Sun Tea

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Momzoo

Sun Tea is one of my favorite summertime beverages.

It is very simple to make, and can be a lot of fun.

The very first thing to do, is fill a big jar full of water and set it in a sunny spot outside.

Then take a walk around the yard, looking for herbs and edible plants, anything that suites your fancy. Or dig around in your cupboards and find your favorite herbal tea.

Today I picked Lemon Balm

and rose petals.

(Did you know that before vanilla became easily available, ladies used rose water to flavor cakes and cookies? Rose petals have a delicate, unique flavor that I just love)

Everything gets put in the jar and sits in the sun for several hours. Once the water is nice and hot, add some honey and let it cool over night in the fridge. Or serve in a glass filled with ice, for a nice iced tea.

Bok Choy

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Momzoo

One vegetable that did extremely well in our cooler than normal spring was my Bok Choy. Which really isn’t much of a surprise, since that is the type of weather they like the best.

Bok Choy, also knows as Chinese Cabbage is used in a lot of oriental dishes and stir frys. However it can be used in any recipe as a substitute for cabbage. If you grow this vegetable in your own garden, harvest while the weather is still cool, Bok Choy quickly bitters in the heat of the summer. So it is best grown and eaten in the spring and fall. If you do plant and harvest in the summer time, harvest them very small and they should still be nice and sweet.

Cooking a Bok Choy is very simple. First you separate the leaves and give it a good washing in cold water.

Then you separate the stalks from the leaves,

and chop the stalks into uniform sizes.

Then chop the leaves to your desired size.

I like to cook my Bok Choy in good old fashioned butter, but olive oil works well too.

To the melted butter add the stalks and saute until they are nice and soft, this takes about 5 minutes.

Then add the leaves, cover the pan and cook until they are wilted. You don’t need to add any water or extra butter at this point, there is enough water in the leaves that they will steam themselves.

Serve with salt and pepper

and

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Dumplings

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Momzoo

One of the challenges to eating a healthier diet and getting rid of processed, chemically laden food, is what to do when I need a meal quick. Items such as Macaroni and Cheese, Frozen Pizza and Ramen Noodles are out, what is a gal to do?

I thought I would share a quick meal that my family enjoys and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

We are going to make Dumplings, without the chicken soup.

First off you start with 4 ingredients.

2 cups flour

2 eggs

water

salt

(a basic pasta dough recipe)

Put your flour in a bowl, add the eggs and a pinch of salt. then start mixing with your hands adding water as needed for a stiff dough.

(remember to take your rings off before mixing…..)

Then pinch off little sections of dough, I like to do them really small so they will cook faster.

The pop them into a pot of boiling water and cook until soft, about 15 minutes.

When they are done add whatever sauce you would like. Today I did tomato soup, I have used spagetti sauce and leftover gravy.

I topped that with some grated cheese.

A quick and easy meal that my kids LOVE.

Bacon!

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Momzoo

We are bacon people.

Love, love, love Bacon!

However, I really don’t like to fry it up. The splattering grease and burned fingers and arms, not fun!

I found a fabulous way to cook bacon that is mess and pain free.

You ready for this?

in the

OVEN!

Yeah, in the oven!

Lay your strips of bacon on a cookie sheet

Put in a 350 degree oven and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes (or longer) until your bacon is cooked the way you like it.

Easy Peasy.

Broccoli Swiss Salad

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Momzoo

Our last, but definitely not least salad comes to us today from my neighbor and good friend

Jill

It was fun to try a salad that was a little different, being that is had no lettuce or pasta in it. My kids were a little dismayed when they spied a plate of broccoli, however they all ended up liking it. This recipe will definitely be making it into the regular summer meal rotation.

First things first, we need to make the dressing.

and here is our cast….

1 cup Mayo

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar