Aromatherapy Home Recipe

 This will make your home smell wonderful!

I found this online and had to try it out. 

This is an organic and cheap way to make your home smell like William-Sonoma! 

I don't know about you but I love going to that store... of course to just look (wayy to expensive)and they always have that fresh and sweet smell in the air. Well this reminds me of that wonderful scent. 

Start with a cup of water

1 lemon

a few sprigs of rosemary 

and a tsp of vanilla

add those to your pot and let simmer.

make sure to squeeze your lemon a bit to release a little more citrus smell. 

I set a timer for 30 minutes and every thirty minutes I added more water and reset the timer. This was sooo easy and dirt cheap. I had a few lemons going bad, vanilla and rosemary on hand and it was as simple as throwing it all together and turning on the burner! 

This was a great smell that filled the whole house. I do this often now and hope you enjoy it too!

You can really get creative with this. I have heard many people use different variations of this at home.

Just lemon is great, Cinnamon, lemon, rosemary, oranges, lavendar, sage or thyme are all great scents that are easily available. Mix and match to find what scent you like best. 

Have fun, and tell me about your favorite scent!

Blessings,

Janelle

Aunt Karen's Famous Bread Recipe

I have been spoiled with a great family. My dad's sister (My aunt) Is the Martha Stewart of the family and she makes the BEST bread.. 

thankfully she shares the recipe so I can make it too!

And I am eager to share it with you so you can all enjoy it...

Chad came Home to some delicious smells this week. 

I have actually made 5 loaves over the past weekend.

I love to give them to people... easy gift!

 Ingredients:

1 1/8 cup warm water (between 110-120 degrees)

2 tbs honey

2 1/2 tsp yeast

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

3 cup flour

 Proof the yeast in warm water and honey until foamy and smelly (about 5 minutes) 

In your mixer with bread hook add salt and olive oil. 

Once yeast is proofed slowly add flour and water to mixer till ball is formed in mixer on the hook. 

Remove from hook, and let rise covered for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

Shape and cover for another hour to let rise again. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes

let cook for a bit so it doesn't stick together when sliced, and enjoy! 

I thought I'd put the whole recipe together at the beginning so that you cannot make the mistake of missing a step in my tutorial. 

This way you can copy and paste it to print much easier as well...

Alright lets get started:

Get your water nice and warm. I use a candy thermometer to make sure the water is at 110-120 degrees. 

Before you add your yeast add your honey and stir it in to the water to proof the yeast. 

make sure to warm up your honey so that it will not make your water cold if you have your honey in the fridge.

after honey and water are mixed and the water is nice and yellow add your 2 1/2 tsp yeast and let sit for a while till foamy and really smelly... make sure to get a good yeast, don't skimp on that, it makes the world of a difference! 

 When its nice and bubbly its good to go and can be put into your mixer

 make sure to add your salt and olive oil and then alternate flour and yeast

 you will get a great dough ball... don't beat this dough, keep your mixer at a low speed.

 remove the hook and shape a bit into a ball.. let this sit and rise.

Be sure to cover and set a timer...

Once it has risen for an hour it will be twice the size and nice and airy...

 I always pour it out into my hand by tilting it so that it falls out of bowl and doesn't break all the great rise that it has taken an hour to make... don't over handle it but shape it delicately.

Put onto a well floured pan that you will put into the oven.

 Once you have shaped it to your liking...

I like to add slits in the dough by poking a line out with a knife.. don't try to slice it like bread, it will stick to your knife so simply poke it with the knife in a line...
add some garlic salt and some basil even some grated Parmesan cheese and let this rise for an hour. 

 Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. At about the 10 minute mark turn the bread to get an even browning.

It will come out nice and golden brown with beautiful markings with a thin crust and some delicious soft center that is sweet!

If thicker crust is desired let bake a bit longer (make sure to watch the bread so it does not burn!)

 serve with salted butter or
 some balsamic vinegar and olive oil with some fresh garlic and roasted almonds!

Happy baking!
Share your pics of finished bread... I'd love to see em!
Blessings,
Janelle Dutcher

 

Chia Seed Milk Tea

OK so I have been making way too many decadent treats and not sharing some of my yummy foods that can save your waistline. 

This delicious Chia Seed Milk Tea is sooo easy, and it is a great way to give you energy, and curb your appetite, not to mention it tastes Awesome!

I love Bubble tea, that is a drink traditionally served with tapioca pearls and in Thai iced tea, coffee, or a fresh fruit smoothie. These typically have yogurt and lots of sugar! Tapioca pearls are not bad for you, but definitely do not have the health benefits of Chia seeds. This recipe will help you get that sweet craving satisfied as well as fill your stomach!

 You may be thinking... yuck, BUT this is seriously yummy...

Here are a few ways to use Chia seeds:

•  Add chia seeds to your drinking water, milk, tea, coffee or any beverage that you have everyday. Make a wonderful smoothie or milkshake. After adding them to your drink, let the seeds soak for a while.

• If you let the chia seeds soak for a longer time, say overnight, you will get a chia gel which you can store in an airtight container and eat later with a spoon. The gel will taste like your beverage. It is common way to eat chia seeds. Soak the seeds in water for about 10 minutes and see the seeds quickly absorb the water to turn into a gel and you can use this to make desserts.

• Sprinkle chia on or into your food. Increase the nutritive value of any food by throwing in some Chia seeds. You can add the seeds to salads, soups, gravies, dips or sauces. Crumb your steaks and meats with Chia. Sprinkle them while you sauté your veggies or toss them in your rice. Chia seeds do not have an overpowering taste and you won’t even know they are in your food.

• You can eat the seeds raw as they are; they are crunchy and will prevent you from snacking because they have a high fiber content .The seeds are available at any store selling whole grains and nutritive foods.

• You can use the flour in baking, while making biscuits, cookies or cakes, bread or any bakery item. The seeds are gluten free and add crunch. They do not affect the texture of your bakes goods.

I found this awesome table showing some of the health benefits of chia seeds that I think will help you make the switch from putting them on pottery to watch grow (cha-cha-cha- chia!) and eatting them raw, gelled, and putting them in baked goods!

to learn more about chia seeds click on this link: http://bestchiaseeds.wegrc.com/

I found this photo from the link above!

Ok Have I convinced you to use chia seeds, I hope so!

 I was grossed out at first when my sister-in-law was eating spoon fulls of these to keep from snacking... but now I have done it! haha... (so much for judging too soon!)

These are flavorless, and easy to incorporate into almost anything,

  

This tea is commonly served as a drink at Indian Dinner Parties. 

It was a nifty way of filling up their guests before the meal so that they did not have to eat as much.

(Don't share this with your guests at the party.. they might feel jipped!) hah because this really works! 

Here is the recipe for the Raw-ish Chia Seed milk Tea! 

 

This is what you will need:

1 cup almond milk, 

3/4 cup stevia, 

8 cup tea steeped and cooled,
and 1/2 cup chia seeds

I use loose leaf tea and this is my favorite black tea! I use only 2 tbs for 6 cups of tea!

Start by steeping your tea with your 3/4 cup stevia and letting it cool for a while. 

Sun tea, Chai, or Green tea would all work! Use your favorite!

While the tea is cooling a bit lets get our almond milk in our pitcher and the chia seeds into the milk to soak for at least 10 minutes!

This is what the chia seeds look like before.. like little black poppy seeds.

and after they have soaked they should look gooey and like tapioca pearls with a black center.

make sure to mix the seeds around or they will stick together and you won't be able to drink them out of a normal straw...

add 2 cups crushed ice to the milk

Once your tea is drinkable temp filter your tea into the milk and chia seeds. 

I use a loose leaf tea bag to filter the tea in my pot but if you used tea bags just remove the bags, and poour into your milk!

 Make sure you have no tea leaves floating around in your pitcher.

Since you had the ice cubes in there you have a great iced tea!

 
 Stir your tea and chia seeds and serve in a full glass of ice!

 Make sure to not forget the straw and enjoy!

This tea will last over night.

Drink a cup to have energy, fullness and its less calories than a typical snack, sweet, not to mention all the health benefits!

Try at your next dinner when trying to watch your portions, make sure to grab some chia and sprinkle it in your drinks (even water) when you are craving that unhealthy snack, or just to help get your fiber and other nutrients that this wonder food has to offer!
Don't be shy, give it a try...
Enjoy!
Janelle Dutcher

National Pancake Day

Woo-hew!
Today is National Pancake Day!
 

In honor of this wonderful cake that somehow made it to the breakfast menu I have a few favorite pancake recipes that I found on pinterest and other blogs that I thought I'd put up!

Tonight is a great night for breakfast for dinner!

"Blueberry Pie Pancakes" 

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com

 Find the more photos and the originator of this awesome and super scrumptious pancake recipe and lots more on chocolatecoveredkatie.com

(Serves 1 person or 3 pancakes)

• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup flour (ww pastry, white, spelt, Bob’s gluten-free, etc.)
• 2 T rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 T sugar or 1 packet stevia (omit if you don’t want sweet pancakes)
• 1/3 cup milk of choice
• Unless you like the taste of fat-free pancakes, add 1 T oil and reduce milk by that amount.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then add wet. Mix, but don’t overmix. Cook on an oiled (or sprayed) pan, on low-medium, flipping each pancake once.

 "Dutch Apple Pancake"

Photo from: /www.minnesotamonthly.com

 I found this on Pinterest from Minnesota Monthly Website... It looks amazing... 

Here is the link to the original site: www.minnesotamonthly.com

And here is the recipe!

Recipe via Williams-Sonoma
Serves 2-4

• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Butter a 10-inch ovenproof braiser or fry pan.

In another fry pan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add the apple, cinnamon and granulated sugar and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the apple begins to soften and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, using a whisk, beat the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until blended. Sift the flour and salt into the egg mixture and whisk until just blended. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 2 Tbs. butter. Add the butter to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices evenly on top. Bake until the pancake is browned and puffed up, 25 to 30 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

This next Pancake is from a blog that I love!!!

I's called The Healthy Foodie and you can get tons of healthy alternatives of our favorite foods here: http://thehealthyfoodie.net
If you are not following her on her blog you are seriously missing out! click on that link for lots more... :P

"Black Forest [Pan]cake"

Photo from:  http://thehealthyfoodie.net 

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 1)

Pancakes

• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• 1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 7 egg whites (a little over ¾ cup)
• ½ cup buttermilk

Cherry Sauce

• 150g cherries, pitted and chopped (about 16 cherries)
• 1 tbsp blue agave nectar
• ¾ cup water
• ½ tsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water

Vanilla Custard

• 2 tbsp 0% fat plain greek yogurt
• ½ scoop vanilla flavored whey protein powder

For the Cherry Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan, bring cherries, water, and agave nectar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cherries start to “melt” and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes, then puree half the sauce in a food processor until smooth.
3. Return to the sauce pan and bring back to a boil. Stir in corn starch mixed in water, simmer for 1 minute and turn off the heat.

For the Vanilla « Custard »:

1. Mix plain yogurt together with whey protein powder to make vanilla custard. It might look like there is too much powder at first, but it will come together eventually, just keep stirring. Same goes for the “lumpy” feeling. Just let the custard rest for about a minute after mixing and it will become nice and smooth.

For the Pancakes:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined.
2. Spray a non stick panwith cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
3. When pan is hot enough, spoon as much or as little pancake batter onto griddle as you want, depending on what size pancake you desire. A little less than ¼ of a cup per pancake will yield about 8 small pancakes. (and a very high tower!)
4. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Transfer to low temp oven to keep them warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.

Assembly

4. Start by laying a pancake on the plate, top with a little bit of cherry sauce, followed by a small amount of custard, about half a teaspoon of each.
5. Keep building layers like that until you run out of pancakes, or until tower has reached desired height (mine got pretty high!).
6. Finish by topping with cherry sauce, vanilla custard and about a teaspoon cacao nibs. Dust lightly with cocoa powder, if desired.

 

*** All of these pancake recipes are from other sites, please check them out! Note that I am not taking credit for any of the recipes on this post. I am encouraging you to check out all of the websites that were have these wonderful recipes!

 

 
Have a Happy Pancake Day! 

Lets Celebrate :)

 

blessings,

Janelle

 

Pasta A La Chicken Apple Sausage

I don't know if you have tried the chicken apple sausages that they have at Costco but they are amazing! Chad and I love when they get them and usually have a week of 

chicken sausage this or that for dinner...

I have not gone over load with them this year (I want to enjoy them for more than a week)

I tend to make up my meals as I feel hungry and what is on hand (not a good idea if you don't have a good imagination, you'll eat the same thing over and over) 

Luckily I had parents that cook really well  and lots of different food... not so repetitive!

So I like to think I have a good sense of flavors and,

coming up with a recipe on the fly is kinda my adventure time!

This week I made what I am calling Pasta A La Chicken Apple Sausage!

(yes that is not so creative, but it is self explanatory and to the point, which is that I like :))

This is a great go to meal and can be used with any sausage u like! 

This is the type I get from Costco... SO GOOD!

 Ingredients:

3 med size Sausage (your choice of type: spicy would be good alternative!)

2 cup zucchini

1 cup Spinach

1 cup Tirali pasta per serving

1 red onion

1 tbs oinon powder

1tbs garlic seasoning

1/4 cup pesto

4 tbs olive oil for onion and pasta water*

salt and pepper to taste

Lets start by bringing our water to a boil.

I always put a pinch of salt and 2 tbs of olive oil in my water when boiling

the salt helps flavor

the olive oil keeps the pasta from sticking to each other

 Once your water boils add 1 cup pasta per serving 

and boil for 7-10 minutes

I really like Tirali pasta, its kinda a fun looking noodle and it is a great size noodle. 

Once your water is heating up lets start by chopping our sausage:

I used three sausage and cut two into halves and slices and one into smaller fourths so that I would get hearty chunks as well as that flavor well distributed through out the whole dish!

 Next chop your onion:

I used half of a red onion and also a few shallots sliced

add the chopped onion to a skillet with 2 tbs of olive oil, and your onion powder, garlic seasoning and pinch of salt and pepper

cook these till they caramelize on med-high heat (5-to-10 mins)

Once your onions are sizzling chop up your zucchini I like zucchini so i added a whole one to the pasta, if you desire less a half of a large zucchini would still compliment this dish great.

By now your onions should look like this. nice and browned and reduced in size. 

Now add your zucchini and sausage to your onions

and cook on med-high heat stirring frequently for 10mins

(the chicken apple sausage is fully cooked so you don't have to worry about under cooking the meat)

If you are using a sausage that is not fully cooked add the sausage to the skillet with the onions in the beginning so you can cook it for longer.

*cook with lid over top to seal in moisture and to steam veggies. 

 your pasta should be boiling by now and your sausage hot, zucchini soft and juicy, and its time for the spinach. I simply remove the skillet from the heat and add the spinach to the top of hot food, and cover with lid for at least 3 minutes. This will make the spinach nice and tender without burning the leaves, and/or overcooking the spinach and making them overly wilt.

Once your pasta is tender, drain and return pasta to pot to mix with pesto and stir

Add in the sausage, spinach, zucchini and onion and stir lightly to not mash zucchini and spinach

Doesn't that look good!

Serve with a salad or some bread sticks and marinara and it's a complete meal!

This was super easy to prepare and make. 

Total time was about 20 minutes because of the water and onions... 

This is a pretty dish that will sneak in some veggies to the pickiest of eaters :)

Happy Bellies Make for Happy Homes!

I pray you enjoy this meal too!

Blessings,

Janelle

Banana Cake

This is amazing!

a few more steps than normal, but great none the less.

I found this in a book called 'Sprouted Baking' and it is a organic, whole food-ish style baking which I am excited to try baking with more. This means it uses whole wheat flour and maple sugar instead of cane sugar. 

This was seriously the best cake I have made EVER and not so hard to make!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups maple sugar (can substitute for cane sugar) 

2 large eggs

1 cup lightly mashed bananas (about 2 med size bananas)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream 

Topping:

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup maple syrup

Makes 12 Servings

 Here is what you will need! plus i forgot to put butter and sugar on counter for photo! oops...

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

 in mixing bowl combine first 6 dry ingredients; mix.

in mixing bowl cream the butter until it is fluffy, 

then add sugar and cream again till fluffy

 next add eggs one at a time, mixing between additions.

In third bowl (I used a 2 cup measuring cup) mash the bananas with the vanilla and yogurt.

I used greek yogurt! so good!

add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two parts, alternating with the banana mixture. 

after each addition stir until smooth.

Once smooth and blended grease your bunt cake pan

 Pour into your bunt pan try to put equal parts batter all around

as you can see mine wasn't perfect.. 

just pick up the pan and pat it around the edges till it smooths out around evenly.

Put in oven at 350 for 35 minutes

Once done let cool for at least 30 minutes!

By now your kitchen is smelling delish and you are probably ready to devour this delightful cake!

the topping is something I came up with on the fly! 

take your chocolate chips, maple syrup and walnuts (equal parts of each)

and in microwave safe bowl microwave for 45 seconds

take out and stir together. 

this will blen the chocolate, syrup and make the walnuts a little soft as if they were baked!

once this is done drizzle over top and garnish with a few raw walnuts...

If this doesn't make you hungry I don't know what will!

This was not super sweet, because of the whole wheat it was nutty, banana made it nice and moist, the nutmeg and cinnamon made it spicy and the chocolate added the mmm...

This is a great dessert that won't make you feel too guilty!

Serve with a dallop of whip cream or some banana ice cream (chunky monkey from ben and jerry's) 

and some coffee or black tea and its a dessert your guest wont forget!