concerned about that, follow this link to read more about some of the actual health BENEFITS. Of course everyone knows that butter makes it better. There simply is not a good substitute for the real, rich, creamy, golden goodness of butter.
Hushwe is a traditional Lebanese dish that John grew up eating. I have to be honest...I did not like this dish the first two times I tried it. Now it is one of my all time favorites. The reason it took me a minute to get on-board is that this dish is seasoned with cinnamon. According to my American palette, cinnamon has always and only been associated with apple pie, oatmeal, or deserts...definitely not combined with meat or savory things. Once my mind was able to get past that mental block, I was able to really enjoy it and now I love it.
I used my knowledge of how hushwe is made based on watching family members cook it and also took some tips from Maureen Abood's blog.
Ingredients:
- Split Chicken Breast (many recipes call for roasting a whole chicken but this is just way too much for our family)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup slivered almonds (pine-nuts are delicious, of course, but much more expensive. You can just use almonds or use a combination of both)
- 1 cup rice (I used basmati but long grain white is what Maureen Abood calls for. I wouldn't reccomend using brown rice - it will not be the right taste or texture.)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 stick of butter
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
- 1/2 tbls cinnamon
- 1 sweet onion
Salt, pepper, paprika, olive oil
The chicken breast will take longer to cook so prepare it first. I roughly chopped one sweet onion, drizzled olive oil in the bottom of a baking pan, and spread the onion in the baking pan as a bed for the chicken. Put the chicken on the bed of onions and squeeze or drizzle the lemon juice and about 2 tbls olive oil over the chicken, and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. I like a lot of paprika. I wanted to bake my chicken "low and slow" so it would be moist. Also, to keep it moist i added about 1/2 cup water to the baking dish and made sure it was covered while baking. I baked it at 300 degrees for close to two hours. I turned up the heat at the end to crisp up the skin a bit. I baked it at 400 for about twenty minutes at the end, uncovered, then took it out and let it rest.
While the chicken was baking I made the hushwe. I started by frying the slivered almonds in butter. With the heat on medium I added about 3 tablespoons butter to the pan, once it was melted I added the slivered almonds. Stay on your toes here! I almost always burn nuts when I am trying to toast them. This is more than toasting, pretty much frying, and you're going a little past the golden stage to a nice brown but not burnt! Once done pour the nuts out of the pan onto a plate and set aside.
Then add your ground beef to the pan and brown it. Season with salt and pepper and the cinnamon. Break it up to a fine texture. Add 3 tablespoons butter and the dry rice to the pan (make sure you're using a pan big enough to accommodate the beef and rice, remembering rice will expand while cooking). Cook the rice in the pan a minute or so letting it soak up some of the butter, then pour in the chicken broth. Bring to boiling them reduce to low and cover. Cook for about 20 mintues until the rice is done and the broth is absorbed.
Add the remaining butter to the finished dish, mixing it thoroughly throughout the beef and rice. Add most of the nuts and stir them in too, but keep a few to sprinkle on top. Shred the chicken off the bone and put on top of the hushwe.
Enjoy this buttery and satisfying meal! It's great for cold weather!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Reviving the Blog as a Recipe Box
Good Morning! Happy Friday!
I have had this blog since I moved to Asheville "way back" in 2007. Rather than delete it, I changed the blog title and URL to "MahshieMonaLisa Cooks." When I met John he kept referring to me as his "Mona Lisa" and so the name has stuck and become my online handle.
I simply want to share recipes, tips, and tricks I've learned through trial and error in the kitchen. I told a friend I'd write down some of my recipes for her. I might still do that physically, but I thought I might-as-well do it on a blog to keep records for myself and to share with others.
Last night's success story was creamy potato and ham soup. The hard part is, I don't measure a lot and just kind of go by intuition...which works out most of the time. Part of what I want to impart is that ability to just go with it, and not stress about the exactness of everything. Sometimes exact measurements are necessary but the more you cook, the more comfortable you'll become and the more you can improvise. So...as you read these "amounts" pay attention to your own process and adjust accordingly if it doesn't seem right.
Ingredients:
Chicken Stock (maybe 6 cups)
Russet Potatoes (6 med/large)
3 heaping tbls flour
1/2 stick butter
2 tbls olive oil (light, extra virgin is too strong a flavor)
1/2 sweet onion
2 cups diced pre-cooked/sliced ham
4 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
salt/pepper/onion powder/garlic powder/cayenne pepper to taste
The chicken stock I used was home-made. I used to think that sounded fancy and like way too much work, but really, when I finally made it, it was simple. A while back I roasted a chicken, pulled most of the meat off, and then boiled the remains of the "carcass" (yum what an appetizing word!) in about 10 cups of water for probably 2 hours. I let it cool, strained it, and then put the stock in a freezer bag in the freezer. It is a great way to practice "waste not, want not" and it tastes really good. Although, I do think it smells horrible while boiling. Point is: try it sometime - it's easy-peasy! However, canned/boxed chicken stock will do just fine.
Put the chicken stock in a big stock pot and boil on med/high heat. Dice your potatoes. I like mine in square chunks. You don't want to dice too thin or the potatoes will turn to mush once boiled, but you don't want the pieces so huge they take forever to boil and don't' fit on a soup spoon. So, find a happy medium.
Add diced potatoes to boiling chicken stock and about 1 tsp sea salt.
While potatoes boil, dice 1/2 of a sweet onion and saute in 2 tbls olive oil. Dice ham and add to pan. Saute about 5 - 10 minutes. Scrape onions and ham out of pan into a bowl, or a plate.
Add butter to pan, keep on medium heat. Once it's melted add the flour and whisk. Be careful not to over-brown this butter/flour mixture known as a "roux." It will become bitter if it gets too brown. You're going for a nice golden color. Slowly add milk and whisk continuously. Add some spices. I added some "dashes" of garlic and onion powder, cayenne and black pepper, and salt. Just a few shakes of all those over the milk and whisk it in.You're probably going to end up whisking it for about 5 to ten minutes. Whisk until it starts to thicken like a loose gravy. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and add your cheese. Continue to whisk until the cheese has melted and blended with the "gravy."
Don't forget all the while the potatoes are happily boiling in the chicken stock. Check from time to time because you don't want them to over boil. They will become mush if they boil too long, you want them to maintain their nice little square shape and structure. Also, you'll want to turn the stock-pot to low and let it cool from the boiling point before you add your "cheese gravy" (sorry I keep saying "cheese-gravy" but I don't know what else to call it because it's not quite a roux and not quite a cheese-sauce). Milk is a delicate protein very sensitive to heat. If you added that cheese-gravy to the chicken stock while still boiling it would curdle.
Before I added the "cheese-gravy" to the potatoes and chicken stock I scooped out some of the stock. I didn't want my soup to be too liquidy but nice and creamy. So - I scooped out enough stock so that the potatoes were just slightly covered with stock. Then I slowly poured in the "cheese gravy" and added the sauted onion and ham. I mixed it all together with a big spoon until well blended.
Then I put in bowls and we ate it. Anna-Joy asked for more which usually means it's a winner, and gives me great joy. Seriously, there's not much that makes me happier then when John and Anna-Joy like the food I make. They can both be a little hard to please at times. John just says "we like good food."
So this recipe made it on the "good food" list. Hope you enjoy!
PS - I'm not sure why certain words are underlined with a link but I don't know how to change that?
I have had this blog since I moved to Asheville "way back" in 2007. Rather than delete it, I changed the blog title and URL to "MahshieMonaLisa Cooks." When I met John he kept referring to me as his "Mona Lisa" and so the name has stuck and become my online handle.
I simply want to share recipes, tips, and tricks I've learned through trial and error in the kitchen. I told a friend I'd write down some of my recipes for her. I might still do that physically, but I thought I might-as-well do it on a blog to keep records for myself and to share with others.
Last night's success story was creamy potato and ham soup. The hard part is, I don't measure a lot and just kind of go by intuition...which works out most of the time. Part of what I want to impart is that ability to just go with it, and not stress about the exactness of everything. Sometimes exact measurements are necessary but the more you cook, the more comfortable you'll become and the more you can improvise. So...as you read these "amounts" pay attention to your own process and adjust accordingly if it doesn't seem right.
Ingredients:
Chicken Stock (maybe 6 cups)
Russet Potatoes (6 med/large)
3 heaping tbls flour
1/2 stick butter
2 tbls olive oil (light, extra virgin is too strong a flavor)
1/2 sweet onion
2 cups diced pre-cooked/sliced ham
4 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
salt/pepper/onion powder/garlic powder/cayenne pepper to taste
The chicken stock I used was home-made. I used to think that sounded fancy and like way too much work, but really, when I finally made it, it was simple. A while back I roasted a chicken, pulled most of the meat off, and then boiled the remains of the "carcass" (yum what an appetizing word!) in about 10 cups of water for probably 2 hours. I let it cool, strained it, and then put the stock in a freezer bag in the freezer. It is a great way to practice "waste not, want not" and it tastes really good. Although, I do think it smells horrible while boiling. Point is: try it sometime - it's easy-peasy! However, canned/boxed chicken stock will do just fine.
Put the chicken stock in a big stock pot and boil on med/high heat. Dice your potatoes. I like mine in square chunks. You don't want to dice too thin or the potatoes will turn to mush once boiled, but you don't want the pieces so huge they take forever to boil and don't' fit on a soup spoon. So, find a happy medium.
Add diced potatoes to boiling chicken stock and about 1 tsp sea salt.
While potatoes boil, dice 1/2 of a sweet onion and saute in 2 tbls olive oil. Dice ham and add to pan. Saute about 5 - 10 minutes. Scrape onions and ham out of pan into a bowl, or a plate.
Add butter to pan, keep on medium heat. Once it's melted add the flour and whisk. Be careful not to over-brown this butter/flour mixture known as a "roux." It will become bitter if it gets too brown. You're going for a nice golden color. Slowly add milk and whisk continuously. Add some spices. I added some "dashes" of garlic and onion powder, cayenne and black pepper, and salt. Just a few shakes of all those over the milk and whisk it in.You're probably going to end up whisking it for about 5 to ten minutes. Whisk until it starts to thicken like a loose gravy. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and add your cheese. Continue to whisk until the cheese has melted and blended with the "gravy."
Don't forget all the while the potatoes are happily boiling in the chicken stock. Check from time to time because you don't want them to over boil. They will become mush if they boil too long, you want them to maintain their nice little square shape and structure. Also, you'll want to turn the stock-pot to low and let it cool from the boiling point before you add your "cheese gravy" (sorry I keep saying "cheese-gravy" but I don't know what else to call it because it's not quite a roux and not quite a cheese-sauce). Milk is a delicate protein very sensitive to heat. If you added that cheese-gravy to the chicken stock while still boiling it would curdle.
Before I added the "cheese-gravy" to the potatoes and chicken stock I scooped out some of the stock. I didn't want my soup to be too liquidy but nice and creamy. So - I scooped out enough stock so that the potatoes were just slightly covered with stock. Then I slowly poured in the "cheese gravy" and added the sauted onion and ham. I mixed it all together with a big spoon until well blended.
Then I put in bowls and we ate it. Anna-Joy asked for more which usually means it's a winner, and gives me great joy. Seriously, there's not much that makes me happier then when John and Anna-Joy like the food I make. They can both be a little hard to please at times. John just says "we like good food."
So this recipe made it on the "good food" list. Hope you enjoy!
PS - I'm not sure why certain words are underlined with a link but I don't know how to change that?
Monday, February 1, 2010
quick, waffles!
I haven't really tried a new recipe in a while, except for a ruttabega soufle that didn't turn out so well.
Two quick things, I plan on posting a better post later this week...
1.) I made an entire bag's worth of oat-bran waffle/pancake mix. My mother-in-law has a waffle maker (score!) and I spent about an hour a few saturdays ago making tons of waffles and freezing them. I added some flax meal to the batter. They are grainy but very tasty with pure maple syrup on and butter on top. Yum! Spending the hour on saturday saved me lots of time and energy for later times when I just need a quick meal.
2.) We've had some fun dates lately and discovered some great eateries. I will share these in the next post!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Croutons, Salsa Verde, & Sprouts!
It’s 8:30. The baby has been in bed an hour, I just finished up getting dinner ready for when John gets back from school, I have a glass of Sangria by my side, and it’s time to review this week’s food adventures.
I’ve been trying to be more thrifty and less wasteful. This week I used old bread to make croutons, and stale pita to make pita chips. My Grandmother gave me a garlic herb spice mix for Christmas. I mixed the spices in olive oil and tossed cubed pieces of bread and pita triangles until they were well coated. Then I put them in the oven with the broiler on low for 7 minutes. Now I have a heap of croutons I can store for the many salads we’ve been enjoying lately. Speaking of which, I found sprouts at the Ingles I like to shop at that are organic and local! (from Tryon, NC). Sprouts are like magic food. I feel like the growing process of the sprouts continues inside my body and builds new brain cells. I feel energized and clear-headed after I eat a salad full of sprouts. Magic!
We had a Mexican fiesta Tuesday night. This dinner was inspired by the left-over tortillas that have been neglected in the fridge for a couple weeks. I bought tomatillos and made my first salsa-verde. I cooked the tomatillos in a cast-iron frying pan for about 45 minutes. Then I put them in the food processor with two jalapeños and onion, salt, and pepper. It was really good! I think a little lime juice and garlic should have been added, though. How did I leave out those lovely ingredients?!? Unfortunately, my spicy barometer is regulated a little differently than the rest of the folks in the house, and I ended up being the only one actually enjoying the salsa. And to me, it wasn’t even that hot! Oh well. Wimps.
Using the agave nectar has been great. I put it in our oatmeal and in my coffee now. I like it because it is easier for your body to digest than sugar, but it doesn’t have a crazy after-taste like Stevia. In the oatmeal, it just tastes “sweet.” I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but it’s very pure tasting. The same goes for adding it to my coffee.
Oh! I almost forgot. The beans for the Mexican fiesta turned out really yummy as well. I diced up an onion, sautéed it, and then put in the pan two cans of black beans and a can of refried beans. I have a ton of dried black beans and intend on starting a practice of soaking and cooking a crock-pot full for each week. However…well, it’s a long story but it just hasn’t happened yet. Anyways, the real secret ingredient in the beans was a few shakes of Mrs. Dash’s southwest chipotle blend. I borrowed it from my friend Michelle. It was great!
This is all I have time for tonight. I need to go put away laundry and such. I hope you can gleam a few fun ideas for your time in the kitchen!
Blessed
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Awakened Joy in the Kitchen
I haven't posted on this blog in a long time. I started it oh so long ago when I first moved to Asheville before husband and baby. Actually it was only 3 years ago, but I find myself so far away from the person I was in that stage of life that it might as well have been a decade ago.
The one thing that hasn't changed much from the "Nicole of Innocence" past and the "Nicole of Reality" present is my interest and passion in sustainable, delicious eating.
As I said, I gave birth to my first child, Anna-Joy in May of 2009. Today at a local mom's meeting, we had to state what we do for ourselves. I like to cook (as long as I'm not rushed). The rhymn of chopping, stirring, tasting is very therapeautic for me. My awakening joy in the kitchen is challenged by a limited budget and a little Anna-Joy clinging to my legs. However, I look at her and hope she will grow up knowing what real food is and where it comes from. God gave us a beautiful Earth where the sun beats down and lovely colorful delicasies come up from the dirt just like magic.
I am enthralled by the magic, and I love to journal and write. So this blog is for me, but you're welcome to enjoy it as well.
SO - here goes...
I hope, by the time I'm old, to have at the very least one dozen recipes mastered. You know the ones that Grandkids eagerly request of their Grandmas.
Here's what's on my list so far:
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Apple Pie (and pie-crust for that matter)
- Eggplant Parmesean (a dish I eagerly request of my Grandma)
- White Bread with home-made strawberry preserves
- Pot Roast - I'm all ready on my way to a pretty good one!
That's all for now. I think the others will come by way of trial and error. Here's some recipes I tried this week:
- Kale Chips - Very good, but time consuming. Wash & Dry kale, tear into smaller pieces, massage 2 T olive oil into the leaves, salt & peppah, bake at 350 for 15 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet (or two).
*I don't think I'll make these again unless I get a major craving. But yum!
- Apple-Stuffed Acorn squash - Cut in half two acorn squashes, remove seeds. Dice up two apples. Mix 1/2 stick of diced butter with the apples, and sprinkle with ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinamon, salt, and peppah. I also added quinoa to this buttery apple mixture. Spoon the apples into the center of the squash. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.
* I didn't care for this. I usually like most vegetables, but turns out I don't like acorn squash, but I bet this would be delicious with butternut squash. The quinoa-apple mixture was great and would make a yummy porrige for breakfast with milk added.
- Cranberry Spelt Muffins with Sunflower Seeds - This is a recipe I adapted from the Baklava Queen. I have never used fresh cranberries before. I think they're probably better if dried first? They are kind of potpourri tasting fresh. The actual muffin texture, though, was nice. This was also my first time using spelt flour.
- Sesame-Cream Cheese Dates - I think I bought the wrong kind of dates. My friend Nancy made a date treat and the dates were much more moist. Or maybe these were just a little old? Either way, they turned out pretty good! These dates had a hole straight through the center from where they were pitted. I put some cream-cheese in a ziploc and cut the end off to make it a pastry bag. I squirted cream cheese into the center of the dates. Then, I drizzled Raw Agave nectar over the dates and tossed 'em around in the bowl until they were well coated. Then I rolled them in sesame seeds. Great success (says Borat)!
*Note, next time get better dates and maybe toast the sesame seeds beforehand for added flavor of toasty goodneess.
The baby is in bed and I feel like writing, so I'm also going to include a shopping list. Here's a look at what kinds of wholesome foods $93.80 will get you at the local co-op.
- 2.1 lbs Organic Rolled Oats (Anna-Joy and I eat soaked oatmeal everymorning for breakfast) That's what I call a cheap breakfast! This will last us over a month unless we decide to use them in baking.
- 0.56 lbs Walnuts
- 0.66 lbs Pitted Dates
- Organic Teething Biscuits for - Guess who!
- 1 lb Organic Maple Syrup
- 2.83 lb Corn Meal - For corn bread and dusting french bread.
- 0.62 lb Organic sesame seeds
- (1) Box Artichoke flour Angel-hair pasta
- (1) Box Gardenburgers (mostly mushrooms, not soy!)
- (1) Bag frozen corn
- (1) 1/2 Gallon Organic Milk
- (2) frozen Spelt pie shells - for a quick quiche dinner.
- 2.8 lbs Organic Sugar
- (1) 44 oz. bottle of Raw Agave Nectar - I've heard of friends using this and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Your body processes it better than sugar. I used it in the cranberry muffins and for the date dish and still have 3/4 of a bottle left.
- 2.99 lbs unbleached white flour - for baking bread! Nothing like home-made bread!
- (1) tub of Organic cream cheese
- (1) tub of Organic shredded Parmesean
- 2.29 lbs Organic Spelt flour
- 2.7 lbs Organic Sunflower seeds
- 3.73 lbs ***Local*** Organic Sweet Potatoes - These were $1.99/lb compared to $0.68/lb at Ingles - I was shocked! It is worth it, but we also have a very limited buget. I think I got maybe 5 sweet potatoes for almost $8 - yikes!
- (2) Bunches Organic Kale
- (1) Box Annie's Deluxe Mac & Cheese
Here's what I got at Ingles for $97.28:
- (1) jar organic salsa
- 4-Pack cane sugar Root Beer for the Honey
- 02433521116 (your guess is as good as mine)
- (2) cans black Olives
- (2) cans evaporated milk - I'm going to use these in a recipe I found for home-made mayonaise
- (1) Organic Apple Juice for AJ
- (1) Jar coconut oil - like the agave nectar, I've heard good things about this stuff and wanted to try it out. I post when I use it.
- (2) jars Prego pasta sauce
- (1) carton sea salt
- (1) Bottle Organic lemon juice
- (1) Bottle Olive Oil
- (2) bags Caribou Coffee
- (1) bag Organic Pinto beans
- (1) bag Great Northern beans
- (1) CELES TB CHA (? any guesses?)
- 1 lb Organic butter
- (1) carton Organic 1/2 & 1/2
- (1) Box of Garden Burgers
- (2) Frozen Pizzas
- (2) Boxes Organic Frozen Waffles
- (1) Organic Frozen Spinach
- (2) acorn squashes
- 25 lbs (yes, I said 25 FREAKIN pounds!) of Organic Carrotts for juicing
- 6-pack Kiwis for juicing
- 3 lbs grapefruit
- (1) Bag of Organic onions
- (3) bulbs of Organic garlic
- (5) Organic Gala apples
And there you have it. This food should last us all month. We only need to pick up a few fresh veggies and salad mixing here and there.
Ok, I think that's quite long enough. I may have just been making up for lost time on this blog. Good nite!
The one thing that hasn't changed much from the "Nicole of Innocence" past and the "Nicole of Reality" present is my interest and passion in sustainable, delicious eating.
As I said, I gave birth to my first child, Anna-Joy in May of 2009. Today at a local mom's meeting, we had to state what we do for ourselves. I like to cook (as long as I'm not rushed). The rhymn of chopping, stirring, tasting is very therapeautic for me. My awakening joy in the kitchen is challenged by a limited budget and a little Anna-Joy clinging to my legs. However, I look at her and hope she will grow up knowing what real food is and where it comes from. God gave us a beautiful Earth where the sun beats down and lovely colorful delicasies come up from the dirt just like magic.
I am enthralled by the magic, and I love to journal and write. So this blog is for me, but you're welcome to enjoy it as well.
SO - here goes...
I hope, by the time I'm old, to have at the very least one dozen recipes mastered. You know the ones that Grandkids eagerly request of their Grandmas.
Here's what's on my list so far:
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Apple Pie (and pie-crust for that matter)
- Eggplant Parmesean (a dish I eagerly request of my Grandma)
- White Bread with home-made strawberry preserves
- Pot Roast - I'm all ready on my way to a pretty good one!
That's all for now. I think the others will come by way of trial and error. Here's some recipes I tried this week:
- Kale Chips - Very good, but time consuming. Wash & Dry kale, tear into smaller pieces, massage 2 T olive oil into the leaves, salt & peppah, bake at 350 for 15 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet (or two).
*I don't think I'll make these again unless I get a major craving. But yum!
- Apple-Stuffed Acorn squash - Cut in half two acorn squashes, remove seeds. Dice up two apples. Mix 1/2 stick of diced butter with the apples, and sprinkle with ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinamon, salt, and peppah. I also added quinoa to this buttery apple mixture. Spoon the apples into the center of the squash. Bake for 45 minutes at 350.
* I didn't care for this. I usually like most vegetables, but turns out I don't like acorn squash, but I bet this would be delicious with butternut squash. The quinoa-apple mixture was great and would make a yummy porrige for breakfast with milk added.
- Cranberry Spelt Muffins with Sunflower Seeds - This is a recipe I adapted from the Baklava Queen. I have never used fresh cranberries before. I think they're probably better if dried first? They are kind of potpourri tasting fresh. The actual muffin texture, though, was nice. This was also my first time using spelt flour.
- Sesame-Cream Cheese Dates - I think I bought the wrong kind of dates. My friend Nancy made a date treat and the dates were much more moist. Or maybe these were just a little old? Either way, they turned out pretty good! These dates had a hole straight through the center from where they were pitted. I put some cream-cheese in a ziploc and cut the end off to make it a pastry bag. I squirted cream cheese into the center of the dates. Then, I drizzled Raw Agave nectar over the dates and tossed 'em around in the bowl until they were well coated. Then I rolled them in sesame seeds. Great success (says Borat)!
*Note, next time get better dates and maybe toast the sesame seeds beforehand for added flavor of toasty goodneess.
The baby is in bed and I feel like writing, so I'm also going to include a shopping list. Here's a look at what kinds of wholesome foods $93.80 will get you at the local co-op.
- 2.1 lbs Organic Rolled Oats (Anna-Joy and I eat soaked oatmeal everymorning for breakfast) That's what I call a cheap breakfast! This will last us over a month unless we decide to use them in baking.
- 0.56 lbs Walnuts
- 0.66 lbs Pitted Dates
- Organic Teething Biscuits for - Guess who!
- 1 lb Organic Maple Syrup
- 2.83 lb Corn Meal - For corn bread and dusting french bread.
- 0.62 lb Organic sesame seeds
- (1) Box Artichoke flour Angel-hair pasta
- (1) Box Gardenburgers (mostly mushrooms, not soy!)
- (1) Bag frozen corn
- (1) 1/2 Gallon Organic Milk
- (2) frozen Spelt pie shells - for a quick quiche dinner.
- 2.8 lbs Organic Sugar
- (1) 44 oz. bottle of Raw Agave Nectar - I've heard of friends using this and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Your body processes it better than sugar. I used it in the cranberry muffins and for the date dish and still have 3/4 of a bottle left.
- 2.99 lbs unbleached white flour - for baking bread! Nothing like home-made bread!
- (1) tub of Organic cream cheese
- (1) tub of Organic shredded Parmesean
- 2.29 lbs Organic Spelt flour
- 2.7 lbs Organic Sunflower seeds
- 3.73 lbs ***Local*** Organic Sweet Potatoes - These were $1.99/lb compared to $0.68/lb at Ingles - I was shocked! It is worth it, but we also have a very limited buget. I think I got maybe 5 sweet potatoes for almost $8 - yikes!
- (2) Bunches Organic Kale
- (1) Box Annie's Deluxe Mac & Cheese
Here's what I got at Ingles for $97.28:
- (1) jar organic salsa
- 4-Pack cane sugar Root Beer for the Honey
- 02433521116 (your guess is as good as mine)
- (2) cans black Olives
- (2) cans evaporated milk - I'm going to use these in a recipe I found for home-made mayonaise
- (1) Organic Apple Juice for AJ
- (1) Jar coconut oil - like the agave nectar, I've heard good things about this stuff and wanted to try it out. I post when I use it.
- (2) jars Prego pasta sauce
- (1) carton sea salt
- (1) Bottle Organic lemon juice
- (1) Bottle Olive Oil
- (2) bags Caribou Coffee
- (1) bag Organic Pinto beans
- (1) bag Great Northern beans
- (1) CELES TB CHA (? any guesses?)
- 1 lb Organic butter
- (1) carton Organic 1/2 & 1/2
- (1) Box of Garden Burgers
- (2) Frozen Pizzas
- (2) Boxes Organic Frozen Waffles
- (1) Organic Frozen Spinach
- (2) acorn squashes
- 25 lbs (yes, I said 25 FREAKIN pounds!) of Organic Carrotts for juicing
- 6-pack Kiwis for juicing
- 3 lbs grapefruit
- (1) Bag of Organic onions
- (3) bulbs of Organic garlic
- (5) Organic Gala apples
And there you have it. This food should last us all month. We only need to pick up a few fresh veggies and salad mixing here and there.
Ok, I think that's quite long enough. I may have just been making up for lost time on this blog. Good nite!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Tony Mac
My computer has been officially named "Tony Mac."
I don't know if I will be able to convey the intensity of what I am about to say:
GOD LOVES YOU.
GOD IS REAL - AND GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
and we are FREE. and we are BELOVED. and we are TREASURED. and we are BEAUTIFUL. and we are PERFECT.
and by the blood of JESUS we are GOLDEN.
no worries.
none at all.
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."
To every artist, every person bound by the chains of drug use, to every one down-and-out, to every child not loved as they should be, to every woman not loved as she should be, to every homeless, wreckless, hopeless ....
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER.
and that's a message straight from worship at the Body to your ears. Digest it.
I don't know if I will be able to convey the intensity of what I am about to say:
GOD LOVES YOU.
GOD IS REAL - AND GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
and we are FREE. and we are BELOVED. and we are TREASURED. and we are BEAUTIFUL. and we are PERFECT.
and by the blood of JESUS we are GOLDEN.
no worries.
none at all.
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."
To every artist, every person bound by the chains of drug use, to every one down-and-out, to every child not loved as they should be, to every woman not loved as she should be, to every homeless, wreckless, hopeless ....
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER.
and that's a message straight from worship at the Body to your ears. Digest it.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Busy Busy
It's been SO long since I've updated. There is no way I could accurately convey all the ridiculous (in the best way possible) things that have taken place here in Asheville lately.
I've been really busy...hanging out with my boyfriend! Seems kind of weird to post about, but it's a big part of what's been going down here lately. His name is John Mahshie and he loves Jesus, and God's brought our paths together. Pretty cool. What am I saying? It's ridiculously outta control cool!
I have transitioned from Missio Dei to The Body. The Body has an amazing ministry downtown, and it's been so awesome to become a part of what's happening there. I know I am about to learn a whole heck of a lot!
So many exclamation points!
Also, I withdrew from UNCA. I felt like it was hindering, rather than helping, me reach my photography goals. Plus, it was just not where I needed to be. I start working full time at Olan Mills today! I hope you all realize how impossibly amazing it is that Olan Mills just happened to be hiring right as I decide to leave school. God is so freaking faithful!
I love you all. Peace in the Middle East.
~ Nicola
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