Ingredients

Makes about 1 pint

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ cup jarred red curry paste

1-14.5-oz. can coconut milk

½-cup creamy peanut butter

3-Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

1-Tbsp. hoisin sauce

1-Tbsp. honey

pinch salt

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to stick to bottom of saucepan and is very fragrant, 2–3 minutes.

   Step 2

   Whisk in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture turns darker in color and is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in peanut butter, vinegar, hoisin sauce, and honey. Season to taste with salt.  Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight portable container and chill.

   Step 3

   Do Ahead: Dip can be made 4 days ahead. Keep chilled.

 chocolate cups

Ingredients

Makes 12

¾

cup chopped raw nuts (such as pecans and/or walnuts)

¼

cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2

Tbsp. raw sesame seeds

1

cup pitted Medjool dates (about 6½ oz.)

¾

tsp. kosher salt

6

oz. bittersweet chocolate (about 1 cup), chopped

1

tsp. virgin coconut oil

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 300°. Arrange 12 standard muffin liners on a rimmed baking sheet or large plate.

   Step 2

   Spread nuts, coconut, and sesame seeds in an even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until nuts are darkened and fragrant and coconut is starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

   Step 3

   Meanwhile, place dates in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over to cover dates and let soak 10 minutes. Drain dates, reserving soaking liquid.

   Step 4

   Transfer dates and 2 Tbsp. soaking liquid to a food processor. Add kosher salt and pulse, scraping down bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy, with no large pieces of dates remaining. Be patient: It will take about 3–5 minutes. If you’re having trouble getting the dates to break down, add more soaking liquid 1 tsp. at a time. You should have about ½ cup date caramel.

   Step 5

   Melt chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute total. Pour about 1½ tsp. melted chocolate into each liner (no need to be exact, you just want a thin layer). Top with a small scoop of nut mixture, pressing to spread out the chocolate a bit (you want every nut to be in contact with chocolate so it won’t fall off). Using 2 spoons, dollop about 1 Tbsp. date caramel into each, pressing to gently spread down and around. Top each cup with 1 tsp. melted chocolate, using the back of a spoon to spread it around and cover as much caramel and bare nuts as possible. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture and sea salt.

   Step 6

   Chill until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.

   Step 7

   Do Ahead: Caramels can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store in an airtight container and keep chilled.

Vegan oat waffles

 Vegan oat waffles

1 cup rolled oats

1 tbs chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla (or less)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbs maple syrup

pinch salt

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup plant milk

blend in blender

recipe index

Pizza roll ups

Ingredients

• 1 tube refrigerated crescent dough or homemade pizza dough
• 3/4 cup marinara sauce
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese blend
• 15-20 pieces pepperoni
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (optional)
• Any other topping you like on your pizza

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll  crescent dough and press together each of the seams.
2. Spread sauce on top of the dough. Top with cheese.
3. Place your toppings on top of the sauce and cheese.
4. Roll up the dough into a tight cylinder and cut into one inch pieces.  
5. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Depending on how many toppings you use, this could be 10 to 15 mins.  

Week 18 weekly meal plan

Day 1:  Teriyaki Chicken kabobs with onion and pineapple

Day 2:  Beef BBQ sandwiches, potato

Day 3:  Pork schnitzel

Day 4:  Taco casserole Recipe Here

Day 5:   Salad with grilled chicken, mandarin oranges, strawberries and fried wontons

Day 6:  Homemade Pizza

5 Weeks To A Clean And Organized Home

Now out on Smashwords!

Smashwords

Book is out!

Yay the 5 weeks book is out!   If you don't have an amazon reader, you can get one for free or look me up on Smashwords. 

Best New Cozy Mystery Books September 2108

I love a good cozy mystery, and reading one is part of my nightly routine.  You can read them in kindle or you can purchase them in paperback.  I prefer the kindle versions, but that is just me.

Anyway, here are my recommendations for September 2018



You get an entire set here for the price of one book:

July Free or Nearly Free Books

Did you know you don't have to buy a kindle to read kindle books?  Amazon offers a free reader!  Just click this link and follow the instructions for your FREE reader.  https://amzn.to/2KODYfR


And onto the books!  Why do authors give books away?  Some give a few copies away hoping for reviews and others give away books hoping you will become a fan and buy their other books!  So if you see a book below that has a cost now, chances are it was a temporary give away.



This blog is NOT monetized.  I do not make money from you going to the page, or looking around.  IF you pay for a book, I make a small percentage (usually 1 or 2 cents).  That is NOT why I do this..I do this because I love books and reading but I am on a budget, so I am always looking for cheap reads! 




Books on Time Management/ House cleaning/ Minimalism.






Cooking/Diet



Great Reads:

Free Diet Books for May 2018

I love motivation, and free motivation is even better!  I listed below some free books from amazon. They are on kindle, but if you don't have a kindle, you can download the reader for free too.  The link for that is here:


Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices

Once you have a reader, you simply click the "buy it now" button for $0.00.   Some of these may be limited edition free, so grab them while you can!

ps:  This blog is not monitized, the links are affiliate links, but a percentage of free is nothing.  I post them because I love the motivation and just want to share.

Low Carb/Keto







Lastly we have some general books like for instapot.

One Pot Chicken and Orzo

I found a recipe online and decided to give it a try. There were some issues with it.  For one, it said to use chicken thighs.  The thighs put so much fat into the pot that it was not very appealing.  Also, it had spinach and we like green beans better. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1.5 lbs)
• 1 large shallot chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 2 cups raw green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked orzo

Instructions

1. Mix salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and paprika. Sprinkle over both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 4 minutes each side. Remove chicken to plate. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan and reduce to medium low. Add carrots, shallots, and green beans then cook for 5 minutes stirring and scraping the pan frequently. Add garlic and cook additional 1 minute. Add chicken broth and orzo. Bring to low boil. Cover and turn to simmer for ten minutes. Remove lid and add cooked chicken. Cover and simmer for additional 10 minutes.

Week 17 weekly meal plan

If you want to sub something or just want other inspiration, the link to all weeks is here:
Weekly Meal Plan Index

Monday

 Thank you Smalltownwoman.com!  I can't wait to try this one.

One Skillet Chicken Orzo

Tuesday
Best Ever Beef Stew

Wednesday

Chicken Teriyaki Bowls with Rice

Thursday:  
emeals enchilada casserole and salad

follow link to emeals recipe site and this is their photo:

Friday
Spaghetti with crockpot sauce

Credit for the photos is of course the original blog post and the links go to their webpage so you can make their recipe.  Hope you enjoy!

My experience with 23andme - DNA testing reject

I was so excited that my hubby bought me a DNA sampling kit from 23andme.  He thought he got a really good deal on it, purchasing it on Black Friday.  This is March 24 and I just got the rejection email.

What?

I sent a sample in as soon as I received my kit in the mail.  I waited and waited, then one day got an email that said I needed to request a new kit because there was not enough DNA in my sample.

I got the new kit, which FYI does not contain instructions like the original kit did.  Luckily, I had saved the instructions.  I was extra careful this time to make sure I had enough saliva ( one of the hints said I might not have sent enough saliva in the previous go).

I sent my second sample and waited.

On March 24 (a Saturday), I got an email from 23 and me stating that I needed to request a refund.  I went to the refund page and that was when my mouth dropped open.


To get a refund "less handling fees", which I will post when I see how much they charged me to handle my spit, I had to agree to never enter another sample to them again...ever.


So in the future, if technology changes and they are better able to extract dna from my saliva, I will be unable to submit a sample....how nice.

I am told that I am a rarity and that a very low percentage of people have low dna volume in their saliva, but no one will give me their failure rate.


Have you had a similar problem?



Update:  As of April 8, several emails asking me to jump through hoops including giving the order number etc.  Twice I have had to complete actions in order to move ahead to get the refund, but still no refund.  ps:  my refund choice will be an amazon gift card or visa gift card.

Creamy Chicken Casserole

What is great about this recipe is that you can toss any leftover vegetable into it.  This day, I had some leftover broccoli and tossed that right on top.  YUM!

1/2 package egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
2 cups leftover shredded chicken
1 cup carrots, cut up and boiled until tender (can sub frozen carrots)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup milk
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients into a 13x 9 baking dish and bake for 30 mins.  Serve warm.

Sunny Salad with Chicken

1 head romaine lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges in own juice
1 small can pineapple tidbits
slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken, shredded or cut into bit sized pieces


Dressing:
Panera Asian Sesame Chicken Salad Dressing
or

Orange Dressing:
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Cook dressing on stove top over low heat for 30 minutes to thicken.


Recipe Index

Weekly Meal Plans

Week 16 Weekly Meal Plan

I took some time off and used my recipes and now I am in the mood to start again and try some different things.  Below is this week's meal plan:

Want to see other weeks?  Weekly Meal Plan Index  or view the index of all my personal recipes Recipe Index

Monday:

Chicken Gnocci Soup

I tried several recipes before deciding that simplyhomecooked.com has the best tasting one and the one my family will eat.  I made a nice rustic bread to serve with this soup.  This is definately going into our rotation.  She has a lot of other great recipes also, so head over and have a look at her site.

Tuesday:

Today I am using leftover steak to make beef and broccoli and serving it with steamed rice.  The recipe is simple and I only need to cut up the leftover steak, toss the broccoli and steak in the sauce and dinner is served.
Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

Wednesday:

Homemade Crunch Wraps.  My family loves this one.  You can make it with beef or chicken.
Cooking with Janica is where I found this wonderful recipe. Just a side note.. beware of the music that starts when you open the website.  Do NOT open it in the room with your sleeping baby!!!    http://cookingwithjanica.com/homemade-crunchwrap-supreme-recipe/

Thursday:

Spaghetti night.  Homemade sauce in the crockpot.  http://emmafrancisisathome.blogspot.com/2016/09/crockpot-spaghetti-sauce.html

Friday:

Life in the Lofthouse has a recipe for a chicken casserole that I am dying to try.  You will probably see this recipe made over as one of my own, because there are some major changes that I will make in order to get my family to eat it.  Can't wait to try it though.

https://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/chicken-noodle-casserole/

Teriyaki Sauce

This sauce is SO good.  Do NOT use regular soy sauce though, the result will be so salty that you won't be able to handle it.  Watch this sauce carefully because once you add the cornstarch, it thickens pretty quickly. 

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

1. Combine 1 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until nearly heated through, about 1 minute.
2. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cold water together and stir until dissolved. Add to the saucepan. Cook and stir sauce until thickened, 5 to 7 minute.   

 Hint:  I use a very small lunch type container to mix my cornstarch and water.  I put the lid onto the container and shake it until the cornstarch has dissolved.  

Budget Meals 2 - Eating On A Very Low Budget

I like to try to post a meal plan that is as bare as possible.  This way, if you have extra cash, you can add in the items that you or your family like without blowing the budget. 


Join us on FB!!!!!   https://www.facebook.com/groups/190149851473918/

Grocery List:

Potatoes

Carrots

Onion

Paprika if you can afford it or don’t have it already

Eggs

Bread

Oats

Apples

Bananas

1 whole chicken either cut up or not

Low sodium soy sauce

Rice

Frozen vegetables

Cabbage

Spaghetti

Spaghetti sauce

jam

Ingredients to make your favorite cole slaw dressing (for me that is miracle whip, sugar, apple cider vinegar) I use a simplified version of KFC (I don’t use the celery salt) https://www.centercutcook.com/kfc-coleslaw-copycat/

For the chick fil a one here:  http://kfor.com/2016/01/03/chick-fil-a-releases-their-cole-slaw-recipe-before-removing-it-from-the-menu/    ps:  I sub plain old mustard for “dry mustard”.  No one has ever noticed.    For this one you will need mustard, mayo and vinegar)

When you debone chicken thighs, you can never get all the meat off the bone, but I don’t try.  I fry them for a meal or snack just like you would chicken wings.  

Breakfasts:

Oatmeal with banana or apples

Breakfast hash – potatoes, onion and carrot with paprika

Eggs & Toast

Lunch-

Soups – use the bones from the chicken to make broth or use a boullion cube if you have them

Leftovers

Peanut butter sandwich

Homemade fries (we bake them)

Snacks:  jam and bread, fruit

Dinner:

Breakfast for dinner (we love this and do it weekly) pancakes, eggs, toast

Stirfry – use chicken thighs, frozen veg, soy sauce and rice

Potato hash.  Use your white meat chicken – cook it and shred it, then fry or bake cubed potatoes until golden brown.  Add onion and chicken and cook until onion softens.  

Falafel or chick pea burgers or black bean burgers, French fries, cole slaw

Spaghetti  (if you feel you need protein some smashed up cooked beans added to it works nicely)

Potato pancakes and any chicken you have left over cooked and shredded, cole slaw

Healthy Apple Pie Cookies

2 cups oats 1/2 cup oat flour (see below) 5 tbsp apple sauce 2 tbsp almond butter http://amzn.to/2yx5Cdy 4 tbsp maple syrup 1 chia egg (2 tbsp chia, 6 tbsp water) http://amzn.to/2hOifaC 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon





Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. Remove 2 tablespoons mix and pat into a cookie shape. Place on baking tray and bake 25 to 30 mins. You will want them slightly golden. Store for up to 3 days or freeze for later.

For Oat flour, place 1 cup oats into a blender until fine. Measure out 1/2 cup for this recipe. Store remaining in freezer for later use (it makes good pancakes).

View My Recipe Index Here

Warm Breakfast Hash

This is so good on a cold morning and is my favorite go to breakfast.


1 medium potato
1 tsp olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
1 large tomato 1 cup frozen/fresh spinach salt & pepper


Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Cook in a pan with 1 tsp olive oil until they are lightly brown on the outsides. Add onion and cook until soft. Add tomato and spinach. Cook until spinach is hot and wilted down. Season with salt and pepper.


If you want to see my other recipes, Click Here For Recipe Index



I also have a list of meal plans here:  Meal Plans

Warm Weather Breakfast Granola

This recipe is so good on a cool fall morning. This recipe is so forgiving! You can double up on one of the nuts and omit another.



2 cups oats (not instant)
1/2 cup almonds pieces or chopped http://amzn.to/2yujmWx
1/2 cup pecans pieces http://amzn.to/2zwdZEy 1/2 cup walnuts pieces http://amzn.to/2zv3G3M 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds http://amzn.to/2zv8K8a 3 tbsp maple syrup http://amzn.to/2zf7VQ8
A splash of orange juice (can be omitted) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 cup dried cranberries


Mix everything together in a bowl. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes and again after 20 minutes. Cool then store in an airtight container. This makes four servings.


Want to see my other recipes? Check out my Recipe Index Here