Supernatural Botanicals

Check out this rare behind the scenes peek of Jamie Oliver at home. 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJJi8ROrvZE

   Love these Le Creuset pans?  You can win them!  These heavy-duty, chef-quality pans are a $240 value.  Click here to win!

This is an example of the hilarity that’s going on over at Cake Wreck Blog.  A blog where professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong.  Take a look for yourself. 

This is the newest herb in my garden, Sweet Lemon Thyme.  I knew I had to have this the moment I brushed my fingers across the dainty little leaves.  My hands smelled like fresh lemons for hours afterwards.  This herb produces a strong lemon flavor.  I’ll be making perfume from this….it’s on my to-do list.  With cooking, it will be great with chicken or seafood….think shrimp scampi!  The next time you are at the garden center, look for Sweet Lemon Thyme.    You’ll be surprised how lemony it is.  Delish!

   Lemons!  I’m crazy about them.  There’s so much you can do with them, everything from decorating with them to cooking with them to sanitizing with them.  Purchase some clear glass containers, and your lemons will look great on your counters until they are ready for use. 

   I like keeping seasonal items in glass containers like this.  Previously, I had pine cones and cranberries in the jars.  Out with winter, in with spring!

   The sun-shinny yellow looks sensational next to other vibrant colored containers and planters. 

  The flavor combinations are endless when cooking with lemon and fresh herbs. 

   Lemons and herbs also look fantastic when grouped together; great as a centerpiece for your table or picnic.

   Parsley and lemon….I’m thinking Mediterranean food!

   Slicing lemon wheels for cool drinks. 

   Use lemon ends to sanitize your cutting board….not to mention, make it smell super fresh and clean.

   Ice cold water with freshly sliced lemon wheels…the ultimate summer cocktail!

  Clean up never smelled better.  You can grind up small lemon pieces in your garbage disposal to make your kitchen smell fresh and clean. 

Channel your inner girly-girl with this recessionista find.  You’ll be irresistible for whomever you are cooking for in this retro-inspired girly apron. 

One of the best gifts you can give to someone is to make them a table-full of their favorite delicious foods.   And who can resist a girl who meets her man at the door wearing this apron with a glass of homemade lemonade in hand, adorned with thin lemon wheel slices?  Seriously, who? 

Channel your femininity and shower it on someone today.  At only $23.75, this aligns with a recessionista’s budget.  Shop Etsy for more girly finds.   

Scrambling to find great breakfast/brunch recipes for overnight guest? Try these two great variations of French Toast.

Whose ready to win $1,000,000?  I am, bring it, Dough Boy!  Pillsbury is having their 44th Pillsbury Bake Off Contest.  They are offering their fabulous cash and prizes, as usual, with the grand prize being a cool mill! 

I love Bake Off time.  It’s always fun competing for great prizes, but the process of winning is just as fun.  You have to create original recipes, which lets you spread your creative wings in the kitchen to invent great dishes, many of which you’ll discover by chance.  My mind is constantly in motion, the wheels are always turning when I’m thinking of original recipes for Bake Off.  Inspiration is everywhere, so use it to your advantage and be savvy enough to recognize it. 

You’ll have four categories in which you can enter…Breakfasts and Brunches , Entertaining Appetizers, Dinners Made Easy, and Sweet Treats.  Are your wheels turning yet?  I feel like a strong contender in Breakfasts and Brunches and Entertaining Appetizers!  My mind is most definitely in motion. 

I love Bake Off!

For complete details on Pillsbury’s Bake Off, click the blue-eyed one above.  Test your recipes out on your friends and family for feedback.  Feed your neighbors,  your co-workers and see what makes them beg for more.  Throw a party and test out some Entertaining appetizers.  Host Sunday open house dinner for family and try out dinner recipes.  Try a double date.  Have the other couple bring the wine, and you test your Sweet Treat recipes on them all night. 

Good luck, foodies!

See all that deliciousness?  Well, I’ve been keeping that recipe a secret for a long time.  I love when I start getting requests for holiday granola around October.  So I package up bags and bags of this delicious healthy mixture to impress and feed the granola lovers in my life.  I’ve also made a few non-granola lovers believers!  There’s something very therapeutic to me in making everyone happy and well-fed.  It’s time to pass on the knowledge so you, too, can make people in your life happy and well-fed.  It’s the right thing to do!  Want to make someone’s day?  Give them a bag of your homemade gourmet granola.  Want to make someone think you are a granola goddess?  Give them a bag of your homemade gourmet granola.  Want your dream man to immediately ask for your hand in marriage?  ….give it a try!  It certainly doesn’t hurt.

This is my basic recipe.  You can feel free to add or subtract ingredients to your taste.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.  (I put my on a Silpat.)   Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

   There’s no doubt that lots of us are worried about our financial futures.  No one is here to bail you out.  It can feel all too overwhelming and daunting at times.  But did you ever stop to think of the benefits of this forced recession?  I think we can see tremendous benefit beyond our recession pain.  Here’s why:

*  We are more cognizant of our spending and saving.  Cognizance brings bigger thinking to the table, forces you to set goals and to take ownership of your actions. 

*  We are eating at home more.  Because we are eating at home more, we are eating healthier.  For great healthy, fast recipes, see Sam The Cooking Guy.

*  Gym memberships are on the decline according to studies, but this doesn’t mean that you have to stop exercising.  People are finally discovering their sidewalks outside their own door and are exercising outside…where it’s free. 

*  We are watching less TV:  According to reports from cable companies, they are losing customers in droves.  It forces you to do something free…like go to the library, reacquaint yourself with that sidewalk out in front of your house, reorganize your closets, or just take some zen time. 

*  The recession is helping us to focus on what’s important in life, helping us to reevaluate our goals, like…relationships, family, God, happiness, being kind and helping one another. 

Perhaps those are the good things we can take away from the recession.  After all, just because you’ve been doing something the same way for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right way.  Step back, look at things from 1000 feet, and re-think your life and all the people and things in it.  Start to focus in, keep your chin up, and remain happy.   That’s what will get you through.