Truffle Fudge

I normally only make fudge at Christmas, but I came across this new recipe and needed something fast and easy for Dessert Night. And, really, who doesn’t like fudge?!

 

2 (8 oz. each) packages of Baker’s Semi-Sweet chocolate squares

1 (14 oz) can of condensed milk

3 Tbsp. whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla

*Line an 8×8 pan with enough foil to fold over the edges. Melt 4 squares of chocolate and spread on bottom of pan. Refrigerate for at least 10 mins.

**Melt the remaining chocolate with the milk and stir to combine and make smooth. Add in cream and vanilla. Spread evenly over the bottom layer of chocolate. Top with chopped nuts, if desired.

***Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

WARNING: RANT ALERT

 Dear Rodanthe tourist,

Did I REALLY just hear you say that you wanted to feel the full brunt of Beryl (while acknowledging that locals probably felt differently)?! Are you REALLY uttering those words while vacationing in an area that was devastated by a storm less than a year ago?! Are you REALLY saying these things knowing they will be televised?! Yes, I realize that Beryl is not supposed to be a major storm, but to hope for such things in an area still trying to recover from a tropical system is callous. You rank right up there with the guy we shared a table with at the Japanese steak house while we were evacuated for Irene…yeah, the one who was disappointed by the lack of damage another hurricane had inflicted after he’d taken the time and spent the money to specifically be there to experience the devastation.

Sincerely,
A local shaking her head

{Borrowed from a friend’s Facebook status}

Beryl definitely had things shaking and blowing last night. It was not the most abrasive storm we’ve ever had by far. In fact, if you paid attention to the news last August you might recall Hurricane Irene and the major damage it caused.

What a scary experience a tropical storm can be. And yet, there are LOTS of people like that tourist dingleberry ^ up there who wants to “experience” a real storm. Nice. He’s obviously ignorant of the long-term damage these things can cause, as well as how hard life can be for those who are trying to recover from it.

When Irene hit last summer I evacuated with my boys. Hubby stayed behind to help, as he did every hurricane. Since I’d been through many hurricanes before I was tempted to stay. We had everything we needed and I wasn’t afraid. Hubby literally put me in the car and told me to leave. So I did.

Twelve days later we were allowed back on the island. That is a long time to be evacuated. Since the road had been washed out {see picture below} the NC Ferry Division had to set up an emergency ferry system. This was not the first time this has happened.

 This is highway 12. The ONLY road on or off the island. With the exception of some backroads, highway 12 is the main and only road up and down the entire island. This is where Irene cut right through it last August just north of Rodanthe. We had to use a ferry system to get on and off the island for several months. Needless to say, I didn’t go off the island.

We now have a “temporary” bridge in place. Red Cross, different churches and mission groups, and relief aid workers were here for months helping the people recover and rebuild their lives. I personally knew 3 families that lost their entire homes, and one of those families, long time natives, had to pack up and move to the mainland just to recover. Jobs are scarce enough in the winter, but after a hurricane, without the help of others, people would starve.

I was glad hubby made us leave, even though it was a LONG twelve days. But we are blessed in so many ways. While some were stuck in a hotel room for two weeks, forking over money they couldn’t afford, we were able to stay with family. It was similar to a vacation, just not one we were allowed to return from.

The first week that followed the hurricane left all the locals in the dark. Literally. No electricity, no water, no cell phones, nothing. Those of us on the outside knew more about what was going on than those who had stayed behind. When I finally got through to hubby (he called me from the store down the street) I told him what was going on with the road, the damage, etc. all things he had not been aware of. Each village was basically cut off from the other villages until the water receded enough to allow 4×4′s to travel around the island.

Here is the same stretch of road as the picture at the top of this post. This is 12 hours later. There is a saying here on the island, “Water comes up, water goes down.” As you can see, this is a private road, not part of the main highway. The body of water to the right is the sound side, which will always flood first.

This picture was taken in Nags Head yesterday evening. They definitely got it worse than we did, and this is the main road. The whole county went on a two-hour delay this morning for school. Makes EOG testing a bit hard but I won’t get on that soapbox.

So to wrap up this rant all I can say is {again} “Don’t be a touron.”

Pretty please.

Something every gal needs in a tropical storm:)

 

 

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken

Can you believe I’ve never done a slow cooker BBQ chicken sandwich recipe before? We love BBQ, but since we stopped eating pork about 9 years ago, we’ve pretty much gone without. Now, these are sweeter than the Southern pork sandwiches with vinegar base that we used to love, and eventually I will try to find a recipe just like that for chicken {I know there are plenty out there} but in the meantime this is really good!

Ok, so technically this isn’t pulled chicken. If you’re not sure what the difference is, it’ s my understanding that it’s meat from the butt of the chicken  (not any of the yucky parts- eew). I used pulled in the title because most people relate that word to the style of sandwich, be it pork or chicken; i.e. shredded BBQ.

Of course, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which were shredded once cooked using two forks.

BBQ Chicken

4 to 6 chicken breasts

1 (12 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce

1/2 cup of Italian dressing

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire

In crock pot, place chicken breasts. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and then pour over the chicken. Cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 6 to 8 hours on low. Shred chicken once cooked through and return to crock pot. Serve on lightly toasted whole wheat sandwich rolls.

It doesn’t get any easier than that! Enjoy

Why No Swine?

It’s true, we don’t eat any pork AT ALL. I don’t judge others for what they eat, in fact I have lots of friends {okay ALL my friends and family} who LOVE bacon. There is this weird bacon craze going on. Have you seen it? Bacon-wrapped chocolate? Bacon Martinis?? For realz.

Don’t get me wrong, I remember what bacon tastes like. Yeah, it’s yummy, I concur, but over the years many a curious person has asked me why I don’t “eat swine”. The first question always asked is, “Are you Jewish?”

No, I’m not Jewish. But yes, there are biblical reasons why I don’t eat pork. It is “unclean”. But that’s not what I tell them. First I ask if they really want to know. It’s kind of like finding out what’s in McDonald’s food and it was your favorite until…

And then you weren’t so glad that you were told, right? Or what’s in that processed “pink” chicken in your kids’ school lunches? Or how many worms most canning companies (and the FDA) allow into each can?

So, if you really, really love pork and don’t want to know, stop here. Or maybe you won’t care. That’s okay, too. So, here are the facts:

The pig is unfit for human consumption. It’s not my opinion, it’s a fact. Pigs are scavenger feeders (bottom feeders), as well as lobsters (I call them Cockroaches Of The Sea because they are anthropods) and crab (all shell fish actually). They help clean the environment but they really weren’t meant to be eaten.

A German professor by the name of Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, M.D. published an article titled “The Adverse Influence of Pork Consumption on Health” and concluded very simply, “Pork should be regarded as an important homotoxin (human poison).”

The key problem with pork (and high-fat processed luncheon meat, hot dogs, etc) is that these foods digest too quickly in the human digestive system. They are literally too “hot” for the body to handle. They slow down the body’s ability to fight off diseases, including cancer, by impairing the immune system.

Think of it this way, you know how when you grill a hotdog and it gets all crispy and burnt? Most people love to eat hotdogs this way. Do you know what that crispy burnt stuff is? It’s the carcinogens from the nitrates. Imagine that happpening inside of your digestive system. This is very hard on your metabolism. The quick digestion of pork causes a rapid rise in blood urea, and when this occurs, the blood system becomes overloaded, creating excessive stress on the heart and other organs.

Did you know that pepperoni is pork? Just a thought…..

You may love bacon but it is loaded with sodium nitrites- a double whammy. Sodium nitrites form nitrosamines in the stomach- one of the most potent cancer-causing agents known to man.

The biochemical problems of pork consumption is enough for me, but if you still aren’t sure, think about this: cancer-causing chemicals are used to process pork products.

You’ve all heard that commercial for “Pork. The other white meat.” Right? Just because it isn’t processed like sandwich meat or bacon doesn’t mean a pork chop is a healthy meal. In fact, as bottom feeders, pigs have parasites in their bodies. Lots of parasites. And not always little ones, either. Yes, you can cook your pork at high temperatures and kill the parasites, but not always, and even if you do, who wants to eat cooked parasite anyway?

So, that’s it in a nutshell. If you’re interested in learning more, check out Dr. Ted Broer at his website Health Masters. I have several of his books and they have guided me in living healthy and losing lots of fat weight over the years.

Memorial Day

 

 

Before you head out to the beach, before you start up that grill, before you make that huge bowl of guacamole for your gathering….take a moment to remember the meaning of this day.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day.

Mud Pie

Finally, a dessert post! My kids have been very generous with me during my “strict meal plan” time. It’s hard to get in the kitchen and create when you’re not allowed to eat any of it. There’s just no motivation.

This dessert is so simple that technically it’s a cheat for a post, but I really wanted to make something for my kids since their dessert nights have mostly consisted of ice cream and leftover Eclair Dessert (they didn’t mind!).

1 premade chocolate crust (or 22 Oreos, finely crushed and mixed with 3 Tbsp. melted butter, then pressed into a pie pan)

1 qt. coffee flavored ice cream, softened

1 cup hot fudge topping

SPREAD ice cream into pie crust; top with hot fudge; spread or marble on top.

FREEZE at least 6 hours or until firm.

Sometimes my pictures just aren’t up to par, but this will have to do. It tastes fabulous never-the-less, or so I’m told

Stupid diet.

Chicken in Cream

I might have mentioned before that I am part Ukrainian, and thanks to my grandmother I grew up eating some wonderful food. This dish was as popular in the Ukraine as fried chicken is here in the US. There is a slower, more authentic version, but I normally make it more simplified. My recipe is as follows:

1 whole chicken, cut up, with or without skin (now you know me- boneless, skinless breasts only. I usually cook 1 breast per person)

2 or 3 celery tops with leaves

1 onion cut into rings

Dill weed (fresh sprigs if you have)

Parsley

Salt & Pepper

1 pint Half & Half

Put washed chicken in a casserole dish and top with veggies. Sprinkle on dill liberally and then the parsley, salt & pepper to your liking. Pour the half & half over it all and bake at 350* for 1 and a half hours.  (If using a whole chicken cook for 2 hours).

Once cooked, remove the vegetables and discard. If you left the skin on it will be icky and should be discarded as well.

*We don’t eat a lot of potatoes around here but this dish demands a good serving of mashed potatoes for all that awesome, buttery, curdled sauce that you will end up with. Also perfect for dipping bread into!

Make this soon! It’s easy and your whole family will LOVE it!

Tilapia Fabuloso

Remember the post Super Low Cal, Very Tasty where I shared an awesome homemade salsa recipe with you? Well, this is one of the things I use it with and let me just say that if you’re in to eating healthy and low fat and low cal, you are really going to like this.

This dish is so easy it’s silly. There isn’t even a recipe.

I’ve been on a pretty strict diet for the past few weeks, eating no carbs or sugar or fat. Sounds delish, right?……No? Well, it does leave a person with some serious cravings for pizza {ahem} but still can be very satisfying and rewarding. Case in point, when I need a quick, healthy meal, this is perfect!

1 Tilapia fillet, or one fillet per person

1 tsp. EVOO (per fillet)

salt & pepper or seasonings of your choice (I use a Lime Pepper mix)

Heat skillet on high for just a minute. Tilapia falls apart easily when cooked. A hot pan will help sear it so that you can easily flip it and serve it all in one piece. Put some EVOO in the pan and turn it a few times.

Place your fish in the hot pan. It will immediately start to sizzle and pop. Sprinkle your seasoning of choice on the exposed side, then flip the fillet over and sprinkle the other side. Allow to cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Tilapia cooks very quickly. Turn it over and finish cooking the original side.

That’s it! And you can serve it with anything. I generally scoop a generous portion of the salsa onto the plate and eat it with the fish, along with a bare salad or some oven-roasted veggies.

Enjoy!

Huffing & Puffing and Gasping for Air

Sounds like I’m running a marathon, doesn’t it? Nope…I’m only packing and it’s kicking my butt. But seriously, I’ve got 5 weeks ’til Moving Day and this is what my house looks like already, and I’m not even half-way done! And what you don’t see in the pictures is the other side of each room…a mess of packing paper and stuff, just waiting to go into a box or the yard sale pile.

Remember when I said I would NOT miss the geese?

Yeah, majestic…beautiful…whatever. These suckers are hard-headed and DON’T go away. All those wives tales about red pepper flakes, moth balls, string, etc. don’t work. They may go away for a while but they always come back. And they constantly poop as they walk and eat the grass. CONSTANTLY! My yard is an obstacle course of green poop bombs within minutes.

Makes walking the dog super fun!

{Sigh} So back to the grind I go. We’re getting ready for a yard sale this weekend, and then trying to have almost everything packed before for our trip to Raleigh in three weeks. The last two weeks will hopefully be smooth sailing, just packing the truck and whatnot. Two weeks of paper plates and throw away forks, and washing the same towels every other day…Oh, sounds divine. {insert sarcasm here}

Whose idea was it to pack everything up early? Not mine, actually, but with everything on our plate this month we’re trying not to overload ourselves. I have a way of doing that regardless. It’s a skill

Amazing Health Tips

Did you know that green tea boosts your metabolism?

It also curbs appetite

I am so intrigued by health and nutrition. I may have mentioned before that I aspire to go back to school and get my degree in nutrition. I don’t claim to be a know-it-all by any means, but I’ve been studying some pretty smart people in the field and have been awed by the knowledge I’ve been able to glean.

In this day and age of over-procesed foods, it’s hard to know how to get back to the basics. Honestly, I think I’d love to go back in time to even the 50′s where food was simpler and healthier. Before the age of the convenience food.

I grew up in the 70′s. I actually watched as processed and convenience foods became more and more available. Looking back now, I can’t recall how this boom occurred. It’ s as if the grocery store isles have exploded with products that are full of chemicals and preservatives, with ingredient lists as long as my arm and with words I can’t pronounce. When did this happen, for sure? Probably while I was in my teens and early 20′s, definitely a time when I was too busy with “me” to notice the health destruction going on around me.

I am as much to blame for falling into the convenience trap. Health wasn’t an issue in those early days, although I was not healthy by any means, and neither was weight. At a skinny size six I could eat whatever I wanted. It wasn’t until my child-rearing days that my body said, “Time to move some things to the front!” And boy, did it ever! It took me several more years to realize that weight and health go hand in hand, among other things.

Jadon is soon to be eleven. Just after he was born I started getting horrible migraines and proceeded to use prescription medication for four years. I was also at my heaviest, 198 pounds. Add that to my horrible L5 back problems and I was a mess. Let’s just say I got sick and tired of it all! It took me a long time to realize that foods were the major causing factor to my migraines, specifically partially hydrogenated oils and MSG’s. I was lucky that my body told me in such a definite way that eating this stuff is BAD. It’s bad for you, too, even if you don’t feel it. It’s still doing harm to your health.

So here are just a few tips and bits of information I’ve learned over the years. As you can see, I can go on and on, so there will be more posts on the subject to come. This post is based on an article I got from organicgardening.com and it explains the best food combinations and why. I’ll let you check out the link for yourself, but here is the list in a nutshell.

1. Tomatoes and Avocado (cancer fighting properties, etc.)

2. Oatmeal and Orange juice

3. Broccoli and Tomatoes (prevents prostate cancer, as well as shrinks other types of tumors)

4. Blueberries and Grapes

5. Apples (specifically Red Delicious) and Chocolate YES!

6. Lemon and Kale (increases muscle strength and immunity. I’m all over this one!)

7. Soy and Salmon (edamamne and tofu, not soy dairy or soy sauce)

8. Peanuts {peanut butter} and Whole Wheat (the two together provide a complete chain of amino acids that you would not get in one meal otherwise)

9. Red Meat and Rosemary (the rosemary combats the cancer-causing heterocyclic amines {HCA’s} in carcinogens from grilling meat)

10. Tumeric and Black Pepper

11. Garlic and Fish

12. Eggs and Cantaloupe

13. Almonds and Yogurt (many essential vitamins are activated and absorbed when eaten with fat. The same goes with salads, so you can skip that fat-free vinegar and oil and have a little ranch. It’ll actually help your body absorb the nutrients from the fresh vegetables better)

*Speaking of the 50′s….did you know that the original Betty Crocker cookbook is still the best-selling cookbook? Do you know why it’s still the best cookbook? Because it was written in a time when a person used fresh ingredients. Never thought about it? If you’re looking for a great cookbook with all the basics, start there and make sure you’re using as natural ingredients as possible.

That’s the way Betty did it