Yummy Snack Time

On the nights my hubby works late I like to make a snack for my son and I before we go to bed. The other night I was running low on groceries and needed to get creative. In no time at all I whipped this together from items that needed to be used - bacon, cucumber, and cream cheese on toasted wheat.

Look at that rich layer of cream cheese... yum!

To make this delicious snack follow these simple steps:

1) Toast bread - this gives it some texture and keeps it from getting soggy when you add the other ingredients.

2) Spread desired amount of cream cheese on toast - I do it on both peices. The cream cheese acts as a moisture barrier to keep the bread crunchy and the cucumber juice away from it.

3) Layer bacon to desired level - I used 3 slices cut in half.

4) Add cucumber slices - I used five 1/8 inch slices on mine.

5) Enjoy!




Next time I make this I think I'll try some turkey on it too. Maybe some sprouts... What do you think?

I  <3  BACON!

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Secret Summer Recipe

There is a small thing I have been doing this month that not only helps keep my body healthy but reminds me to take little breaks. I have a secret recipe for a summer beverage that I think I may be willing to share finally and I promise you'll love it. I call it Health Tea. My hubby calls it "That Tasty Water Stuff." My son even drinks it and he can be kinda picky!

I make it in bulk and freeze portions not only to save money but to save me time. I will first cover how I make it in bulk and I will give the portions toward the end to make it in single batches in case you only want a little to try first. This beverage is beneficial for your body in how it helps you shed toxins, keeps you hydrated, gives you vitamins, and tastes amazing! Oh and did I mention it's cheaper than soda? Healthier too!  ;)

Items you will need:

2 Lemons

4 Limes

1 Large Cucumber

1 small chunk of Ginger Root

Apple Juice

A pitcher (1-2 liter)

7-8 Ziploc Freezer bags

Wash all ingredients well. You will be leaving the skin on everything so make sure it's clean.

Slice Cucumber into 1/8" slices with skin on.

 Slice the limes into 8 sections going from tip to tip. Slicing them in this direction keeps the pulp in the drink to a minimum.

You will cut the lime in half, then cut the halves in half, and then cut the quarters in half to make 8 slices from each lime.

 Slice the 2 lemons the same way you sliced the limes.

 I use very little ginger root because it is so potent. You will need less than 1 cubic inch and will slice it as thin as possible while still making it thick enough to stay in tact in water. The end result is slightly smaller than a quarter and about as thick.

Pull out 7 to 8 freezer safe bags. I use the 1 quart size. You will need 8 if you plan to freeze it all or 7 if you are making 1 batch to drink when done.

Into each bag you will put 2 lemon slices, 4 lime slices, 1 ginger slice, and 4-5 cucumber slices.

 Fill each bag 1/2 way with water. Get as much air out as you can before you seal it. Label the bags so you know when they were made and then put them in the freezer.

I stack mine in the freezer to save room.

 When you are ready to drink a glass pull a bag out of the freezer and put it in your pitcher. Pour fresh water over it until the pitcher is full. Once the ice melts you simple mix it 50/50 with apple juice and drink. I prefer to mix mine in the glass (I just eyeball the halfway point) because if you mix the apple juice in with the water it won't last as long in you fridge. If the water has too strong of a flavor for you add more water to dilute. I normally end up with 1.5 liters of water from 1 frozen bag.

I try to remove the floaters (the lemon, lime, ginger, and cucumber) from the water with a slotted spoon anywhere from 1 hour to 12 hours after the ice fully melts. If you leave the fruit in the water longer the taste becomes bitter. This will keep about a week in your fridge before you will need to make fresh.

 The portions for a single batch are 1/2 a lime (4 slices), 1/4 of a lemon (2 slices), a small slice of ginger root, and 4-5 cucumber slices. When not freezing let ingredients sit in the water 12-24 hours before removing with a slotted spoon. Mix 50/50 with Apple Juice when ready to drink.

 Slicing the ingredients every time you run out makes it seem like a lot of work. This is why I started making it in bulk. A nice variation if you want something a touch more refreshing even is to add a few mint leaves to the bags before freezing. It makes this refreshing beverage even more thirst quenching!




Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of this and if you came up with any variations of your own.

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Curds and Whey

Little Miss Muffet 

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

I remember the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet from when I was a kid. My mom used to recite it to me while she bounced me on her leg and I always got so confused by the words. Who is Miss Muffet and what is a tuffet? And what are curds and whey? 

Curds and Whey is similar to cottage cheese. In fact cottage cheese IS curds and whey. Curds are the little globs of fat that form when milk begins to curdle and whey is what is left over after the curds are strained. In the case of cottage cheese some of the whey remains but is washed to remove the acidity. Making curds and whey isn't hard and I decided to try my hand at it late last night.

Click here for the instructions I kinda followed...

I started with 1 cup of milk even though the recipe called for two. I figured if I failed in my attempt I would waste less milk that way. I brought the milk to a boil in a pan on my stove, turned off the burner (leave the pan on the heating element after turning it off) and added 5 tsp of Balsamic Vinegar (it's all I could find in my messy pantry) and 2 tsp of garlic powder. I stirred the nasty looking liquid until it was mixed well and then let it sit for about 10 minutes to cool. 

After sitting for 10 minutes I strained the chunky liquid through several layers of cheese cloth. To do this I lined a colander with the cheese cloth and put a large bowl under the colander to catch the liquid that drained off (whey). It worked great and left me with a nice handful of curds that I then added a pinch of salt to and twisted tight to get the excess moisture out. I hung this curd ball in my fridge over the whey bowl over night and this morning I woke up to a beautiful ball of very balsamic smelling cheese. For lunch today I plan to fry this up (I believe it is called Paneer) with whatever I can find in my fridge. I also plan to try this again with a white vinegar to see how that effects the outcome.

I saved my whey of course as I have heard that it makes good bread. I've been making my own bread at home for almost a year now ($0.45 per loaf compared to $2-3 at the grocery store) and I am always looking for new recipes. If the bread and the paneer both turn out edible I know I will be repeating this process a lot. It's very quick and simple and would cut my grocery costs down even further. 

Now on to slice, dice, and fry some paneer! And as for Miss Muffet...

Along came a spider,

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.