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Food for ThoughtFOOD FOR THOUGHTby Khadijah Lacina
As all Soapnuts are aware, talk on the list is not solely
restricted to soap. In a given
week you can read about the ups and downs and days and nights of
several nuts…and, of course, the topic of food comes up at least once
a week. To be honest, I am not
entirely sure that food counts as off topic discussion anymore!!!!
It is definitely always a hot topic on the list. But, being Soapnuts, our creativity extends from the kitchen to the
bath….there are many excellent recipes in the Recipe Nook for all sorts of
bath and soap goodies that are either food themed, or contain ingredients that
we all would consider eating as well as soaking in. Last month I asked you all to send me some of your recipes
for both food and food related items, and many of you were so generous with
your information Welcome to our little internet Soapnut celebration. Celebrate friendship, sharing, laughter, tears, and tradition with your fellow 'Nuts as you try out each of these recipes…and remember each one is a gift to you from another Soapnut!!! Beverages
Christmas Cider 2 Tablespoons plus 2 Teaspoons Maple Sugar or Brown Sugar Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Remove interior of lemon and pack with sugar. Set lemon halves on wire rack and place in a cool, dry place to dry for a
week. To make the "cider": Combine the lemons, cranberry juice and cider, simmer over low heat for about an hour. (I usually place this in a crockpot on low and keep out on the buffet table for guests to serve themselves). Great for Halloween parties too, enjoy! : )
1 ½ quarts water In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from the heat, Add
drink mix, sugar and coffee; stir until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate for 4
hours or overnight. About 30minutes before serving, pour into a punch bowl. Add ice cream by scoopfuls; stir until partially melted. Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and chocolate curls. Spiced Tea Steep for five minutes: 3 Tbsp black tea leaves, or 3 tea bags Add: 1 ¼ cup milk, heated Simmer 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Strain and serve hot. Appetizers and Snacks
Crab Rangoon آ½ lb. crab meat (cut into
small pieces, imitation tastes good, too) Mix everything together. Spoon
teaspoon of mixture into won-ton skin. Fold
orner just short of triangle. Wet
shorter portion with water and fold excess flap
over to create seal. Make all
before you fry. Deep
fry several at a ime for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Dip in duck sauce, shrimp sauce or whatever floats your boat. Enjoy !! Fresh Salsa 3 large, ripe, fresh tomatoes, diced Mix and serve. NOTES: I like to sometimes add corn or black beans... both are great additions. This can be modified so easily to your tastes. When I make it, it is almost all green and red, 'cause we love the onions & tomatoes. My sister makes it and it is very dark; her DH doesn't do onions well and they LOVE the black olives. We have also pureed the whole thing in the blender, for those who don't like lumps and chunks! Breads
Mary Lacina's Kolaches 1/4 cup warm water Cut butter and margarine in to flour and salt. Mix yeast and sugar in warm water. Add egg yolks and vanilla and milk. Add to the flour mixture, mix well, and refrigerate for two
hours or overnight. Roll out to
1/4 inch thick and cut with a glass. Put
on a cookie sheet and let rise for 1/2 hour.
Push in the centers and fill. Bake
in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until they are light brown (this is a
point of contention between Grandma and Rosie Gradian- Grandma bakes hers at
375 degrees for 15 minutes. Knowing
that they both use woodstoves, who knows how accurate those temps are- my
Grandma did the "hold the hand in the oven and count" method of
temperature determination for many many years). These can also be made into crescents.
One variation in Grandma's recipe box has you use 1 1/2 sticks of
margarine and 3/4 cup Crisco- the rest is the same. For fillings, you can use purchased pie filling, or use dried fruit stewed in a bit of water into a thick, saucy consistency. Grandma always made cream cheese ones, and poppy seed ones, and apricot ones, and cherry ones. Grown ups liked the poppy seed best, kids went for the cherry. Whole Grain Bread (using my trusty machine) I suggest you load your machine in this order: 1 1/4 c. warm water Set machine to your wheat or French bread setting on your machine. This makes a hearty and nourishing whole grain bread. This makes 4 loaves so adjust up or down as needed and just holler if you
have questions!
Before mixing you will need to wash, seed and bake 1 small sugar pumpkin
and 1 small to medium butternut squash. Bake
at 325F until tender. Cool, peel
and put into a food processor. I
would think that 3 to 4 cans of prepared pumpkin could be used instead.
You can even bake these in advance and freeze for later or refrigerate
a few days till ready to use. To that add: 1 cup of liquid sweeter. I
used half a cup of honey, quarter cup of Blackstrap molasses and a quarter cup
of maple syrup Then… Pre-heat oven to 350F In a large mixing bowl put: 7 cups of flour (I use 3 cups bread flour and 4 cups whole wheat pastry
flour) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just moistened. At this point you can add the extras that you like.
Fresh cranberries that have been boiled for just about 5 minutes until
they burst open, ground walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips and raisins.
I used cranberries, chocolate chips, raisins and pecans and I at least
thought it was great combination. Pour into 4 prepared loaf pans (I butter and flour mine) and bake at 350F
for about 50
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Put 2-1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and oil in a large bowl. Add
water and mix Main Dish Recipes
Butternut Squash Soup 1 large Butternut squash (2 lbs) Preheat oven to 400 Bake squash in shallow baking pan 'til the tip of a knife easily
penetrates the skin - about 1 hr. Cut
in half and cool to room temp. Cook onions in the butter over low heat, partially covered, 'til soft -
about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove seeds from squash and scoop out pulp. Puree the pulp and onions in blender. Whisk the puree into the stock and simmer (covered) for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and season to taste with salt & white pepper. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and croutons.
1 lb chicken boneless breasts cut into bite size pieces Heat oil in extra deep 12 inch skillet and cook chicken for a few
minutes. Add mushrooms, onions
and italian seasoning and cook a few more minutes.
Add garlic and wine and while stirring cook for one minute.
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, water and egg noodles and bring to a boil.
Press noodles into liquid and cover and reduce heat to medium high.
Cook for 7 to 9 minutes stirring half way through.
Serve at once with a little parmesan cheese on top Enjoy
1 - 46 oz. can V8 juice Use a LARGE pot 20+ cup capacity at least. With all ingredients into pot,
add water to your taste.. (I like a thick soup/stew so I use less water maybe
2 cups) If you cover the veggies in water, as they cook down you will have a
much soupier soup. Cook until all veggies are tender 1-2 hours depending. This makes ALOT of soup. Good for you and under 100 calories per cup. I like to make it to take to Potlucks. It also stores very well in the
freezer, so I make a batch, store it in bowls that hold 2-3 cups, and only
pull out what I need when I want. For variety sometimes I'll add 1 cup cooked
chicken breast to about 4 cups of the soup, or to about half of it, I'll add
cooked stew meat and simmer for an hour to infuse
the stew meat with the flavors. Albondigas En Salsa Chipotle For Meatballs: 3/4 lb ground beef For Sauce: 1 tablesp. vegetable oil Flagstaff Green Rice Combine meatball ingredients, form into balls, brown in oil in fry pan. In a large deep pot brown onions and garlic in vegetable oil. Add chiles
and adobo sauce with tomato sauce, add salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to
simmer. Put meatballs in sauce and simmer until cooked, about 45 minute to an
hour. Stir occasionally. Serve over Flagstaff Green Rice.
1 cup uncooked rice Put the green onion, olive oil and jalapeno in a bowl, cover and
microwave full power about 40 seconds. Stir in parsley and cilantro. Set aside until rice is cooked. Cook rice with butter, salt and 2 cups water. Stir rice 5 minutes before end of cooking time and add black pepper and
chopped herb and jalapeno mixture. Stir to mix thoroughly. Let sit covered
until rice is fluffy. Serve meatballs and sauce with the rice.
In a large pan, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil Add and saute 2 minutes: 1 large onion, chopped Add: 1 cup uncooked rice Stir fry for five minutes Add: 1 ½ cups potatoes, cubed Bring to a boil. Reduce
heat, cover and simmer until rice, lentils and veggies are tender, 20-30
minutes. You can actually use any combination of veggies that strikes your fancy. Greens, like spinach go well with the potatoes if you don’t want cauliflower. Yemeni Eggplant in Spicy Tomato Sauce 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 pounds) Cut peel from eggplant. Remove
ends. Cut eggplant into 3/8 inch
crosswise slices. Sprinkle slices
lightly but evenly with salt on both sides and put in a colander.
Place colander over a bowl. In
addition, place a second bowl on top of the eggplant slices in the colander.
Put something heavy inside this second bowl. Let weighted eggplant drain for 30 minutes.
Turn the eggplant slices over at this point and continue the weighting,
draining process for another 30 minutes.
Pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil for onions in saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and light golden. Add cumin, paprika, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cayenne. Stir well. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook over low heat, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes are very soft. Add tomato paste. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons of remaining oil and sauté half the eggplant for 2 minutes on each side. Set sautéed eggplant aside and continue sautéing procedure with remaining eggplant. Lightly oil a shallow 5-cup baking dish. Arrange alternate layers of eggplant and sauce, ending with sauce. Bake 30 minutes or until eggplant is very tender, basting occasionally. Serve hot or at room temperature.
4 lb chicken, whole Remove giblets and neck and discard.
Wash chicken and pat dry.
Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to
taste. Place chicken on vertical roaster. Bake
at 425F for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325. Bake
for an additional 45 minutes. Remove
chicken from oven. Melt jam. Brush
chicken with melted jam. Return
chicken to oven for 15 minutes. Variations: any other kind
of jam can be substituted, or use 2 Tablespoons of honey instead of the jam.
You can roast it in a regular pan, but the skin will not be as crispy. Beef Goulash 2 lbs stew beef Heat oil in large heavy pot. Brown
beef. Add salt, pepper, paprika,
oregano, and garlic clove (whole). Reduce heat, add water, cover and simmer until tender - at least an hour.
Remove garlic clove. Mix flour with milk and add it to the meat, stirring to make a gravy.
Turn off the heat and mix in the sour cream. Serve with spaetzle and cucumber salad. Marinated Salmon I take some soy sauce, some lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic and thyme. I pour it into a zip bag and then plop the salmon filet into the bag. I let it marinade for at least 2 hours and then either grill, bake or broil. This marinade can be used for any tight fleshed fish (salmon, mahi-mahi, swordfish, etc). I usually serve with brown and wild rice and a nice salad. Desserts Almond Joy Cake 1 package Devil's Food Cake mix Mix cake mix and bake as directed for one 9X13 inch pan. In sauce pan combine half the can of milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar and bring the mixture to a rapid boil. Quickly remove from heat and add marshmallows. Stir until melted. Stir in coconut, pour mixture over top of baked cake. In sauce pan combine remaining sugar and remaining milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add butter and chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Mix in almonds. Pour mixture over top of coconut topped cake. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Cake tastes better if baked a day ahead of serving. Fantasy Fudge Brownies These cookies are like brownies with a surface that should be crackly, but the inside soft, fudgy, and nutty. Ingredients: One 12-ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate pieces Heat oven to 350 degrees. In heavy medium-sized saucepan, heat one cup of
semi-sweet chocolate pieces, all of unsweetened chocolate, and butter over low
heat, stirring constantly (or use a double boiler). Transfer the chocolate to
a large mixing bowl; cool slightly. Stir together the flour, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Add the eggs,
sugar and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Add the flour
mixture to the bowl and beat until it is well-mixed. Stir in the remaining
chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop off heaping teaspoons full onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake
at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm, the surface
dull and cracked. Cool for one minute on the cookie sheet; remove and cool
thoroughly. Lemon Cookies These soft lemon cookies are delicious and easy to make. 1 cup butter, softened In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar: add eggs. Combine flour and
baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/3 cup of lemonade
concentrate. Mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Brush with remaining lemonade concentrate; sprinkle with sugar. Cool and enjoy. Yet Another Killer Chocolate Cake From Earth Mother Herbal 2 squares unsweetened chocolate Melt the chocolate and 1/2 cup of the milk in a 2 quart pan. While hot,
add butter. Stir and remove from heat, add egg yolk. Stir until smooth. Add
the remaining milk, sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Pour into 2
greases and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Cool and
remove from pans. Chocolate Frosting. Whoopie Pies This is another delicious treat! 1/2 cup baking cocoa In a bowl, combine cocoa and water; mix well. Cool for 5 minutes. In a
mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add cocoa mixture, eggs and vanilla;
mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with
buttermilk; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
Flatten slightle with a spoon. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until firm to
the touch. Remove to wire racks to cool. In a saucepan, combine flour and salt. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; cook and stir over medium high heat until thick, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; refrigerate until completely cool. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add chilled milk mixture' beat for 7 minutes or until fluffy. Spread filling on the bottom of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Store in the fridge. Best Cheesecake Recipe in the Entire Low Carb World :) from
"R" Here is a recipe that I got off the internet for the BEST low carb cheese
cake I've found. 5 packages (8 oz )cream cheese This must be baked right. If it is it is so excellent that you will be
tempted to eat more than one piece. It also must be cooked thoroughly or the
texture will not be right. Make sure that cream cheese and eggs are at room
temperature. (very important). Preheat oven to 350. Spray a spring-form pan with a non-stick spray. In a large bowl mix eggs, cream, sweetener, and extract. Add cream cheese in 2-oz chunks for easier beating. After all the lumps are gone pour into the pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. (mine took 60). Cool all the way. I left in fridge overnight. 9 carbohydrates per piece. (12 pieces per pie) Can add whipped topping or strawberries, but I found it too good to add anything.
1 chocolate cake mix Enjoy! Coconut Cake My newest, favorite cake recipe that I have only made twice: Cake mix - "golden butter" or similar, but *not* one that
includes pudding in the mix Bake according to directions on
box, cool thoroughly. Cut each of the two layers into half, so you have four layers.
Frosting: 2 cups sugar Combine sugar, sour cream, and coconut, blending it well and chill. Stir again when taken out of refrigerator. Reserve 1 - 1/2 cups of mixture for frosting - spread remainder between
layers. Then combine reserved mixture with Cool Whip and blend until smooth and
spread on sides and top of cake.
SEAL CAKE IN AIR TIGHT CONTAINER AND REFRIGERATE FOR TWO *DAYS* BEFORE
SERVING!!! Note: I keep a handful of coconut to sprinkle on top of cake.
Ingredients: 1 packet dry active yeast Instructions: Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour
and salt. Make a well in center of the flour mixture. Pour beaten eggs and the
yeast mixture into the well in center of the flour mixture. Stir to blend and
then kneed well. Slowly mix in the 1/4 c. warm melted ghee, continuously kneed
dough throughout this process. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and
elastic. if dough seems to dry add a small amount of water at a time. Flour
your hands and dive the dough into 16 balls about the size of a large egg. On
a lightly floured board place a dough ball and form into a very thin round
shape, using the heel of your hand. A rolling pin may be used. Brush a baking
sheet with ghee. Place the completed round on the baking tray and brush well
with melted ghee. Shape 7 more rounds. After completing each round place on
top of the previous round, press the edges with fingertips and brush well with
ghee. Repeat this process with the other 8 rounds . You will have 2 stacks on
the baking sheet, be sure to brush the last round with the ghee. Let rest in a
warm place for 45 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-30
minutes until light golden brown. If you tap the base of the tray there should
be a hollow sound to indicate the cakes are done. Best way to eat: Serve hot with generous amounts of melted butter
and warm honey on top Note: The traditional way of eating this is to break off pieces with the fingertips and dip into butter and honey that remains on the serving platter. It may also be served by cutting it into wedges and spooning butter and honey remaining on the serving platter over top. Bruno's Favorite, Easiest Chocolate-est Cake My son's favorite... .errrr, I mean "Bruno's favorite".
:) 1 box chocolate cake mix, the chocolatey-er, the better *optional: second container
of chocolate frosting for the actual frosting of the
cake * Blend all except frosting. Add 1 container of frosting and mix again.
Pour into a greased and floured, large Bundt pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until cake is
pulling away from pan edges. My kids (I mean, Bruno) does like the additional container of frosting on the cake when it is all cooled Date Balls Ingredients: 3/4 cup sugar Mix sugar, butter and dates in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring
constantly, until butter is melted; remove from heat. Stir in milk and vanilla. Cook over very low heat 4 minutes. Stirrings
constantly; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts. Cool 5 minutes.
Shape mixture by teaspoonful into balls. Roll balls in finely chopped nuts or shredded coconuts.
Soaps and Other Bath and Body Delights
Delicious Milk Bath... 4 cups non-fat powdered milk Mix all ingredients together and use 1 cup for each bath.
I just love the scent of this...that vanilla powder is wonderful
smelling stuff! Good Enough To Eat (but don't) Brown Sugar Scrub 1 Cup Brown Sugar Combine essential oils together and let sit for a few weeks.
Then mix dry ingredients together, gradually add the honey and oils; mix well. Finally add the essential oils and mix again. This will be a "dry" blend and the oil will separate out of it once it is packaged. It will only have a small amount of oil on top of the sugar. A *Foodie* Goodie For the Face and Body Almond Milk Face Smoothie *To make almond milk: Blanch almonds to remove skins if needed. (Pour boiling water over
almonds in bowl, let sit for 1 minute, drain, rinse with cold water, drain and
pat dry, remove skins.). You can roast the almonds for better flavor, 350 degree F oven for 10
minutes or in ungreased skillet on stovetop. Combine 1 cup almonds and approx. 4 cups water in glass jar, cover and leave overnight in the fridge. Next day, pour into blender and process until smooth, squeeze well
through cheesecloth (reserve *sludge* for either baking or a face scrub). Leftover almond milk can be combined in the blender with frozen chunks of banana, strawberries, etc. with a bit of honey and ice if fruit not frozen, and make a drinkable smoothie for your insides, : ) Grandma's Kitchen Bath Soak Use a clean, dry glass jar for this recipe. If you are giving it as a gift, make sure you decorate it prettily with a nice fabric bow or crocheted jar "cap". Add a couple of drawstring muslin or terry cloth bags, and you have a really nice gift for yourself or anyone else! First, make your "colloidal" oatmeal by blending oatmeal in a blender until very fine. Mix two parts of this oatmeal with one part of full cream powdered milk. No non fat or low fat allowed!! Next add one teaspoon each cornstarch and baking soda per each cup of mixture. If you want a sort of homey blend, add a couple dashes of cinnamon, or a cinnamon stick. Now, layer the above mixture with the herbs of your choice- beginning with the oatmeal blend. Make the oatmeal layers thicker than the herb layer- use maybe a couple of teaspoons of herb for each herb layer. Finish off with an oatmeal layer. Or, hey, if you want, simply blend the herbs right on in with the oatmeal, about a tablespoon of herbs to each cup of oatmeal/milk mixture. Herb ideas (alone or in combination): Lavender, chamomile, rose, calendula, marshmallow You may also add essential oils or fragrance oils as you like, just don't go overboard with them. To use, simply scoop some of the mixture into one of the muslin bags and
pull the string tight. Let this
hang over your faucet as the water fills the tub, and then use the bag as a
washcloth while you luxuriate in the warm, fragrant water…. Carrot Soap 1 ounce castor oil Mix carrot juice and milk together and freeze until it has ice crystals
in it, add water and mix...add lye very slowly to this liquid mixture, making
sure it doesn't overheat. Add lye
solution to melted oils and bring to a trace, add baby-food and fragrance and
pour into molds. My only
complaint about this soap is that it does not have the lather the same recipe
does without the addition of carrot juice and baby-food...but it's great
feeling and I love the fragrance and the idea of including carrots! Sauerkraut Surprise Cake |
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