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Roasted Garbanzo Beans: Healthy Snack!

This is a really healthy snack and super delicious! Garbanzo beans are full of fiber (two cups provide a full days worth!). It doesn't make a lot, so if you are going to share them, I would double it.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt (mine is unrefined, that's why it's has colored flecks)
1 tbsp olive oil (I used 2 tbsp and it was far too much)
1/2 lemon's juice
1 15oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas - same thing..you can also use hominy, which I really want to try)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Drain the garbanzo beans and pat dry with a paper towel. Spread them out on the cookie sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Set a timer!

While you are waiting, pull out the needed spices. Mmmm spices! You can really add anything you want. You don't have to put the same spices that I did. If you want it spicier, add cayenne pepper.



In a medium bowl, combine your spices, olive oil, and lemon juice.



Should look thinner than this (remember, I used 2 tbsp olive oil instead on one)



Once the beans (peas?...) have roasted for 10 minutes, pull them out, and toss them in your olive oil mixture. Then put them back on the cookie sheet.



Put them back in the oven for another 8 minutes. Toss them around a bit, and roast another 8-10 minutes. Watch them carefully towards the end, because they will burn!



Enjoy!!! My picky 2 year old loved them! She told me they tasted like "gum". Hmmmm....interesting!

Zucchini Oat Muffins

I've been trying to think of more healthy foods for the kids [with hidden veggies!!!] to replace granola bars, fruit snacks and goldfish. I'm thinking of making different kinds of healthy muffins and freezing them, then popping them in the microwave when they are hungry. I love how these turned out! Recipe adapted from Julie's Eats and Treats.

Dry Ingredients:
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Stevia in the Raw (or white sugar or Splenda)
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 cup quick oats
3 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp coconut oil (or canola, vegetable etc)
1/ small container applesauce (about 1/3 cup)
2 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups grated zucchini (about 3 normal size zucchini)
In a medium sized bowl, combine all dry ingredients with a whisk.

Make sure to mix well so that the [small amount] of baking powder and salt is spread evenly throughout.

Set the bowl aside.

I'm no pastry chef, but it's best to use room temperature eggs when baking. (Having took temp eggs aids in mixing the batter. When cold eggs are added to batter, it can make little clumps and lead to uneven distribution of ingredients.)

If you don't take them out of the fridge ahead of time, just stick them in a bowl of lukewarm water.

Grate the zucchini.

Next mix the wet ingredients together (except zucchini) in a LARGE bowl. Here's what my coconut oil looks like.

Then add the zucchini. I had to transfer to a bigger bowl.

Then slowly add in the dry mix until it's well combined. You don't want to overwork it, or your muffins will be super dense. Then add to a greased muffin tin. DON'T use paper cups like I did, because the muffins stuck to the paper.

The recipe should make 12 muffins, but I stretched it so that the muffins would be smaller for the kids.

I added walnuts to the top of some of them. Then I put water in the empty cup. Why?! Because my mama said so!

Bake for 25-30 minutes (depending on the size of your muffins) @ 375 degrees.

I was really excited because just after they finished cooling, Isabel woke up from her nap, and.....she LOVED them! Yay!!!!

How I cleaned my grout- without bleach!!!

I was feeling really disappointed after my attempt to clean my cookie sheets. (Read more here.) But, I decided to give the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mix a second chance....on my floors. I was amazed with the results! Plus, no bleachy smelling house.

I used the same mix that I had tried on the cookies sheets. Just poured some baking soda in a bowl and added a little hydrogen peroxide until it made a thick past. I found that it worked better when I spread the mix (with a spoon) on the grout lines first and let it set for a minute or two.




Then I scrubbed it with an old toothbrush. Yeah, a toothbrush! Haha!!! I felt a little like  Bubba Gump naming different ways to cook shrimp..."shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried..."





I kept a bowl of warm water next to me and dipped the toothbrush in it (because the paste started to dry out). Then I poured water on the floor, wiped up most of the baking soda, then mopped and steam cleaned it with my Shark Steam Mop. I'm so happy I did it! [But, I'm also glad that there isn't tile anywhere else in my house!]

Cookie sheet cleaning: FAIL

I was inspired by this post, and this post, hat I found off of Pinterest, to clean my disgusting cookie sheet. It sounded pretty simple, and based on the pictures from One Good Thing by Jillee, I was convinced that it would work.

Her formula is a mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixed into a paste. So, I made some...



Here are the cookies sheets that I was going to tackle...







I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. But, it didn't work.



So, I went to Google looking for another formula. I decided to try some vinegar, a little hot water and dish soap. That didn't work either!







Then I kept looking online, and tried dishwasher detergent. Guess what?! Still didn't work. I even decided to put more vinegar on it and let it sit overnight. No luck. I've read about using oven cleaner, but I'm kind of skeptical on that. Basically, it was my first Pinterest fail! I think I might just keep using foil on this cookie sheet...

BBQ Pork Ribs {slow cooker}

I love making things in the crockpot lately. It's really convenient and easy clean-up. But, most recipes are usually casseroles or soups. Neither of which Isabel will eat.

I've always been afraid of cooking ribs. I tried it one time when I was 18 with beef ribs, and I didn't know you had to par-boil them. I was trying to make a fancy dinner for my boyfriend (now husband), and it turned out a rock hard mess. But this recipe is delicious and really easy! It's adapted from America's Test Kitchen: Slow Cooker Revolution.  Its also pretty inexpensive, especially if you can get the ribs on sale. I paid less $6.32 for just over 2lb of ribs, and $1.37 for the BBQ sauce (both @ Target). I already had all of the other ingredients at home.

Just a heads up, as with most slow cooker recipes, you need to start these in the morning.

Ingredients:
2.5 tbsp Light brown sugar (or dark if you don't have it)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1.5 tbsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 cup BBQ sauce (or about half of the small [18oz] bottle)
2-2.5 lb pork [baby back] ribs





Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mash the brown sugar with the back of the spoon so it's not clumpy.




Cut your ribs in half. Leave the membrane on to keep them together. Rub the dry mix onto the ribs. Front and back! (this pic is blurry sorry)




Be prepared for dirty hands!




Stick the ribs in the crockpot standing up with the top (thicker part) towards the outside of the crockpot, and the thicker part down.




Now, pour BBQ sauce all over the ribs. I didn't measure on this part, just squirted half of the bottle on them.




Stick the lid on, and wait 6-8 hours. Mine were perfect at 7 hours.

Now comes the oven work involved. Don't don't don't skip this step-- (even if your ribs look so mouthwatering that you want to eat them standing over the crockpot)-- because it really takes the ribs to the next level! This part with give them the barbequed on the grill flavor.

Take the ribs out very carefully because they are super tender!!! I don't have too many pictures of the next couple steps because my hubby finished them for me.

Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with foil and place a wire rack on it (if you have it, if not its ok...we didn't use one because we couldn't find it). Then place the ribs on it, bone side up, and set it to the side.




Then skim any fat off of the juice that's left in the crockpot. Strain the juices into a saucepan using a mesh strainer (again, we didn't have one, so Adrian did the best he could putting them into the pan). Turn your oven on broil and allow it to heat up while you finish the rest. Make sure the top oven rack is about 10-12 inches below the broiling element. Reduce the sauce about a third by bringing it to a boil, then allowing it to simmer for about 15 minutes. This is our unstrained sauce...




Then brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes. Flip the ribs to meat side up and (verrrry carefully) brush again with sauce. Then broil again for 6-8 minutes. You can baste them again once or twice during this process. That's it, they are done!!!!




Now eat!!!! You might want to keep some baby wipes at the table to clean your hands ;) Both of the kids eat them, including Isabel, who is the pickiest eater on the planet (recently). I can't wait to make these again.

More on butter

After making butter, I became somewhat interested in all things butter. Probably not the healthiest thing to be obsessed with reading about, but at least I'm just reading...not making all kinds of food with butter.

This article is pretty interesting and I really like the pictures that show the different stages that the cream goes through in the process of becoming butter.

This article talks about the history of butter. Did you know that butter was used as money before it was used exclusively as a food?


The word butter is [supposedly] derived from a latin word butyrum, meaning cow cheese. Did you know that butter has more than 3 times the saturated fat of olive oil? Maybe we should stick to reading about butter!

Here are some interesting facts about the history of butter.

The different kinds of butter:

Churned Butter: traditional salted butter, made my churning pasteurized cream


Sweet Butter: "unsalted butter", pretty much the same as churned butter but without the salt. used more for baking


Light Butter: has added air and water, and about 25% less butterfat, spreads better


Cultured Butter: made from cream that is cultured with active bacteria, and has a distinctive, slightly tangy taste

Check out these butter sculptures...

 Haha...it's a cow jumping over the moon

 We can't talk about butter without thinking about the butter queen! How can you not read this in Paula Deen's voice?

Well....that was fun!

I can't believe it's butter!!!

I made butter! Why? Because what else is there to do at midnight when you can't sleep? And why not? Yeah I could buy it at the store like I always do, and I will probably keep doing...but, I had some heavy whipping cream leftover from the Zuppa Toscana I made this week. Organic heavy whipping cream that is going to have a second life as delicious butter!

I've read quite a few tutorials for making butter, even some that are made by shaking a jar of cream. Seriously. Not just a little shaking, but vigorous shaking for about ten minutes. You could make it that way if you want a workout.

So, let me teach you how to make butter. Even if you'll never make it again, you really just have to try it. Plus, you can whip in some honey, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, cinnamon & sugar... whatever suits your fancy!


What you'll need:

Heavy whipping cream (about 2 cups or more, you can make as much as you want)
A stand mixer (or hand mixer will do)
A medium sized bowl
Ice
Water




Start by getting your heavy cream to room temperature. It doesn't quite have to be room temp, but you don't want it as cold as it is in the fridge. I just poured my cream into a glass and then put inside anther glass with warm water, and let it sit for about ten minutes.





Then, pour your cream into your stand mixer, or bowl if you're using a hand mixer.

I made 2 batches using my Magic Bullet. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS! I didn't allow for the first batch to mix long enough (you'll see pics..), and the 2nd batch was THE END of my Magic Bullet. I ended up having to shake the jar to finish the butter. Yeah...picture me in my kitchen, shaking vigorously for about 5 minutes straight.

Anyways, using your whisk attachment, turn your mixer on high. You are going to mix for at least 3 minutes straight. Longer if you are using a hand mixer. Sorry, I don't have good pics of the mixing process.

When you think you are done mixing, you are not! Keep mixing. And don't get distracted by the fact that you just turned liquid cream into whipped cream...pretty cool. (This is the point where the Magic Bullet died and I had to start shaking)




What you are doing is separating the butter from the buttermilk. You will start to see liquid in your bowl. Once it looks like this, you can stop mixing. Yours will probably look more crumbly because of the whisk attachment. (Remember, I had to shake mine...)




That's your butter right there! But you aren't done yet. The next steps are crucial to keeping your butter fresh for about a week. Pour the buttermilk out into a cup (you can save it and use it for pancakes or red velvet...anything).




Now, stick some ice and water in the bowl. I recommend doing this part in the sink. You are going to clean the butter with some ice cold water. The water should be so cold that you can barely keep your hand in it. My bowl looks dirty because this was the second batch.









Knead your butter in the water. You are trying to make sure all of the buttermilk gets out so you can avoid your butter from smelling like sour milk in a day or two. You will have to dump out the water, and add more water and ice. Keep doing this until the water runs clear (or pretty clear).




The butter will be cold so it should stick together like play dough in eater. Just smash it against the bottom of the bowl, flip it around, squeeze it into a ball, whatever you need to do to get the water clear.

Oh, I almost forgot, only put one hand in the bowl when cleaning the butter. You need a clean, dry hand to get more ice and turn on the faucet. With the first batch, both of my hands looked like this...I had to wash them about 5 times to get all the butter off.




Once you are done, your butter will look like this! It should be pretty yellow and kind of hard (because it's cold).



Notice a big difference from my first batch, which is lighter in color because I didn't whip it enough, so I didn't get all the buttermilk out.



Then stick it in a jar or air tight container. Will keep in the fridge for about a week! You might want to add in a bit of sea salt, or other stuff if you want flavored butter.



Go ahead, make some toast and try it out...



PS: You don't have to keep butter in the fridge if you have a french butter keeper. They are pretty cool because you can store the butter on the counter top without spoiling of melting. I've always wanted to get one. Check them out here.

I hope you enjoyed the butter!