To stay alive (We Must Consider LIFESTYLE CHANGES)

The time is already here, with Health Care gone haywire many people are sick with something, Stress, Diabetis, High Blood Pressure , Arthritis, Cancer and a Heart Condition, you name it .  I believe that all of our problems are caused by the food we eat.

Manufacturers have to produce more food to accommodate the population.  There are lots of fast food establishments and our time has become very precious, we do not seem to have enough time to cook, shop and feed ourselves properly.

In this age of computers most of us cannot get out to exercise, television has improved so most of us don't take walks anymore.  We all tend to snack more than we should. Most of us enjoy lots of Carbs and Sugary drinks, but in order for us to stay alive in this day and age SOMETHING HAS GOT TO CHANGE!

The medical profession states that people are living longer, (Sure) but what they don't tell you is that people are dying at a record pace also.  It all boils down to this if we want to live free from medication then we must make a LIFESTYLE CHANGE.

There are many people who have started by growing their own gardens, free from pesticides.  Others are eating more Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and less meat and dairy products, and this believe it or not is very hard to do.  I am trying!  I have begun CANNING some of my food so that I can same some money and eat things that I absolutely know what is in the jars.  If I want less sugar then I put less or no sugar at all.

In my upcoming blogs I will be showing some of the food that I will be canning and If you wish for me to can something for you just message me on Face book or email me at Kd6252000@gmail.com and for a reasonable fee I will be glad to do it for you,

I will be making Seasoned Oils also using Olive oil, Coconut Oil and Sesame Oil, I will be using fresh herbs.  This will enhance whatever recipes you make. Let me know if you are interested in the oils.

I will also be making Cakes, Fruit Pies, Pastries Fruit Tarts and Biscuits from scratch, this way if you want less sugar, no sugar or natural sugar, just let me know and I will make them to your specifications.

Canning is something I use to do about 30 yrs. ago in New York City.  I used to make Jellies and Apple Butter and sell them at street fairs, and I cant wait to get back into it!

TURMERIC ROOT & GINGER ROOT TEA

As you probably already know that Turmeric and Ginger are spices and they have been used in both Cooking and Medicine

Turmeric has been known to decrease inflammation, and Ginger is also known to decrease inflammation. Turmeric is most often used to treat different stomach digestive problems and reduce symptoms of gas and bloating.

Turmeric has an ingredient called Curcumin which can be a benefit to your skin. Curcumin has properties that may help to regenerate skin and accelerate wound healing according to the author of a Jan.2013 publication issue of the Journal Benefactors.

It is really very simple to process this tea.  What I do is peal both the turmeric and ginger roots and place in  a pot of water preferably water with a ph of 9 , let it boil for about 10 minutes, let it steep for another 5 minutes.
Remove from stove strain into  jar add 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper to activate the curcumin then add a tablespoon or two of pure or raw honey, let the tea cool then refrigerate until ready to drink.  This is a very refreshing drink.

This curcumin also regulates proteins involved in the healing process of wounds and influences enzymes involved in the skin regeneration.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

ROASTED STUFFED CORNISH "GAME" HENS

Roasted Cornish Hens...this is a rare meal for me because normally I do not prepare this but once every two years. Usually there are not many Cornish Hens displayed in the local Supermarket, but if you ask you can find them in the frozen food section,

Cornish hens are sometimes called Rock Cornish hens or Poussin's which is what a butcher would call a young chicken less than 28 days old at slaughter and weighing 14-16 oz, but actually  a "Cornish Hen" is a hybrid chicken sold whole and much to my surprise despite the name Cornish Game Hen, it is not a game bird at all.

To prepare a Cornish hen it is not difficult at all, you can cook your hen in a convention oven at 350 degrees or in a Convection oven . I usually cook mine in my Convection Oven (The Galloping Gourmet) which is the very old Nu wave oven set on Roasting 400 degrees. This air heating system is the best ever, so here is the

INSTRUCTIONS;

 Rub butter all over your hens,

Season with salt & pepper, chicken seasoning

Place in a roasting pan and remember to turn

when half done.

Continue to cook until hens are golden brown and temperature

reaches 180 degrees about 45 - 50 min.

The Stuffing (dressing) can be what  you like.  I made mine with

Cornbread, celery, onions, apples and walnuts.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

Happy Valentines Day! I believe this is the one day in which you have a Good excuse to eat food that  you would not normally eat.  Chocolate,
Candy, Cake, literally everything sweet.

Everyone is looking forward to this day like the Gym, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Fitness groups, because the next day people are feeling guilty and high tail it to all of these groups.

But in the mean time, I must share this great recipe  with you.  It's an easy one to make from scratch:

Ingredients:

3 cups of sifted self rising flour

2 sticks of butter

2 cups of sugar

1tsp. vanilla or lemon flavoring

1 cup of milk

4 eggs

I enjoy keeping things simple, I think your love ones appreciate you being real with them and for them.  You can easily go out and buy a large cake with lots of flowers but it doesn't have the same affect as you get when someone takes their time to bake you a cake and maybe craft you  card that says I love you.

The frosting on my cake was made very simple with Pillsbury vanilla frosting I find that when you warm it in the microwave or heat it on the stove, melts it down and you can pour it over your cake and it will make a nice glaze, that is not as heavy ad the spreadable frosting.

There ate many ways you could decorate this heart shaped cake. If you have a pastry bag you may want to make roses, or you could put on fresh strawberries or simply any thing you like. Just go for it!

EAT TO LIVE! don't LIVE TO EAT!

 The very next time you venture into you supermarket, do yourself a favor and make a conscious decision to shop healthy,  Instead of heading down any of the isles in the Market check out the open areas, could be in the front or back of the store.

Look for fruit vegetables and nuts.  We all tend to get our vegetables from the frozen food section and it could be because we don't know how to cook most of the fresh vegetables. Now that we have the Internet, this should not be a problem any more.

Usually in this section they have lots of nuts and seeds that are very good for you also.  Choose some nuts like Almonds or Walnuts or seeds like:
Flax seed, Pumpkin seed or Sunflower seeds.  Theses seeds can be sprinkled on your salads for an extra crunch.

Look into things like eggplant, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, Choyote  and other vegetables and fruits you may not be accustom to, you will find them to be quite tasty.  Find wonderful recipes on line to try and share with friends.

You will find that the aches and pains you may be experiencing can go away if you eat more fresh whole foods instead of food with lots of preservatives. Your Doctors will eventually alleviate your medication in some cases and you may never become a Diabetic wouldn't that be wonderful. So the next time you go to the Market, choose food high in nutrients, your heart, skin, hair, nails and digestive system will thank you!

My Aunt Hattie's Pancakes

Aunt Hattie was my mothers aunt so that made her my great aunt.  I wish everyone could have known her.  She lived in Howardsville, Virginia in Louden County in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As children,my sister, brothers and I would stay with Aunt Hattie during the Summer because my parents worked and there was no one to take care of us while school was out.

So as a treat, my Aunt Hattie would make us Pancakes with King Syrup. This Syrup was as thick as molasses but it taste like maple syrup, so good.  I remember Aunt Hattie would get a large bowl and mix about 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, one egg about 3 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 tbs. sugar, 3 tbs. me;ted butter and about 1 1/4 cup of milk. Hattie would heat the milk and mix the  warm milk with the butter vanilla and egg together then pour into the flour with salt baking powder and beat ever so gently.  She made sure not to over beat because she said that made the batter heavy and the pancakes flat instead of fluffy.

My Aunt Hattie always had a big smile on her face, she made me feel that she loved everybody.  She would feed everyone who came to the house.  Hattie did all the cooking and seldom went to the grocery store.  She had fruit trees in her front yard and a vegetable garden in her back yard and blackberries, strawberries and raspberries along the fences surrounding her property. She raised chickens and pigs.

Well those were the good old days and all the elders in my family have passed over and now I am one of the elders in my family and I am passing it on to my granddaughter.

Hearty" Homemade" Chicken Soup

The Temperature is reaching 17 degrees tonight and the wind is howling through the trees, extra blankets are on the bed.  Today is a perfect day for hot hearty chicken soup. The secret to this dish is the vegetables you use.  There are no set veggies you can use just use what you like.

I like to use spinach in my chicken soup also Rotel which is a spicy tomato blend of onions and peppers which adds a kick to this dish.  this works wonders id you have a cold.

I also like to use chicken thighs or the drumstick I put the chicken in a pot of water and soil it down and this creates a stock, I also like to use additional chicken stock. To the pot I add lots of onions, carrots and sweet baby bell peppers. Some people like to use leeks which is in the onion family but a milder version, some like to add mushrooms.

To give this soup robust flavor I like to use thyme and a bay leaf and fresh garlic.  You are really going to enjoy this chicken soup. I you have other seasonings you like to use on chicken don't hesitate to put it into the pot.

Some hard crusty bread and butter tops the whole meal off with a nice cool drink.