Sweet and Sultry Habanero Pickles/Pickled Vegetables (jalapeno works too)

Sweet and Sultry Habanero Pickles/Pickled Vegetables
Super Easy, no cook. 

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Vegetables of your choice:  I like cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, celery, cauliflower, greenbeans, onions, garlic, etc.
1 C distilled white vinegar
2 T sugar
2 T kosher salt
2 tsp dried minced garlic
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns (whole)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp celery seed
2 habaneros or jalapenos (one if you can't handle the heat)

Put the veggies in a quart canning jar, add sugar and spices.  Pour vinegar over it and fill jar w water. I use a quart jar. (wide mouth is all I use..you can get the stuff out easier) Let refrigerate two weeks to come to flavor.
These will last three months in your fridge.

Vitamix Orange Energizer

The drinks in this pic were made w/ice.  If you want it thinner, use water instead.

This is one of my favorite grab and go health kick drinks.

 It takes no time to make and if you are strapped for time, make it the night before, put it in a canning jar in the fridge and take it along with you the next day..it lasts at least 24 hours (more really).

 It won't change color, this really travels well. Give it a slight shake before opening the lid, it really doesn't need it, but I do anyway.

Vitamix Orange Energizer

1 sweet potato (raw, cut into cubes)
2 carrots, top cut off (raw cut into chunks)
1/2 pineapple (no skin, cut into chunks)
1 banana (optional, you can make it without this w no change of taste)
1 C water or ice

Drink some now and put what you can't drink in a canning jar in the fridge for later.  (or share it w your family).

I find that adding a pineapple, or apple to anything in my vitamix makes it so delicious.  You don't even know you are having a healthy snack.

Microwave Popcorn..Chemical Free! Convenient Comfort Food

I do not buy microwave popcorn...we don't use our nuker very  much for health reasons.  My teenage sons went out and bought a box of microwave popcorn the other day and love it. Of course! Poison is delicious!  Right?  LOL  I complained and lectured and well, boys will be boys and they asked me to buy a bulk box of it at Sams Club....NO!

I told them, we have that awesome hot air popper, you guys love that!  "yeah, but mom, its too much work, and then I have to do dishes".  (Yeah, he is right...it does make a bit of a mess)...but I still think its the best.

Anyway..I decided to play around with it..last night hubby and I took a paper bag, a cup of popcorn and microwaved it.  Nothing else..just uncooked popcorn.  2:36 seconds (Nukers vary...I have mine down to a science so my boys don't have to think about anything). POP, BAM...its done!

Started off with a minute, then added thirty seconds on just before it beeped.  I can't believe it...it made popcorn!  No chemicals, no fake butter...just real popcorn..sure the nuker probably still isn't healthy, but if my boys are going to make it in the nuker, this is better than the commercial crap.

I added coconut oil  w a spoon..drilling it over it right in the bag, then salt and pepper...of course, parmesan cheese, hot sauce w coconut oil (or butter, but remember, you are making a mess if you are melting butter...I am trying to contain this in a bag so its a convenience thing.  What's your favorite popcorn topping? Garlic, rosemary?  I ♥ Popcorn!!

Pretzel Soup aka shdreisl suppe

This is a comfort food that will help you sleep and keep your belly full all night.It's a Pa Dutch thing that goes way back, and I remember eating this as a child.  Its a quick snack, hearty and cheap.  It is said that after a

I am going to keep this short and sweet. There are many variations, you can start w a roux, or just a basic bowl of warm milk and butter...This is how I remember it best.

Pretzel Soup aka shdreisl suppe

½ C hard pretzels broken into bite sized pieces
1 c milk (I use raw milk, its what they used)
1 tsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

I warm my milk and melt my butter first and then throw the pretzels in just before eating...I like my pretzels a bit crunch..some people like it all warmed together and eaten with the pretzels soft.

Try it out and play with it.  The easier you keep it, the better..as its a quick snack that should only take 2 minutes to prepare.

Herbal Simple Syrup Mint

Mint Simple Syrup

My herb garden has gone wild...I am working on some walnut basil pesto today and I decided to make some mint simple syrup for my tea.  I had a really good iced mint tea the past few days at the fair and I want to recreate it with my herbs.

Simple syrups are so easy to make, and the sugar is dissolved so that your drinks don't have sugars floating around in them.

Here is all it takes:

Equal parts sugar and water and a handful of herbs. The more herbs, the stronger the flavor.  

Bring all to a boil for a minute, and  let cool..muddle it and strain it.  Put it in the frige, it lasts about a week..if you don't use it up first.

Use it in your tea, cocktails, water, ice cream, or wherever you want sweet mint.



I decided to start keeping this in a grolsch bottle, since I saved a few of these back in the day. That way its easy to see in the fridge right away.