Rebooting

You may have noticed my absence...

I have been taking some time away to focus on me, to rest, reboot and repair!

I have spent January getting reacquainted with myself and getting back on track.

This past month I have taken on a Paleo lifestyle.  I never follow anything exactly by the book, but I have taken an approach that really seems to be working and bringing me inner peace.

For now I've said goodbye to all refined Sugar,Wheat, Grains, Rice & Dairy....

I know what you are thinking..... Holy Cow!!!!

What else is there to eat???

Well, you would be surprised, and for the first time in my life...

•  I don't feel like I am starving

• My head feels clear 

• My heart feels determined.

Yes...It's a miracle!!

Paleo is taking me on a culinary adventure.

So with that, I am sharing what I had for dinner last night...

Mock Potato Salad

Mock Potato Salad

• l lb. bag of frozen Cauliflower
• 1 hard boiled egg
• Chopped Celery
• Diced Pickles
• Diced Green Onion
• Dill Weed
• Sea Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• 3 TB. Mayo- ( Homemade with Light Olive Oil & Eggs)

Steam cauliflower until tender and then cool.
Mix remaining ingredients in, to satisfy your tastes... and enjoy!

So simple, so satisfying!!! 

Makes 2 servings at roughly 210 calories per serving

Old Fashioned Cast Iron Apple Pie

 This week, I happened to get a great deal on a bag of Granny Smith apples. Nothing beats the twang of biting into a nice, crispy,  green, granny!

Unfortunately a majority of the apples in the bag had good size bruises. The bruised apples never seem to get eaten as fast....hmmm!

It was a no brainer to make them into a pie for my guys.

 The cast iron really does add a special flavor to the pie that you just don't get with other pie pans.

Warm apple pie, fresh out of the oven, on a cold winter day....sure didn't last long around here!

Sweetest little pie bird

oodles of whole wheat noodles

This summer I found a really cool pasta roller at a garage sale..I put it away and forgot about it. I didn't feel like I had the time to make noodles then...and well, time just kept slipping by.

That is until, a friend made pasta last week and I remembered that  I still needed to try out my pasta roller. Remembering where I put the roller was the hardest part of making the noodles :-)

This hand written recipe accompanied the pasta roller and figured I would give it a shot!

4 C.Flour ( I used half white & half whole wheat flour)

1  tsp. Salt

2 Eggs

2 Tbs. Oil

1  C. Warm Water

I didn't have a problem with the dough sticking. I was pretty heavy handed with the flour.

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The roller was easy and fun to use....

Why have I not done this sooner?

I hung the noodles over the back of our kitchen chairs to dry...

Not glamorous, but it got the job done!

 Can you tell I had a big helper?

Tilly, our little Yorkie, sure had fun playing in the flour that hit the floor :-) Her little beard was like a vacuum cleaner.

Blackberry Scones

Blackberry Scones.....Oh, so yummy! I have been making scones for my family for some time, and they...Love them! Usually, I just make regular scones...but today I decided to add Blackberries to change things up a bit.

Blackberry Scones

oven temp 400º

Makes 8 scones

Prep time 20 minutes

cook time 10 minutes

ready in 30 minutes

(Dry Phase)

1 3/4 C. all purpose Flour

3 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1/4 C. Sugar

1/8 tsp. Salt

1/2 C. Butter

(Wet Phase)

1/2 C. Milk

1/4 C. Sour Cream

Fresh, Frozen or canned Blackberries

( I used Wilderness brand Blackberry pie filling because that is what we had in the Pantry)

(Egg wash)

1 egg

1 Tb. Milk

(Glazing)

1 tsp. Clear Vanilla

1/2 C. Powdered Sugar

1 TB. Milk

Sift first 5 dry ingredients into a bowl and cut in butter until well blended and set aside.

In a  small bowl or measuring cup whisk together sour cream and Milk. Pour wet mixture all at once over dry mixture and gently mix.

I use my kitchen aide mixer.

Do not over mix!

I used about 1/4 C. Canned Blackberry Pie filling  and gently folded into dough mixture.

Place dough mixture onto floured surface and pat into  a wheel shape the size of  a dinner plate. Cut into 8 even slices like a pizza. place onto baking sheet.

 Whisk egg and milk and brush tops of scones. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before placing in the oven.

Place scones in preheated oven until tops are golden brown. The scones only take 10 minutes in my oven. 

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Brush tops with powdered sugar Glaze. 

Serve warm and enjoy!