Tasty Thursday: Lazy Bread

A few of my food allergies are often induced by an unsuspected piece of bread.  Lately most store bought (even bakery) breads contain my two deadly ingredients: soy (flour) and corn syrup.

So to avoid the choking that comes with my throat swelling up or the red and swollen skin, I make my own bread.

This is a recipe a friend shared with me while we were bored in church (shhhhh).  It has been the best bread ever and takes out the step I hate in bread making: kneading.

Lazy Bread

3 cups all pourpose flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups cold water

Mix ingredients together (yup, no blooming the yeast!) and let the dough rest in an oiled bowl 12-18 hours

covered with Saran wrap.

Then fold it over twice in both directions, and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Place in a well floured tea towel for 2 hours (I put mine in a bread basket to get the lines)

Heat a large pizza stone in the oven for an hour at 500 degrees.

Reduce the temp to 450 degrees.  Place bread in the middle of the stone - be sure not to adjust the after it touches the stone or you'll have a mess.  Cover it lightly with a piece of foil and bake for 30 min.  Remove the foil and bake another 15-30 uncovered.

Let it cool on a rack for about an hour.  The crust is crusty and the crumb is silky and chewy.  It's amazing!!!

TASTY THURSDAY: Veggie Soup = Summer Ready

I know that I've been MIA the last few days, but I've had a horrible flu, turned pneumonia...in MAY!! Thank you to the gentleman coughing on my last flight and the extra three hour layover in the Vegas airport. But enough of the shout outs... :)

So as I'm lying on my couch, watching some Bridget Jones Diary and thinking about the beautiful weather outside and my plans to soon be in a bathing suit, my sister sent me this delicious recipe. Not only did it help "heal" me (just like mama's chicken noodle soup did when I was little), it also helped with my bikini readiness goals. This is going to be my summer go-to recipe (cook up a big pot on Sunday and enjoy the rest of the week). Feel free to add in any other veggies that you enjoy or swap out some of these for your faves. ENJOY and feel guilt-free and summer-ready!

Anytime Vegetable Soup
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
• Olive oil cooking spray
• ½ cup onions, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup spinach or cabbage, sliced thin
• ½ cup broccoli
• 1 32-oz box fat-free, reduced sodium chicken stock
• 1 15-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
• Pepper and parsley to garnish

Instructions:
1. Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and heat on medium.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, spinach and broccoli, and sauté for a few minutes until they soften.
3. Add broth, tomatoes, pepper and parsley, and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. 

Dry Shampoo

Hi all!!!  It's been ages since I officially posted (there are some in draft and hoping to find time to finish them soon!). Good news is that replacing my own iphone screen worked!   And I have a whole lot to tell about how to (or not to) drive across the country on a budget!  

I'm on the train but I HAD TO SHARE!!!!  We've all seen the make-your-own dry shampoo pin on Pinterest.   I thought, but then you have to glop it all over your hair, probably doesn't work as well, etc. etc. So I clung tightly to my can of Batiste dry shampoo --- a product Tara and I both use A LOT (shhhhh don't tell).  She, of course, uses the untinted for her lovely blonde hair and I use the dark tinted for my long brunette hair.

Well, I'm in the process of moving/unpacking and I couldn't find my Batiste ANYWHERE!!! And ladies, I was desperate.   So I grabbed some random shower powder (couldn't find cornstarch in the house --- probs 'cause I'm allergic!) and my cocoa powder and put approximately 50/50 of each into a tiny bathroom Dixie cup. 

I took the powder brush that I hate using out of my cosmetic bag, swirled them together, and started dabbing at my "roots" (I have natural hair y'all - though Joey is on standby for when those greys show up) and while I ran to find a brush amidst half-unpacked -- really just ravished - boxes it had soaked up all the nasty bedhead oils.   It brushed out well with my hair flipped over the sink, nothing on my clothes, and I LOVE the reddish brown highlights it left from the cocoa powder.  And ladies!  I get a wiff of chocolate every so often --- instant mood lift!  

My hair is soft and fluffy again!

So guys for less than a can, you could make a quart of this stuff to have on standby.  Or just tuck it away for when you're in a pinch.  But I have to say, I liked the direct control of the powder brush application than the random shots from the spray can.   I might be converted --- I'll let you know how it holds up through the day!  A win! Transferring $8 (cost of a new can) to my rainy day fund to celebrate!!! 

UPDATE:  I'm on the train home, my makeup and hair are still in full force!!!  I think it may be my fave!!!

Tasty Thursday: Parmesan Tomato Bites

So on my recent trip to Texas, I had an amazing meal at this restaurant and since that time all I can think about is this fresh tomato appetizer. It's a fresh tomato with parmesan cheese topping - how can you go wrong?! It's delicious! I found this recipe on Pinterest, which is very similar. ENJOY TASTY THURSDAY!! :)

Parmesan Tomato Bites:

2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 1/2 oz Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 dash Salt
1 dash Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Cut the tomatoes lengthwise into approximately 1/3-inch slices.
Place them on a baking sheet. Top with shredded Parmesan, fresh oregano, salt and fresh ground pepper (season according to your taste).
Drizzle with some olive oil and bake until tomatoes are tender and the cheese is melted, for about 10-15 minutes.

Simple Travel Tip...

So today my post will be just a simple traveling tip (because I'm traveling right now and am kicking myself for not following my own tip).

                                                                     Beach Bag Savings

This is pretty simple, but sometimes it's the most simple things that escape us. Here's my tip: pack an empty beach bag in your suitcase. That's it...simple and clear. Every time I'm on a trip, there is inevitably a time where I just need a small bag to carry an extra change of shoes or clothes or actual beachwear or books, etc. And inevitably I forget to pack one so I end up buying one from the airport or somewhere equally expensive. This trip, I've had numerous "wardrobe" changes, as I've gone from work functions to the pool to the mall and back to work. I actually haven't had a chance to stop anywhere so I've been carrying my "extra clothes" in a plastic laundry bag from the hotel...Klassy.

Save yourself the cost and the headache and take this as a reminder. In fact, go put one in your suitcase RIGHT now - that's exactly what I'm going to do when I get home...with my 20th bag.

Saving: 10 Tips From Mom

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, we decided to focus our posts today on the wonderful ways our mothers were able to save and still take care of all of us!

1) TUNA:  There is always a fresh container of tuna salad in the fridge.  Mom buys tuna in bulk when it's on sale.  Always solid, never chunk "because you get more".  Last week she called to tell me she was able to get 8 cans for $6 at Wegman's.   For cents per sandwich she keeps lunch on the budget low.

2) FARM & FLEA MARKETS: From the time I was little, Saturdays meant farm markets.  We would drive into

Trenton, go to Halo Farm to get milk (like 20 cartons that she would freeze and pull out as needed) and then head over to the farm market and pick up fruits and veggies by the bushel.  We were so well behaved because we wanted the ultimate treat - fresh German bologna with fresh rolls that we would tear into and make sandwiches in the car on the way home.  Early Saturday morning we would bundle up and head to Columbus Market or Englishtown.  Here we would buy more produce, spices, our slap and charm bracelets, pogs, and trolls.  

3) REPAIR:  repair repair repair.  Shoes are taken to a cobbler, clothes are mended or altered, furniture reupholstered, crazy glue is well used, and some items are taken apart for parts.  Anything with any use left will be brought back to life or repurposed.

4) FRESH BREAD:  If mom could live off of bread and butter she would.  Sundays meant a fresh loaf of white bread that we devoured with our meal.  When we were old enough to ask for a recipe, we found out the secret -- frozen dough from the grocery store.  We still go crazy for it.

5) WOOD BURNING STOVE:  Mom's rundown of the day always includes gathering, splitting, or bringing in wood.  The house has two wood burning stoves that she keeps going in the winter to reduce their heating costs. Living in a wooded area means that the wood is free for those willing to put in the work, which she does every day.  

6) KNOW PRICES:  Mom knows the regular price of items she buys often at 4 different stores.  When there's a sale, she stocks up.  The cellar is a mini grocery store holding every sale she came upon.  There's always backup "downstairs".

7) GAS: She applies the same method to petrol.  She knows which station has the best prices on what days and will plan her trips to be in those areas when she's running low.

8) DOLLAR STORE: Mom makes good use of the Dollar Store by our house.  She tells them which products she's excited they have, and she makes sure she can't get it less anywhere else.  

9) CARDS:  Mom is very good at making sure cards are sent out for birthdays and other occasions.  She plans ahead and gets the cards when the pharmacy is having a sale or even the dollar store.  With 22+ grandchildren every holiday and birthday adds up quickly.

10) GRATITUDE:  My mother's biggest saving tip is gratitude.  Everything she has she treasures.  Every flower in the garden is cared for, every fresh tomato from the garden savored, every gift is treasured, and every penny shined.  Her enthusiasm for the small beauties of the world are contagious.  She gives wherever she can.  We joke that she talks about the weather so much, but every ray of sunshine is like gold to her, and every rain is a gift to do something other than watering.  

Tasty Thursday: Zucchini Noodles

I know, you know.  But pasta is a great quick meal, inexpensive, can help clean out whatever veggies are about to turn, and most important, you can cook however much you need.  You don't have to cook an entire pound at once.

My newest favorite, and mostly because the season is opening up, are zucchini noodles.  That is, zucchini or even gray squash that are cut into shoe string noodles.  I realize that not everyone is a gadget nut (good on you!) and creating noodles with a spiral cutter would require a purchase, which is anti savings, but guess what?  You can do it with just a knife or a vegetable peeler depending on which shape you want your noodles.

I used about one zucchini per me.  

Whether you are using the spiral cutter for angel hair:

or ribbons:

Or if you are using a peeler for fetteccini

Or a knife for 'macaroni' 

Zucchini noodles will hold your sauce, add fiber to your diet, and for the gluten free eaters out there, make one less thing that leaves you out of the fun!

One small zucchini is enough for me.  It makes just over a cup of "pasta".  I bought three this week at my local natural foods store at $0.88 per lb.  The three cost me $0.75, which works out to $0.25 per serving.

Using the fettuccini style, made from the peeled ribbons made with a potato peeler:

There are some who discard the skin peelings, but I love the color they add.  Of course, make sure they are well washed before peeling:

Set a pot of water to boil.  Since there's no gluten it's not necessary to fire up the pasta pot.  A sauce pan works well when cooking enough for one!  

Once the water comes to a rolling boil, salt the water and add the noodles.

After about 2 minutes the noodles will brighten and will be ready to drain.  

Drain the noodles and place the cooked noodles in a bowl.

If I was able to find Pomi crushed tomatoes on sale, or fresh tomatoes, I would make my simple tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and lemon zest.  But summer is still a bit away.  

I LOVE Costco's pesto sauce.  I use it on so many things, but best of all, it makes a quick sauce coming out of winter months when homemade pesto is gone.  A bottle costs about $8 but this bottle has lasted me 4 months.  A little goes a long way.

I stir in a tablespoon and add a handful of cashews on top.  

Enjoy!

TIP:  Buy fruits and veggies in their season.  They will cost less and taste better!