Eggs Benedict a la BaconBits

Oh how I LOVE Eggs Benedict. It's almost always what I'll order if we eat breakfast out. My favorite is in Honolulu's Halekulani Hotel restaurant: Orchid's. Dining al fresco with my JoeBacon (he ordered Haupia Stuffed French Toast & a side of Portuguese Sausage) we shared their famous popovers with lilikoi & guava jelly and I savored every bit I could manage of their famous Eggs Benedict with truffle shavings on top! What, with views of Diamond Head & Waikiki Beach right there! ... well yeah! Best breakfast ever! Until now....

I had some leftover ham from the holidays, I also had some mashed potatoes.... so I had decided to make "hash" patties out of them. I mixed about 2 cups mashed potatoes, about 1 cup ham finely diced, some seasoning, an egg... formed patties & fried them in coconut ghee for an appetizer one night, but we had some left, so that is when I got the idea to use them for my base to top with eggy buttery goodness....

So I put the leftover patties on a plate in the oven to heat (covered with foil).

I used this Hollandaise Recipe, because I had all the ingredient & it looked fairly idiot proof. I used whole grain mustard, 'cuz that's all I had, it still turned out great! ;) I put it in a small glass jar & placed that in a bowl of HOT water to keep it warm while I did everything else.

I used Alton Brown's poaching method (2 inches of simmering water in a non-stick frying pan. I used a mason jar ring to carefully pour the eggs into so they'd stay in one area, then used tongs to move the ring for the next egg... once all four eggs were in & ring removed, I tuned off the heat & covered the pan for 7 minutes. They were perfect. I could have gone 6-6.5 minutes but no longer than 7. I hate it when the whites are googly, but I want the yolks still runny, of course. They were purty darn perfect!

Plated the patties, made a small dent in the top so the eggs would nestle in, then drenched them in the still warm hollandaise & served them for dinner. It was SO yummy.

Next time, I want to try it with my own home made English Muffins... stay tuned....

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR/DECADE!!!!

So.... I've been a bad, bad blogger! Santa surely kept that in mind this year! (lumps of coal found in my stocking...?)

I've decided to skip over Christmas & go straight into the new year with a burning focus on my goals: both in blogging, in "real" life and in NT practices...

• Menu Planning - I've tried a couple different methods, which clearly haven't worked out for me.... so I am still looking for one, I have a feeling I need to apply some Fly Lady Principles & just tweak them so they work for me... more on this process to come, please bear with me!
• Speaking of FlyLady, I REALLY need to get some basic home care routines going...
• In Blogging, my goal is be a bit more consistent, maybe even just once a week, but regularly wold be an improvement! I have much bigger ideas, but I wouldn't want to get your hopes up!
• As far as real life, I'd like to find a bit more time for me. Selfish, eh? ;) I'd like to lose a few inches, which means changing up what I eat (less carbs, less alcohol...? ugh!) and making some time for regular exercise....(double ugh!)
• And for NT practices.... well.... I tried a LOT of different things last year, some were great, some were huge flops, but in the end I only really stuck with a few, So this year I'd like to try to get a few more to 'stick"...

Ok, so here's Step 1, a Pantry challenge, from Money Saving Mom & Life as Mom that I'm goign to take on, to start the New Year right!

Here's the scoop (and some extra goals):

• I will take a full inventory of pantry & freezer (by the end of the week).
• Figure out menus based on what I have in stock. And use up those supplies. I have a well stocked pantry, and my fridge is stuffed to the brim. I get a produce box this weekend, and it will have to last me 2 weeks. No grocery store stops unless absolutely necessary.
• No eating out (unless it's an unforeseeable emergancy)!
• Try to eat less grains (unless sprouted) & carbs & sweeteners (I get 1 sweet drink per day, morning tea, but that's it!)
• Drink more water! I got an adorable Stainless Steel bottle for Christmas, so now I must USE it! I'm really quite terrible about drinking water! It's shameful, really!
• Take my FCLO!

I'm hoping this will accomplish several things:

1. I'll spend less on food this month. My food budget is $400/month, I'd like to see if I can spend about half that & put any savings towards our most immediate concern - our property taxes!
2. It absolutely drives my DH crazy that I keep buying more food when we 'have so much still'! So, it'll make JoeBacon happy to not buy any more...(for awhile! LOL)
3. Also, I think it'll be a good exercise in Meal Planning... which, as mentioned above, is something I struggle with a LOT.

I have a couple of things I'm allowed to buy weekly: farm fresh dairy, eggs & produce. I buy these from CSA's & Co-Ops:

• 2-3 Half-Gallons of Whole RAW Milk - $12-19/per week
• 1 pint RAW CREAM - $9/week
• 2 Doz Eggs - $8/wk
• 1 Small Produce Box - $20/every other week

I just stocked up at Trader Joe's tonight ($160) & on Tuesday I have a large 'catch-up' order coming from Azure ($150), so I should be set for grains & such. **Update: I had to run to Vons (ugh!) tonight to get cat food, because it will NOT be on my Azure Order (they are out) and I also grabbed a few other items, abut $35 in total.**

I'm ready. BRING IT!

**Update 1/4**

So already, I've spent $55+$160+$150+$35 = $400 (except the Azure order got placed & paid for in December, so really that doesn't count. So, adjust that, and we have:

This week: $250 (a little over my month's goal, but next week I don't get my CSA box & I really shouldn't need hardly anything from the store... so I think this is do-able!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, I'd like to share something I stumbled upon, a mantra of gratitude to live this new 'nourishing' lifestyle by:

“I am thankful to family farmers for keeping the traditions of seed preservation, environmental stewardship, and good animal husbandry alive now and for generations to come. I will continue giving my 'dollar votes' to local farmers who practice sustainable agriculture.” ~Anonymous

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that I can name many of my food providers this year, I am humbled to know that these people work SO hard, putting their hearts & souls to the test every day to provide me & mine with healthy sustainable meats, dairy & produce:

• Vernon & every farm involved with Abundant Harvest Organics where I get my CSA box of fruit & veggies from


• Mark McAfee with Organic Pastures, where we get our Raw Milk & Cream


• Sharon with Healthy Family Farms, where we get our eggs, and truly healthy chickens who live & play outdoors, don't eat soy & are distinctly NON vegetarian :), also Heritage milk and whey-fed pork, grass-fed free range beef lovely lambs.


• Kim with Blue Hill Farms for the Turkey.


• Azure Standard for the grains & other bulk items we consume regularly.

This year I had the honor of participating in the "Processing of Turkeys" at a local farm. All the laughter & giddiness, nervousness & 'grossness' aside, I was struck by what an earthy, respectful & peaceful process it was. I chose my bird, held her head and thanked her for providing us our Thanksgiving meal.

I feel VERY connected to my food this year & for that I am strangely grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Blogiversary!

So, guess what!? I missed the anniversary of my first blog post! I can't believe I did that! I knew it was coming & was planning to whip up a special post to mark the occasion....

Wait a sec! Did I say "I can't believe I did that!"??? I'm such a liar! Of course I can believe I missed it! Truth is I'm like that a lot! Life seem to be this crazy fast merry-go-round lately & I'm sometimes lucky I can remember my name! Sheesh!

Oh, I know! I have another really good excuse for forgetting! It was my sisters birthday & I was busy getting ready for her party that day! (Nov 9th, if you must know!)

Here's a few snaps of the food we celebrated with:

Local Organic Fuyu Persimmons (grown with care by Kanan's grandpa), crackers with Chevre & home made jams & marmalades & an authentic Spanish "Tortilla Espanola" (Potato omelette)

The Paella is about half way done, still too much liquid...

Isn't that just yummy looking, and pretty too!

It's Saffron rice, with chicken, sausage, shrimp, peas & a garnish of red peppers

So, back to my blogiversary....I'd planned on a sort of "before & after", a year of blogging & the differences in my life during this year...

We are still:

• (mostly) Eating Nourishing food (raw milk, pastured & grass-fed meats, organic produce)
• Making stock on a regular basis & use it more liberally in everyday cooking
• Soak & sprout legumes, grains & nuts (I try to keep a stock of crispy pecans for baking)

We've added and maintained a few more things:

• Sprout grains & grind fresh flour for my baking
• Make sprouted whole grain breads on a pretty regular basis, hardly ever buy it
• Make & Drink Kombucha & Water Kefirs
• Raw Milk: yogurt, sour cream & buttermilk
• Only use farm fresh eggs from HFF (no soy in their organic feed at all!)
• Make a point to buy grass fed beef, lamb & milk fed heritage breed pork & wild caught/sustainable fish
• I bought Coconut Oil & have incorporated it into several thing I make pretty regularly (Popcorn, baking, sautéing...). Recently I bought Coconut Ghee from Green Pastures (a combo of Grass-fed butter Ghee & EV coconut oil - it's DEE-lightful!
• For butter I use Kerrygold almost exclusively, the exception is that for baking I use Trader Joe's unsalted, it's about half the cost & I feel what's so special about the Kerrygold is the flavor, I feel that is sorta lost in translation when you use it in baked goods....so the TJ's butter is a compromise, it's not organic or grass fed, but at least it's rBst free....
• I made my own lard from milk fed pork fat - amazing! I also keep my bacon grease & use whenever appropriate - about 90% really good bacon

We tried but really haven't liked:

• homemade lacto-ferments: I tried a bunch early on & didn't like them, kept in fridge to see if they'd taste better after time - NOPE
• raw cream cheese, it was sour-ish & too loose to use in most recipes, just feel like it's too labor intensive to be worth it.
• raw milk kefir, I made it very regularly in the beginning, but found I only used it for baking, soaking & smoothies. I did not enjoy it plain; sweetened was good, but not super fast & easy... so I never did that enough to stick with it....I find the buttermilk gets used more frequently for baking & is a simpler process....I still have the grains, maybe I'll try it again & see if I can find a way to make it work better for us....

Haven't tried & not sure we will:

• Organ meats - not entirely true!! I did buy a beef heart (from HFF) & some really great grass fed stew meat from Whole Foods & ground that up to make my own ground beef. That is really tasty & I feel good knowing I'm able to 'handle' it. The boys don't really know about it, so don't say anything! ;)

Still need to work on or implement:

• taking CLO - I bought Green Pastures' fermented CLO capsules, but haven't started taking them yet! What a dork!
• adding more coconut oil to diet
• oil pulling on a regular basis
• exercise of some sort!

So there you have it, a brief review of our progress or lack there of... next year's comparison should be interesting! ;) I sense change in the air in the year to come....Stay tuned...

Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Pancakes

2 1/2 cups flour (I used half Sprouted & half AP)

2 cups warm water

1 cup sourdough starter (I used Amber’s Alaskan Starter - all white flour)

2 eggs

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Combine flour & warm water, add sourdough starter. Add eggs & whisk to combine thoroughly. Mix sugar, salt & soda in a small bowl, sprinkle over batter evenly & fold in gently (do not over mix!)

Heat a griddle over med high heat add fat (I used coconut ghee) scoop about 1/2 cup at a time for each pancake. Wait until edges look a bit dry & then flip.

Serve with real butter & real maple syrup.

The batter seemed a bit thin, but it works!

This is the Coconut Ghee I used in the frying pan (Azure has it for about $18)

Here's what it looked like right after I put the scoop in the pan & then how it looked after about 1 minute, see how the edges look a little dry, now it's ready to flip

Viola! A beautiful golden sourdough pancake, just add Kerrygold & maple syrup & we were in Heaven!

This is being posted as part of Real Food Wednesday

Universal Studios 11/11/09

Kanan in a Phone Booth

Joe with Jason Bourne & his favorite tiny car

Gotta love an airstream!

Korean Tacos!???

Mr 3-D

My boys with Chuckie. ewwww! Scary!

Raspberry Balsamic Martinis

So, at my favorite foo foo restaurant, Cafe Firenze in Moorpark (yes, Chef Fabio from Top Chef!)....they make a Martini that is very different & interesting... a Strawberry Balsamic.

I've enjoyed one on several occasions, an the other night, I thought I'd try to replicate it. After all, I went to bar tending school (who cares that it was 15 yrs ago!) I should be able to conquer this!

So I made a reduction of Balsamic Vinegar & Organic Sugar. Let that cool, it was too thick, so I added a little water & reheated, it was still very thick, but better...I was thirsty! No more waiting!

I put in into an old Agave Nectar bottle so I could decorate the frosty martini glass with it.

Ah! Purty!

Then into the shaker went ice, a handful of frozen Organic Raspberries, 360 Vodka, Citronge & a squeeze of Lemon. Shake Shake Shake!

Pour out into the chilled purty glasses & garnish...Voila!

Girls in the Kitchen

Well.....another fun & successful Girls in the Kitchen Night (sans one girl)....we did homemade Limoncello:

My sister, Kirstin, zested 69 lemmons!

We divvied it up between 4 bottles of vodka, some were 100 proof!

She didn't draw blood until lemon #61! So, after applying a Bacon Bandage to her finger, I finished the job. ;)

We (myself & Anna, below) also made a Sprouted Grain (mixture of Soft White Wheat & Kamut) Pasta:

The pasta had a really nice texture & was SUPER easy! We jsu used Sprouted Flour instead & it was great - didn't even taste "healthy"! Honest.

Lemon Verbena

So, not sure if you were up on that Kombucha Challenge I somehow roped myself & Anais (from Urban Homestead, Pasadena) into a couple weeks ago... it was quite comical. She had pans to make a Lemon Verbena Flavored Kombucha, and since I had vague plans to go to their monthly potluck/movie screening a couple weeks later, I suggested a friendly competition... The comical part is that I couldn't find Lemon Verbena ANYWHERE in my county. Anais kept offering some of hers, but Pasadena is about 40 minutes away & I just felt that was not an eco-responsible thing to do... (I had already done a special trip down there for figs recently...)

Surely it would turn up somewhere...I kept looking....

But my window of opportunity finally ran out, so I sheepishly told Anais that I had not been able to locate the LV... and she graciously let me off the hook, saying to come down anyway & bring whatever Kombucha I had on hand & we'd just taste them... no big deal.

So, I went to the screening & during dinner, Anais found me & we tasted, and shared with other folks at the table & talked Kombucha until the movie started. It really surprises me that so few people really know about it.

Anyhoo, after the movie, I bought some figs & Anais clipped some fresh lemon Verbena sprigs off the enormous bush in the front yard. The scent filled my car, making the car smell wonderful! I WISH smell-a-vision was a real thing because unless you've sniffed this gift of GOD, you cannot truly grasp what a wonder it is! It's herby & lemony & fresh. (wow, great description!) Words simply cannot describe it. Gonna hafta get some for yourself!

Go. Now. DO IT! GO!

So, what does a person do with it?, you might be asking.... well, it was past my bedtime already, so I did the obvious and dried it. Then I crushed it (the smell was intense!) and found a jar to keep it in. Every now & then, I just open the jar & sniff. **guilty look** What?! It's cheap therapy!

Today I decided to make simple syrup from it to flavor a future batch of Kombucha or ice cream or (fill in the blank).... It's pretty simple:

1 cup filtered water

1 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup dried Lemon Verbena leaves

Bring to a boil, lower heat & simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Strain into a jar & store in fridge for up to 2 months. I am looking at this site to find some more ideas..

Buttermilk Pancakes

So I'm reposting this as part of Wardeh's Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival and also because we've enjoyed these pancakes at least 3 times since I tried the recipe conversion the first time. It's SO easy & tasty. Especially with chocolate chips! (I buy Trader Joe's, which although they have Soy Lecithin as an emulsifier, apparently theirs is Non-GMO). They are great as leftovers too, to pack for a to-go breakfast.

I am also working on a Sourdough starter & planning to render my own Milk-fed Heritage pork fat into lard. Stay tuned!

Good Morning! How about some scrummy blueberry pancakes?

The key to fluffy pancakes is not to overmix the batter; it should not be beaten smooth.

If serving these pancakes with bacon, reserve half a teaspoon of bacon drippings to grease the griddle instead of butter.

(Can you believe MS said that?!?!?!)

Ingredients

Makes nine 6-inch pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

I used the Martha Stewart Buttermilk Pancakes recipe, but of course, I changed out a few key ingredients: homemade raw buttermilk, farm fresh eggs, organic sugar, kerrygold butter, and sprouted soft white wheat...

I had Organic Blueberries in the freezer, Cascadian farms (from Costco! believe it or not)

We like our pancakes, less cakey & more crepe-like, so I added a splash of raw milk to thin the batter & also poked a whole in the center (after flipping) to sort of deflate....

You seriously could not tell these where whole wheat, or 'healthy' in any way, they were SO tasty! We served with more kerrygold butter, real maple syrup or homemade blackberry jam.

Soaked Oatmeal Cookies Pt. 1

This is a NT-Style adaptation of Martha Stewart's fabulous "Oatmeal Raisin Cookies"....

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Any dried fruit can be substituted for the raisins. Be sure the cookies are completely cool before storing in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS Makes about 3 dozen. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons milk 2 large eggs 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup raisins	DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter with both sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs, and mix well. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the electric mixer, and stir in oats and raisins. Place dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and shape into a ball; place on one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 3 inches apart. Press down to flatten into 2-inch diameters. Transfer to the oven, and bake until golden but still soft in center, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans between oven shelves halfway through baking. Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week First published Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ok, so obviously I had to try to change a few things... and I'm seriously interested in your input in case you have other ideas on how to convert these even more....(like "can you really just use rapadura instead of Brown Sugar?" Seems like a texture issue...)

• I used Sprouted Soft White Wheat Wheat (freshly ground) that I order from Azure.
• I used Craisins (gotta use them up, then when they are in season I plan to make my own!) sad to say I bought at Costco.
• I ground the cinnamon fresh (in the coffee grinder, after cleaning!) I got it from Azure, not organic.
• I made my own Vanilla (it's SUPER easy!
• My eggs are farm fresh (Healthy Family Farms) & a tad on the smaller side this week, but I figured that was better because of the extra liquid on the oats...
• 2 nights prior, I soaked the oats in the smallest amount of buttermilk I could to just "wet" them. (Homemade RAW Buttermilk & Organic Oats, of course!) This way they were not sopping wet, just a tad fluffier than when originally dry.
• I omitted the milk. (But the Buttermilk was made from Organic Pasture's Raw Whole Milk.)
• I also added Crispy Pecans, about 1/2 cup, chopped. (From Azure)

I put in tupperware & refrigerated overnight...
Another thing I like to do (if I have the time, like on a Saturday morning) is to drop the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, covered with my precious Silpat or Parchment as if I'm going to bake them. Cover tightly in plastic wrap (optional I guess) & freeze. Once frozen, I put the frozen balls of dough in to Food-saver bags & vacuum pack (quickly) and re-freeze. (Don't forget to label it so you know where to find the baking instructions!)

I'll have to do a Part 2 to let you know how they come out...

Stay Tuned! (Ain't I a tease?)

**Update**

I baked a dozen on 2 separate occasions & the flavor is great, but they are super soft & crumbly.... So after some research & consultations with other bakers, I've determined to try it again, this time adding 1 more egg & more flour. Stay tuned to another update...

Girls in the Kitchen

So, we've started a thing. We call it Girls in the Kitchen. And we love it.

The first Wednesday of each month we all rush over to my place as soon as we can after work & we hang out in my lovely little kitchen & create. And laugh. A lot. And learn. And Share.

Tonight was our third time. In past nights, we've done sprouted whole grain bread, sprouted crackers (which we liked so much we did again tonight)....dang, I'm getting old! Can't remember!

Anyhoo.... tonight we did Thai Coconut Soup for dinner, Sprouted WW Crackers (in the oven, not dehydrated - much tastier! And we also did Strawberry Freezer Jam. 2 Batches, one with sugar & one with honey. For each we also filled a couple jars & then added a jalapeno because we are partial to having a spicy jam with our standard Cheese, Crackers & Wine. We used Pomona's Universal Pectin. I can't wait to see how it came out, and I sure loved not slaving over a hot stove stirring & stirring....

GOOD TIMES!

Fast Food

So, times are tough & we are trying to avoid eating out. Here are two of our common standby's:

Omelet:

Made with HFF Fresh eggs with a splash of raw milk, inside are raw cheddar & raw pepper jack, topped with sliced avocado & salsa (Herdez).

Quesadillas:

Made with Rudi's Organic Spelt Tortillas (YUM!), raw cheddar & jack, pan fried in Pastured KG buter, topped with homemade Guacamole & salsa (Herdez).

A Vegetarian Meal

So, umm....my last post was about Carnitas so I think you all know that I'm not a vegetarian. Far from it! So when we had my dear friend Kahroline over recently, I had to really think.

ok, so a salad is pretty obvious!

this ended up being a lentil, carrot potato stewy thing that was pretty tasty. I had veggie broth.

My sprouted wheat bread (it has yeast, which I found out later she can't have - so my new challenge is a yeast free sprouted grain bread for her!)

And, of course, sauteed green beans with a little garlic & EVOO tossed with toasted pine nuts.

Voila! A well rounded yet completely vegetarian meal.

The next time she came over, I saved my CSA box & had her help me unpack it. It was like watching a kid at Christmas! (Well, actually I am like that every week too!) But she was SO impressed with the contents of my box that she joined up a few weeks later & I now get to see her every Saturday at the meeting place! So cool...