Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Veronica

You may have noticed I’m no longer posting regularly. I have a feeling that’s how VC will be from now on, with periodic posts when I have the time. While I hope my sporadic posting doesn’t bother any of my readers, I likely wouldn’t begin to post regularly for your sake at the expense of my own, so it would help my conscience out a lot if you would just be OK with it. Thanks. :)

Onto the pudding. I know it sounds weird, but you just have to try this to believe it how good it is. Even my avocado-hating husband loves this pudding! Basically it’s just avocado blended up with cocoa powder and agave nectar to create a sweet, silky, perfectly chocolate-y pudding. No dairy, no refined sugar, no gluten, no cooking, just blending and eating of the most delicious & wholesome dessert ever…refrigeration totally optional. We couldn’t wait and ate ours as soon as it was blended and it was fabulous. But I bet it would be even better cold.

Chovocado Pudding

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and quarter the avocado. Put all the ingredients in a Magic Bullet or food processor and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe source: Forgiving Martha

26 Comments

Posted in Lighter Fare, Sugar-Free and tagged avocado, dairy-free, dessert, easy, gluten-free, grain free, healthy, pudding, raw, refined sugar-free, vegan. Bookmark the permalink.

Fresh Mild Salsa

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Veronica

The secret ingredients chosen for the Holiday Recipe Club‘s Cinco de Mayo blog hop were dulce de leche, tomatoes, and chorizo. For last month’s Easter blog hop, I went crazy and put a lot of effort into creating something with all three secret ingredients (carrot cracker treats with carrots, spinach, and eggs). This month, I’m totally cheating and taking the easy route by using this as an excuse to finally post my fresh salsa recipe that I won third place for at the fair last year.

My inspiration for the recipe came from my sister, Danielle, who usually only makes recipes that turn out things like soap, lip balm, or bath fizzies. But one edible thing she does make, and well, is fresh salsa. Her secret ingredient is orange juice, and while I didn’t follow her original recipe to a T, I did make sure to use some fresh orange juice in it. I also replaced the jalapeño with poblano, which is a mild pepper, sort of like a bell pepper with just a bit of kick to it. (I love spicy food but I was making this salsa for the “mild” category. The salsa also had to use fresh ingredients, which is why I didn’t just make my favorite salsa.) If you’d like a hotter salsa, dice up some seeded jalapeño instead!

The judges loved my salsa, but said it had a bit too much garlic, so I’ve adjusted the recipe to up it to blue ribbon status by cutting the garlic from four cloves (hey, what can I say, I love garlic!) to two (the amount in Dani’s original recipe–I should have listened to the expert!). But as with all recipes, just add amounts to suit your own tastes!

Fresh Mild Salsa

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

6 medium fresh tomatoes on the vine
1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely diced
½ large red onion, finely diced
½ a bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Juice from ½ a lime, ½ a lemon, and ½ an orange
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated pepper

Finely dice the tomatoes, removing the seeded pulp as you go, and place them in a wire mesh sieve set over a bowl to drain for five minutes. Discard juice, then stir the tomatoes and all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 2 pints.

Recipe source: adapted from Danielle Davis

Check out the other Cinco de Mayo recipes in the blog hop by clicking below!

43 Comments

Posted in Condiments & ETC., Holiday Recipe Club, Mexican, Snacks & Appetizers and tagged appetizer, award-winning, cinco de mayo, easy, fresh, mild, salsa recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursdays #73: His name was Ed

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Veronica

I didn’t know Ed personally, but we worked together. Maybe for years, but I only became aware of his existence last July when we started together as FTF’s (full-time-flexibles) at the REC.

The first time I saw him, he had a bandage around his knee and he raised a question about getting time off for surgery during our orientation, during which it was made very clear that we had to report to work when we were scheduled, no exceptions. An exception was made for him.

Weeks and months passed, and tall, skinny Ed got even thinner. He started walking slower. Then one day, I noticed he was toting around an oxygen tank. And he walked even slower. But he never missed work.

One day we happened to be in the same part of the same break room at the same time, and he wasn’t looking too hot.

“You look like you’re fighting a hard fight,” I said.

“I’m fighting cancer,” he confided.

I found out he was going through chemotherapy, and his legs swelled each time he had a treatment, and those were the days he wore his big green pants and sandals. He was smiling, despite his weakness, and was upbeat and positive. I told him I would pray for him and he thanked me with a grateful smile.

Then came the hard weeks and months. He became so weak that he started using one of our rolling chairs as a walker, propping himself up on the back as he pushed it in front of him, and would pile up his stuff on the seat to cart around because he could no longer carry it. The oxygen, which he used to only wear while sitting down and coming to and from work, now accompanied him on his breaks. I got choked up every time I saw him, saddened by his diminished state, and inspired by his fortitude.

“How much longer will you have to do the chemo treatments?” I asked him in passing one day. I was still hopelessly optimistic for him.

“A long time,” he said, so weak he could barely smile, but he smiled anyway. He always smiled when he saw me. “My body is being stubborn.”

That was my first inkling that he really might not make it. I didn’t know him except to give him a friendly smile in passing, but my heart ached to know that after fighting so hard, he might not win his battle with cancer. I cried that day as I worked, and many days after, praying to God to strengthen Ed and help him through this struggle, whichever way it may go. That if it wasn’t His will to heal Ed, then to keep him from suffering too much.

And then the news came. He didn’t show up one day, and I heard through the grapevine that he had taken a turn for the worse and was in the hospital.

A week later, last Saturday, he passed away. He worked all the way up until a week before he died.

God forbid his fight and his strength and dedication go unnoticed. I didn’t know Ed. But he taught me by example that we are stronger than our circumstances. That we can overcome practically anything to carry on with life until it ends. He inspired me in his last months, and witnessing his strength and commitment to his job made me a better person. I can tell you that there have been days I really felt like I couldn’t work, whether for health or emotional reasons, but I didn’t call in because I knew Ed would have showed up no matter what. And if he could do it, dying, I could do it, my life ahead of me.

Thank you, Ed. Your legacy lives on in my heart, and perhaps in the hearts of many of your co-workers. You were a shining example to us. Every time I feel weak, I know I will remember your strength. When I’m weak, He will make me strong, and I will be thinking of you for the rest of my life, leaning ever harder on my Lord for the strength and courage that you displayed.

With God, I can do anything. I’m stronger than my disease and any circumstance that befalls me. Today, I’m thankful to Ed for teaching me that.

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Posted in Thanksgivings and tagged cancer, inspiring, strength, thankful. Bookmark the permalink.

Soap for Soldiers {a casual soap-making tutorial}

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Veronica

Several weeks ago, this appeared near the entrance of my work facility:

I donated some requested items, but I got to thinking about what I would crave most if I were away from home, fighting every day to survive. Besides a good, home cooked meal, my second biggest comfort and indulgence is a luxurious bath with lovely scented soaps, body scrubs, etc. But what I’d want most of all is love and appreciation.

The military can’t accept homemade food from people they don’t know personally, but I really wanted to make something to make the gift more personal, so that the soldiers that received it would know that love was poured into it, not just money.

Soap wasn’t listed as a requested item, but I got the idea in my head to donate some homemade soap, and I called my sister, who is an old hand at making it by now (she has been making it for six years and selling it in her own shop for the last four), to see if she’d be game to help me do it. I knew she would love the idea, and I was right! She agreed to help me make it for only the cost of the supplies, and we met in the back room of her shop to get our soap-making party started.

Dennis came along to photograph the process so you can learn how to make soap along with me. Thank you, honey! <3

This is Danielle’s basic soap recipe, which we tripled to fill two log soap molds. All measurements are in ounces and all but the last two ingredients are oils & butters. To make goat’s milk soap, she just subs goat’s milk for the water, but we went with water this time.

You can click here for a printable recipe with step-by-step instructions, or click here for one that includes a photo of the finished product.

Danielle ate her dinner while I measured the oils using an electronic kitchen scale.

Coconut oil

“I only use the best Mountain Rose Herb organic cocoa butter in my homemade soap!”

Castor oil. Apparently soap-making has already driven me to drink.

Safflower Oil

Sunflower oil. Allow me to deflect the attention away from my sister’s hilarious expression and onto my shirt with the flipped hem. It is this way in every. single. photo. And Dennis didn’t tell me. He also lets me go shopping with chocolate on my forehead. But I love him anyway. :)

Palm kernel oil. This stuff is firm like cocoa butter and has to be hacked out with a knife or spoon.

Once all the oils are measured, it’s time to melt them together. Some people do this on the stove, but Danielle just does it in her microwave.

“I LOVE MAKING SOAP SO MUCH I COULD DIIIIIE!!!!!”

While the microwave was doing its thing, Danielle measured her water into a glass bowl in preparation for making her lye-water mixture.

It is very important to add lye to water, meaning putting the water in your bowl first and adding the lye second, and not the other way around, or it will explode and burn your skin. I know that sounds like something I’d usually say as a joke, since I like to exaggerate, but I’m not exaggerating here. Please be careful with lye!

You can find lye at any hardware store by the other drain cleaners in the plumbing section. Make sure it says “100% lye” on the label. And don’t’ be scared that you are putting it in something that will be used on your skin. The process of making soap, combining the lye with water and fat and then curing the mixture, makes it completely safe for your skin. All soap you’ve ever used contains lye–it is a necessary ingredient.

Danielle microwaved her oil mixture in bursts, stirring in between to help it melt evenly without heating it too much. Here she’s preparing to put it in for about the third time before she adds lye to the water.

“And now, Pinky, we add the lye to the water and TAKE OVER THE WORLD!”

Combining the lye with water causes a chemical reaction which heats the water and puts off fumes that will make you choke and can burn your skin, so as soon as your lye is measured, take the bowl outside and start stirring to keep the mixture from solidifying. You should wear a glove on the hand you stir with, as the vapors could burn you if you have sensitive skin. Danielle has been doing this long enough to know she doesn’t need a glove, but she recommends you use one to be on the safe side. Danielle also says to make sure you’re situated so that the wind is blowing the fumes away from you.

Stir for about a minute or so to allow the fumes to dissipate. The mixture will be quite cloudy when you first start stirring, and will get more clear as you stir. Danielle held the bowl up so I could feel how hot it got.

It reaches 200F, so be careful when handling the bowl not to burn yourself, either from the heat or the corrosive mixture inside it. Again, gloves are a good idea.

Once inside, Danielle set the lye mixture aside to cool a bit while she finished melting the oil. At this point it was melted except for a few cocoa butter and palm kernel oil chunks, so she removed them to a separate container to melt completely so that she wouldn’t have to heat the whole batch too much to get them melted. You want both your oil and lye mixtures to be about 110F when you combine them.

Once the oil was ready, we combined them because the lye mixture had time to cool off and the oil wasn’t too hot either. Danielle doesn’t use a thermometer, but you probably should until you get comfortable with the process.

Danielle likes to stir while pouring the lye water into the oil, but she says it’s not necessary. You can just dump it in and then start your stirring.

You’re going to stir, stir, stir, until the mixture is thickened. This can take a very long time, but an immersion blender makes the process much faster and it will be ready in a matter of a minute or two.

You will know it’s ready when it starts to trace. To test it, lift a spoonful and drizzle it over the surface. If you can see a line for a second or two before it disappears (leaves a trace), your soap is ready to pour into molds. Here it was just barely tracing, but we stopped at this point because we were going to be adding more stuff and stirring a lot more.

Now’s the time to add the scent and extras you desire. I chose lemongrass because it is a nice unisex smell.

For a batch this big, we needed two (1 ounce) bottles of lemongrass oil.

I wanted to do sort of a camouflage swirl so we divided the batch into thirds to turn each a different color with natural additions.

We added chamomile powder to the large bowl to give it a golden color, French green clay powder to the bottom bowl for a green color, and vanilla bean seeds and black clay powder to the top bowl for a brown color. You can also put in herbs or oats into your soap at this point–all additions like this will make your soap more firm and it will last longer. We just poured our additions in until we liked the colors. Then we mixed, mixed, and mixed some more.

We made sure the soap traced before we stopped mixing. This isn’t a great photo, but you can see the lines of soap that fell from the spoon. It’s ready!

We poured the smaller batches of soap into the large bowl in random patterns to help the swirl effect.

Danielle gave the whole batch one swoop of the spoon for a swirl effect. Don’t do more than this or your soap will become one color–it’s very easy to over mix. One circular swoop from top to bottom is plenty.

Pour the soap into molds. She uses silicone molds, which you do not have to line.

You can texturize the top with a spoon or spatula.

Allow the soap to set up in the molds overnight before removing. Danielle took the soap out of the molds and cut them when I wasn’t there so I don’t have any photographs of that part, but I’m sure you can figure it out. :)

You can use the soap after a week, but it is generally recommended to let it cure for 4-6 weeks before using it, especially if you have sensitive skin. The longer you let it cure, the harder it gets and the longer it lasts because it won’t “melt” so easily in the shower.

We got 19 bars out of this batch. Pack it up…

…and share the love!

Hope you guys enjoyed this. I know I enjoyed making soap for the first time and giving it to the soldiers, and I hope it helps boost 19 spirits. If you’d like to send a letter or goodies to a soldier, you can get the name and address of an actual soldier serving now at this website.

Thank you, Danielle, for helping a sister and some soldiers out! You’re the bomb-diggity! And thank you to the Haus (that’s what I call Dennis if I never told you before-pronounced Hoss, like “boss”), who not only provided most of the photos here, but helped me with some of the captions. You’re also the bomb-diggity. And thank you to my readers for reading and (hopefully) enjoying my antics. You’re all sorts of bomb-diggitiness. <3

And for those of you still recoiling from the mess in Danielle’s supply room, her excuse is the same as mine…

Creativity is Messy and I am Very Creative!-

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Posted in How-To & DIY and tagged easy, homemade soap, recipe, step by step, tutorial. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursdays #72: oh no he didn’t

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Veronica

If Dennis had written today’s post, it would have been called “Thankful Thursdays #72: nose hairs.”

Every week I brainstorm with Dennis about what my Thankful Thursday should center around. This week, he said, “One thing you’re probably thankful for, but not aware of, is your nose hairs.”

I lost it. I think I laughed for a whole minute straight, doubled over, even while he continued on to explain his point.

“I mean, think about it. They’re with you twenty-four hours a day and they’re always working for you, doing what they need to do. But pretty much the only time we notice them is when a booger gets stuck in them. They’re basically the unsung heroes of the facial orifices.”

Seriously, I could write another tribute of thankfulness for my husband based on how many times a day he makes me laugh. But he has a point. I mean, without nose hairs, who knows what kind of foreign objects we’d be sucking back into our lungs. Nose hairs (OK, at this point, I’m starting to cringe whenever I say “nose hairs.” Once is funny, but now it feels grody-lol.) trap dirt, viruses, bacteria and toxins until we blow them out, sneeze, or swallow.

Wow, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like my blog was going this wrong before. I’m really sicking myself out! lol

But I think you get the point. NH’s (there, that sounds much better), just like every part of our bodies, serve a very necessary and important purpose. People with not enough NH are three times more likely to suffer from asthma! (Men, you can use that as an excuse when anyone gets onto you about your excessive NH. It’s saving you from buying an inhaler.) So let’s sing some praises to our nose hairs today, shall we?

And since we are completely crazy (as if you needed any further proof after reading this blog), we made two different songs to pay tribute to our lovely nose hairs. Enjoy!

17 Comments

Posted in Dennis, Thanksgivings and tagged benefits of nose hairs, comedy, funny, praising nose hairs. Bookmark the permalink.

Zucchini Spaghetti

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Veronica

**I apologize to subscribers for the weird “password protected” post that came to your inbox or feed early this morning! It was me just being a spaz, but I’ve got this “top secret” recipe now set to public visibility instead of password protected. Sorry to disappoint if you thought my zucchini spaghetti recipe must contain codes to reveal a huge conspiracy theory, but I hope you’ll find the delicious recipe is quite enough to get excited about in and of itself. :) **

Have you been wondering what ever happened to the weight loss contract and the 17 Day Diet? Join the club–I’m wondering too! :D We did save a good amount of money with the contract, though we only actually stuck to the agreements made in it for like a week. And we ended up with a bunch of emergencies (car stuff, etc.) that most of the money went toward. We did much better with the 17 Day Diet and stuck with it for over a month, but soon after got to the third 17-day cycle, which allows for a wider range of foods, we cheated our way into widening the range to all foods, and in great abundance. Soooo, I think I lost 15 pounds and gained most of it back. Story of my adult life. I pretty much diet half the year so I can eat like a pig the other half. It kind of works for me.

Anyway, this “spaghetti” was the romantic Valentine’s Day dinner I made while we were on the first cycle of the 17 Day Diet, which allows for no starches except for fruit. The lean meats allowed are minimal as well (turkey, chicken, and fish) and I was challenged to come up with a 17 Day Diet-friendly recipe that would be really delicious and impressive. Debbi posted her version of Kalyn’s zucchini spaghetti and I knew I had a winner. And wow, I was right! This was the most delicious thing we ate during the entire diet, and I would even say it’s one of the most delicious meals I’ve eaten in my entire life. The sauce is just spectacular (it would be great on real spaghetti, too) and the zucchini is perfect here. I always have thought zucchini was a vegetable best suited to Italian seasonings and this recipe further proves it. I can’t even tell you how much I love this dish!

A funny thing about the “spaghetti” strands. The only julienne slicer I could find was this one, which also has three other cutting blades. For some reason, I didn’t look at the owners manual and thought that the crinkle cutter was the julienne blade. I was so frustrated with the slicer, thinking that it was just a poor product, because every time I “julienned” a zucchini, I had to go back and cut the strands apart because the stupid julienning blade was just cutting crinkle-cut slabs. DUH! Seriously, I didn’t figure out my mistake until just this week when I finally opened the owners manual and saw that there was another blade that I had missed. The one for julienning veggies. DOY.

If you don’t have a julienne cutter, The Pampered Chef has a julienne peeler for $10.50 that I’d recommend–it won’t take up a lot of space and does a fabulous job of julienning your veggies. I got one and gave the other cutter to Goodwill because, well, you guys know I don’t even have room for my cake pans in this house, so I’m not about to give up good space for a bulky cutting tool when I could just use Pampered Chef’s fabulous peeler! Thanks, Tracy (my Pampered Chef consultant)!

Zucchini Spaghetti

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

3 links low-fat turkey Italian sausage, hot or mild
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 large cloves of garlic, minced + 4 more to season the oil
pinch hot pepper flakes (optional)
1 (14.5 oz.) can roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
2 medium sized zucchini (9-10 inches long)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning zucchini)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired

Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then add turkey sausage, squeezed out of the links, and use a spatula to break the sausage apart and cook until it’s lightly browned, about 5 minutes. When the sausage is browned, add 3 cloves of minced garlic, and hot pepper flakes, if using. Stir together and let cook with the sausage about a minute, then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, fennel, basil, and oregano. Turn heat down to low and let the sauce simmer while you prep the zucchini.

Use a julienne cutter to cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-like strands. (Cut off the ends, wash and dry the zucchini, and then cut into julienne strands. You can also do this with a knife if you’re patient.)

Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat in a very large frying pan, add 3 whole garlic cloves and sauté until you can start to smell garlic, then remove garlic to another dish (you can discard it, but fried garlic cloves are delicious and you can add them to salad or even eat them straight!) Immediately add the zucchini strands to the hot pan and cook stirring a few times just until the zucchini is heated through, about 2 minutes. Season the cooked zucchini with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Divide between 2-4 plates, then ladle sauce over the top. Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe source: adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, as seen on Debbi Does Dinner

19 Comments

Posted in Italian, Lighter Fare, My Favorites, Pasta and tagged 17 day diet, Atkins, healthy, low carb, pasta, south beach, zucchini spaghetti recipe. Bookmark the permalink.

Italian Roast Beef {crockpot recipe}

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Veronica

This Italian roast beef was inspired by Tami’s comment on my banana pepper roast, telling me she did the same thing but added a packet of dry Italian dressing mix, and that it made great sandwiches. Well, I’m all about making great things better, and all about sandwiches, so I decided to try it out. And it is even better than the banana pepper roast. And it does make killer sandwiches. Thanks, Tami!

Just as with the banana pepper roast, there is a pleasant piquant flavor from the peppers and the acid in the brine and the slow cooking makes the roast ultra-tender. The difference is that there’s even more flavor–garlic & onion and whatever else they put in those dressing mixes. I have tried making my own Italian dressing mix but I really want it to be exactly like the store-bought ones and so far, no luck. If you have one that’s close please let me know! I buy at least four of those packs a month (I make our Italian dressing with them, and things like parmesan garlic chicken) and I know it would be cheaper and probably healthier to make my own.

We ate the roast straight the first day (it’s so good with mashed or baked potatoes!), then made sandwiches with the leftovers. I’ll include my idea for sandwiches too, because it was so good! Can you tell I thought this roast was so good? ;)

Italian Roast Beef

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 (5 lb) beef roast
1 (.7 oz) envelope dry Italian dressing mix
½ cup dehydrated red & green bell pepper (optional)
¼ cup dehydrated minced onion
1 (12 oz) jar banana pepper rings

Place beef roast in the bottom of a 6-quart crockpot. Sprinkle the dressing mix, red & green pepper (if using), and minced onion over it, then pour the jar of banana pepper rings over the top, juice and all. Cover and set to cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Remove the roast onto a platter and shred with two forks. Return to the juices and mix well, then serve with mashed potatoes.

To make sandwiches, you’ll need:

Sandwich buns or rolls
Ranch dressing
Dried basil*
Italian roast beef, warmed
Fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Other toppings of choice, such as shredded lettuce, sliced olives, chopped onion, etc.

To make sandwiches, split the buns and cover the insides with a generous smear of ranch dressing. Sprinkle with basil.*

*If you use fresh basil, add it along with the tomato at the end.

Doncha love those sweet Italian buns? ;)

Draining off as much juice as possible, put some roast beef on the bottom buns, then place a slice of mozzarella on top. Please slice your cheese thinner than this or you’ll have to practically burn the buns before it’s melted. Learn from my mistakes.

Broil open-faced on high, the top buns ranch-side up, until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. If your cheese is thicker *ahem*, it may take up to five minutes and you will want to remove the top buns before the bottom so that they don’t burn.

Even after five minutes, the cheese was barely melted. I have to show off the one I made when Dennis requested seconds. I got the cheese much thinner, so it only took about a minute for it to melt and I didn’t have to remove the top bun before the bottom was done. Look at this beautiful deliciousness!

Much better! OK, once it’s melted, top it with a slice of tomato, another sprinkle of basil, and any other toppings you’d like.

Cover with the top bun and enjoy warm.

It’s 3 AM as I finish this blog, and I nearly forgot to do the drawing for the cookbook. So without further ado….

Congratulations to Brandee Lake, you won P-Dub’s signed cookbook!

P.S. Some people were asking me why she’s called P-Dub. Dude, it’s because she’s a straight up gangsta! lol. P is for Pioneer and Dub is short for the “double u” that Woman starts with. And in my cousin Andrea’s comment, she gave me a gangster name so I can be hip like the Pioneer Woman. You can now call me “V-Dawg.” My little sister gave me the name “Throwback Vrak,” which I LOVE, but that would require too much explaining in order for it to make sense. So V-Dawg it is. Until further notice. Peace out, yo.

22 Comments

Posted in Burgers & Sandwiches, Italian, Meats, My Favorites and tagged banana peppers, crockpot, easy, Italian roast beef, recipe, sandwiches, slow cooker. Bookmark the permalink.

Thankful Thursdays #71: tragedy makes us human

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Veronica

A tornado moves on the ground north of Solomon, KS on Saturday evening, April 14, 2012. {Photo source}

Several E3 tornadoes passed through southeast Wichita last Saturday, damaging all three of our aircraft plants and causing significant damage to a mobile home park and the Oaklawn neighborhood. I live on the west side of town, and I can tell you I’d have much rather been at home with my husband and scared doggy than at work, which happened to be quite close to the path that the tornadoes took through Wichita.

This map shows my location (A), along with three areas nearby that were hit: (B) Spirit Aerosystems (C) Pinaire Mobile Home Park, and (D) McConnell Air Force Base.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Although not officially the USPS motto, it may as well be, and it was going through my head as I continued to key mail even when our lights went out (the computers never went down, I believe they are on a backup power supply) and I feared our revolving doors might be ripped from their hinges. Tornado sirens blared, our lights flickered, went out, came back on, went out, our revolving doors were banging back and forth against the force of 135-165 mph winds, rain & debris pounded our roof, and lightening and thunder cracked and rumbled outside. Our windowless cement single-story building was designed to endure the toughest Kansas weather so that mail delivery will never be delayed due to our plant losing power or being damaged, so although many of us may have preferred to crawl underneath our desks and suck our thumbs, there really was no safer place to go and we carried on.

Aerial view of some of the tornado damage in the Oaklawn neighborhood in Wichita. {Photo source}

It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to a devoted mail carrier that endures frostbite and heat stroke in order to get the mail delivered (thank you, Dad!). Keying the mail through a tornado definitely made me feel a little more like one of those hard core mail carriers like my Dad, but although it was a proud moment in retrospect, I have to admit I was terrified out of my mind and a tear or two might have escaped my hard core eyes.

Damage to homes in the Oaklawn neighborhood of Wichita. {Photo source}

I probably didn’t do my best work that night, but hopefully I didn’t direct any of your mail to China…I hope you’ll forgive me if I did. I was praying without ceasing while I typed and listened to updates on where the tornadoes were headed and the devastation they had left in their wake.

Tornado damage to Pinaire Mobile Home Park in Wichita. {Photo source}

As soon as I left work, eyeing the insulation scattered in our parking lot and wondering what unlucky building it had come from, I texted everyone who I thought might have been affected to make sure they were OK. I’m so thankful God answered my prayers—every single person reported back that they were fine! There was some damage to homes reported, but everyone was alive and well and thank God for that!

I’m also thankful that the tornado missed my workplace. All three nearby aircraft plants were hit and damaged by the tornadoes, the worst being Spirit Aerosystems, which is just 1 ½ miles away. A little too close for comfort! I wouldn’t doubt the insulation in our parking lot came from one of their buildings. These photos shows the damage to one of their plants:

{Photo source}

Yowza, this could have been us. You guys can give thanks too that we were unaffected, as your mail delivery will not be affected by the tornadoes! (We key mail all over the US and even to foreign countries-we’re pretty important! :) )

Oaklawn residents join together in the middle of the night to clean up fallen trees after the tornadoes.

{Photo source}

One thing that always touches me when tragedy strikes, is how people and communities pull together to help those affected by the devastation. Last week I commented on how animals can make us human by learning from the kindness and love they have for each other, and I think tragedy is another thing that makes us human. It can bring out the best and worst in a person, but ultimately, I think it brings out the best in us because we can’t stew in our own sadness when there are so many that need help. We come together and help each other out! And those unaffected come forward to help those in need. It heals us, and it is such a wonderful thing to behold.

{Image source}

I know it is a cliché expression, but God does work in mysterious ways. Who knows whether he sent these tornadoes for a specific reason, or if they were just a result of the natural occurrences that happen in his creation. I do know that all these natural disasters are a sign of the end times (Matthew 24:7), and while they are tragic, there is something beautiful about the human kindness that is sparked by them. Sometimes I wonder…if we never had tragedy and disaster in our lives…would we be better people or worse? (I’m speaking in the terms of this world, not the one to come, in which we will be perfect and happy!) I’d hate to think we need tragedy and suffering in this world to give us a reason for kindness and empathy, but I wonder if it wouldn’t lessen. Something to think about.

Why I’m thankful post-Midwest tornadoes April 16, 2012:

That we had 24 hours notice and plenty of time to prepare for the serious storms brewing.
For the sirens that warn us to take shelter. And for the people operating them.
For the technology that allowed that very advance notice. And for the people using it and delivering the notice.
None of my family or friends were killed, and in fact, there were NO DEATHS in all of Kansas.

And when it comes down to it, that’s all that matters. Material things are necessary to our lives on Earth, but they can be replaced. Thank God for sparing so many lives that night. He is truly holy and awesome.

{Image source}

If you’d like to help those who have been affected by the Midwest tornadoes, please visit the Huffington Post’s page with links to the different relief efforts helping the different areas. Thank you!

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Posted in Thanksgivings and tagged 2012, April 16, KS, midwest tornadoes, Oaklawn neighborhood, Pinaire mobile home park, Spirit Aerosystems, Wichita, Wichita Remote Encoding Center. Bookmark the permalink.

An Evening with P-Dub {plus a giveaway!}

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Veronica

Yes, this happened. Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman herself, came to my little hometown for a book signing!! When Julie told me about it, I about flipped out. Foodie celebrities just do not come to our town for anything. This was the most exciting thing that ever happened in Wichita! Well, at least for me.

Julie and I had planned to go together, but she ended up moving earlier than planned so Dennis was my date for the evening. Dennis, the anti-foodie. The anti-foodie who won’t even read his own wife’s food blog. Perhaps not the best date for the occasion, but he’s a trooper and is usually up for anything. He’s incredibly supportive, despite refusing to read my blog, and I think my excitement made him a little eager himself to meet this superwoman.

We arrived at the Forum Theater (previously a church) an hour early and still there was a massive line. We were even further back than in the photo above, rounded around a corner, but I forgot to take a photo until that moment. Hello, Veronica, a blogger must remember to photograph everything when it comes to such a monumental occasion! I didn’t make that mistake again and documented the remainder of the evening by snapshots…and even short video. Of P-Dub singing!!

I apologize for all the exclamation points. It’s hard to control my excitement and enthusiasm.

It only took us about fifteen minutes to get through the line and into the theater. Everyone with tickets #500 and under could go in right away. There were tickets all the way up into the 1,300s and I think they managed to fit most people in. Apparently there was an “overflow section” but I never saw it, and I guess those who couldn’t find seats waited there for the signing.

Dennis, the sweetheart, went to the front of the theater to take these photos for me. We were seated in the middle, way in the back. That section was flat, not tiered like the front rows, so it’s harder to see all the people back there. I can’t even make out my own head, but I could see the stage just fine.

After an hour of waiting and reading her cookbook (yes, reading, I read cookbooks like novels) while Dennis read Anthony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within, Ree was finally introduced and came striding out on stage.

Seriously. P-Dub in the flesh. Is this really happening? Really? But she made it very clear how real she was as she nervously criticized her entrance and the awkward way she walked behind the movie screen instead of in front of it. She apologized for being nervous and sweaty, then asked for a show of hands of everyone that got sweaty when they were nervous. She was so genuine and sweet, even if you didn’t know her from her blog already, you had to love her immediately. Dennis was not immune to her charms and was laughing all through her presentation.

She gave a slideshow presentation of her life, with all the humor she infuses into her blog.

which explains her senior photo…

I stopped snapping shots of her slideshow at that point, but did catch the last half of her “special moment” with her basset hound, Charlie. She started singing “My Endless Love” along to pictures she had taken of him…

Then we waited. Books were signed according to the number on your card, so there were 182 people ahead of me. And there were no limit to the amount of books she would sign. I’m sure Ree is sporting a permanent hand cramp right now, as she had to have signed thousands and thousands of books that night. What a trooper! After waiting foreeeeever (OK, more like two hours), we finally were next in line!!

I was so flustered, I had nothing to say. I could have said, “I made your chunky chicken soup five times this year already!” I could have told her how well she did with her presentation. I could have told her how honored I was to meet her. I could have told her how much I enjoyed her book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, or even asked her if Marlboro Man was taking care of the kiddos by himself while she was away. But I couldn’t say anything!

Since I was so quiet, she finally asked me, “Are you from Wichita?” How humiliating, to have forced a huge celebrity to try to spark a conversation in the face of my epic silence. That she even bothered is a testament to how nice she truly is. “Yes, this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me!” I blurted. And that’s all I said. Ugh. Dork master!

And then the picture from hell happened. A lady offered to take one with both of us in the picture, so I made sure my ugly heavy-duty bra strap was showing, and Dennis made sure to give the camera what I’ve dubbed his “creeper” look…the one that makes you think there’s something seriously wrong going on inside his head. Here’s another version of his creeper look:

Run awaaaaay! IT’S THE CREEPER BUNNY!

This is my impression of his creeper look, given at a restaurant after we left the signing:

Creeper V!

OK, way too much creepiness happening here. Let me remind you of how handsome and non-creeper-like my husband actually is:

There. I feel much better now.

So that was it, a lovely presentation, a long wait, and an awkward introduction in which I made a fool of myself. And I came out of it with this:

Poor Ree, it’s a wonder I can read this at all. Here’s the translation, as best I can tell: Love to Veronica, ♥ Ree D

The cookbook follows the format of her blog, giving step-by-step photos for each recipe. If you like photos with your cookbooks, this one is for you! As far as I can tell, there are no new recipes–you can get them all online (though at least a few recipes in the book are improved from the website versions, like the Coffee Cake (the first one I’ll be trying!)), but if you love owning cookbooks, love the Pioneer Woman, or need a gift for a new bride/groom to help them learn how to cook, this would be great.

Would you like your own signed copy? Well, it might just be your lucky day, because I got a second copy signed to give away to one of my readers!

If you’d like to enter to win, just tell me what your favorite Pioneer Woman recipe is, or what recipe of hers you’re looking forward to making. You can still leave a comment without entering, just be sure to answer this question for your comment to count in the drawing. Giveaway will close April 19th at 10 PM CST, and I’ll announce the winner on Friday.

If you’d like additional chances to win, you can do any or all of the following (and yes, it counts if you already do/have done them, just leave a comment letting me know). Be sure to leave a separate comment for each, and make sure you answer the question above first, or none of the additional entries will count.

*Subscribe to Veronica’s Cornucopia by RSS or email (email subscribe box is in the upper right column).
*”Like” Veronica’s Cornucopia on Facebook.
*Follow me on Twitter.
*Pin this post on Pinterest.
*Tweet the following message: @vraklis Win a signed copy of Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer woman! https://veronicascornucopia.com/2012/04/17/an-evening-with-p-dub-plus-a-giveaway/ #giveaways Please RT
*Tell your friends about this giveaway on Facebook, including a link to the post.

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Brandee Lake!

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Posted in Announcements & Awards, Life, Videos and tagged book signing, cookbook, food from my frontier, giveaway, pioneer woman, signed copy. Bookmark the permalink.

Kumquat & Coconut Cookies {Grain & Sugar-Free}

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Veronica

Whew, two recipe contests in the same week! I don’t know what’s come over me. It must be all that state fair competitive spirit leaking over into my everyday baking life! This one is for Baker Bettie’s Cookie Wars, in which she charged us with a mission to invent a cookie using at least two of the following ingredients:

Avocado
Balsamic Vinegar
Basil
Beer
Coffee
Cranberries
Cream Cheese
Dark Chocolate
Dried Chilies
Dr. Pepper
Fennel Bulb
Garlic
Goat Cheese
Grapefruit
Greek Yogurt
Hazelnut
Honey
Kumquat
Maple Syrup
Marshmallows
Mint
Passion Fruit
Peach
Poppy Seeds
Rosemary
Sour Cherries
Sweet Potato
Tomato

I’m really curious to see how many people are daring and creative enough to use tomato, vinegar (wait, I’ve done that and it’s fabulous! lol), beer, rosemary, etc. I’m thinking there are going to be a few savory cookies in the mix!

But me, well, you know my affinity for sweets, so that’s what I went for. I didn’t intend to make a wholesome cookie, it kinda just happened in the evolution of my creative process. Here’s how it went.

My first inclination was to create a yogurt and honey spice cookie, which I knew would be a cake-like cookie because of the honey, and since I don’t like cakey cookies unless they’re part of a whoopie pie, I figured I’d also make a yogurt and honey filing for them.

Then I remembered the bag of coconut flour in my refrigerator that I won from Nutmeg Nanny’s giveaway several months ago, and thought it would work well here since the honey and yogurt would add a lot of liquid that usually isn’t in cookies, and you need more wet ingredients in any coconut flour recipe–it’s very thirsty and absorbs lots of moisture. (I know this from a previous failure.)

I scanned the list again, trying to see if any other ingredients would pair well with the flavor of coconut and pondered over the kumquats. I’d never had them but had seen them at the grocery store from time to time and always assumed they were miniature oranges. I remember asking Dennis, “What is the point of these? It would take forever to peel enough of these to make them worth eating!” But I Googled kumquats anyway, to see if they might work for me in my cookies.

I found out that the skin is the part that is sweet and delicious, and the inside is very sour. Most people eat them whole to savor the contrast of sweet and sour. (I tried this after buying them, and whoo-ey, even the sweet peel wasn’t enough for me to dig the sour explosion on the inside. But the flavor is very good-very similar to an orange.) I also found a recipe for kumquat chocolate chip cookies that described the kumquat peels as being great after baking because they get chewy like pieces of candy. OK, I was sold. I had to find me some kumquats.

Find them I did, and then I went to work. I’m pretty happy with my creation! These cookies have an exotic flavor profile, with a semi-tropical feel. The honey wasn’t quite enough to balance the sour yogurt and and kumquats (yes, I totally tasted the raw dough. I always do. :) ), but the stevia made them nicely sweet like any good cookie should be. I love the kumquat flavor, it is a perfect match with the coconut. I added the spices because a recipe I have from my friend, Marina, called “Cream Cheese Cookies” uses them, but I honestly can’t say they really pronounce themselves on the palate. They sort of just add a layer of mystery in the background to the overall exotic flavor.

The texture is soft and moist and very tender, which isn’t my usual choice for a cookie (I’m in the crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside camp), but these are so unique that it doesn’t strike me as “wrong.” These cookies are supposed to be different, and it’s actually a nice texture…not unlike shortbread. The one downside is that coconut flour makes them a bit grainy and while they’re not a dry cookie, the flour makes you thirsty after eating one.

All in all, these aren’t the typical American cookie, but I think they’d be perfect with tea. In fact, I think I’m going to enjoy a few with a hot cup right now…

Kumquat & Coconut Cookies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup raw, local honey
½ cup Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut flour
5 packets NuNaturals stevia powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon mace
¼ teaspoon salt
½ lb. kumquats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk the butter and honey together in a small bowl until combined, then whisk in the yogurt until combined, then the eggs and vanilla. Doing it in this way emulsifies the butter so that it doesn’t harden and get clotted when you add the cold yogurt and eggs.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the coconut flour to get any clumps out, then whisk in the coriander, ginger, mace, and salt. Add the honey & yogurt mixture, and stir with a spoon until mixed. The dough will be thick and will get thicker upon standing. Set aside.

Pick off the small stems from the kumquats, then roughly chop them, removing seeds as you go. I don’t have a great knife, so I sliced each kumquat into four slices, then quartered each slice, otherwise I just would have gone nuts chopping like I do with nuts. Add the chopped kumquats into the cookie dough along with the coconut and mix well with your clean hands.

Scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets with a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. You can place them fairly close together as they will not spread. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Notes: coconut oil can be substituted for the butter to make these dairy-free. If you are using a different brand or form of stevia, add it in to taste. There is no gluten to toughen the cookies, so you can mix and re-mix to your heart’s content as you add ingredients to get the right balance to suit your tastes.