January 11, 2012: Pomegranate Mustard Glazed Chicken Recipe

I bought the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine because I was intrigued by the front cover, which promised dozens of new chicken recipes. We eat a lot of chicken and finding new ways to make it in a calorie-conscious manner is always appealing to me. I ended up combining a couple different recipes to come up with this delicious combination. Be forewarned, however, the cooked chicken turns a deep purple color (from the pomegranate juice) which some might find off-putting.

Pomegranate Mustard Glazed Chicken

2 t. olive oil, divided

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken (breasts and/or thighs)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ t. salt

2 T. minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup pomegranate juice

1 t. Truvia or other sugar substitute

½ t. dried sage

1 t. cider vinegar

1 t. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a heavy, oven-proof skillet, heat one teaspoon of olive oil to medium. Quickly sear the chicken pieces on both sides (about 1 – 2 minutes per side). Transfer to a plate to rest.

Reduce heat to medium low. Add remaining olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Sauté for about one minutes, until softened. Add pomegranate juice and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by half. Add Truvia, sage, vinegar and mustard and heat through.

Place chicken pieces in pan and turn over to coat both sides with sauce. Place in oven and cook for an additional 10 – 15 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve with sauce spooned over the top.

Serves 4 with approximately 287 calories per serving.

November 28, 2011: German Style Green Beans

Here’s a quick and easy side dish that’s just a bit different. I call it German style because it reminds me of my grandmother’s recipe for hot potato salad.

Tip: this is a great way to use up a few slices of bacon and the last of a bag of fresh or frozen green beans.

German Style Green Beans served with macaroni and cheese for a simple, easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.

German Style Green Beans

2 cups fresh green beans (or about half a large package of frozen green beans)

2 slices bacon

¼ cup chopped onion

1 t. diced pimiento

1 t. dried minced parsley

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. apple cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Boil green beans in a pan of water until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

In same pan, cook bacon slices (you may have to cut them in half to fit) until crisp. Remove to a paper towel. Do not drain bacon grease. Add onions and sauté over medium low heat until tender, about two minutes. Add remaining ingredients and heat through.

Serves 2 – 3

September 8, 2011: Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

This is a wonderfully light but very flavor-packed vinaigrette that is great on any salad. I used it as a marinade for thinly sliced raw mushrooms and yellow squash, adding a bit of finely chopped jalapenos (as pictured) and it was delicious!

Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette

2 T. finely minced shallot (about 1 small bulb section)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T. fresh parsley, minced (or 1 T. dried/dehydrated parsley)

5 T. olive oil

1 ½ T. Dijon mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. coarsely ground black peppercorns

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Shake before using.

July 22, 2011: Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce Recipe

I was watching Paula Deen on TV not too long ago and just happened to catch a couple episodes of her show, back to back, that focused on barbecue sauces. I pretty much had the basic recipe down after watching it over and over. I had a couple peaches that needed to be used up (or get thrown to the chickens) so I decided to start with Paula Deen’s barbecue sauce base and add my own twist to it. It came out quite tasty, although a bit too hot for my husband’s taste (cut the chile in half if you want it less spicy). I used it on pork spareribs but it would also be great on pork chops or chicken or fish.

Although the ingredients list is long, don’t be intimidated; this is easy to make.

Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
3 T. prepared mustard
½ cup ketchup
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of one lime
½ cup water
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. honey
1 t. garlic salt
2 t. paprika
1 t. black pepper
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 canned chile in adobo sauce + 1 T. adobo sauce

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, until translucent. Add remaining ingredients (up to peaches) and cook over low heat.

Meanwhile, add the peach slices, chile and adobo sauce to a blender and puree. Add to the mixture in the saucepan. Continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce is cooked down. Cool and store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.

June 5, 2011: Recipes for Healing Bath Waters

As temperatures start to rise the closer it gets to the official first day of summer, the last thing you may be thinking of to cool off is taking a bath. But in all truthfulness, a lukewarm or tepid bath is a great way to refresh, reenergize, and cool down. Here are a few ingredients you can add to your bath water to address specific skin needs.

Milk

Whole milk is a good treatment for sunburn. While in the bath, use a washcloth dampened with whole milk to plaster on the burned areas of your skin. Or, you can add one cup of instant dry milk to the bathwater. Rinse well afterward so you don’t smell like sour milk!

Oil and Vinegar

Instead of bubble bath, which really dries out your skin, add a few tablespoons of any of these oils to your bath water: almond, sesame, vitamin E, baby, vegetable, olive or nut oil. Your skin will feel silky smooth when you get out of the tub and unlike taking a shower which rinses away the oil, the effect will last.

Adding a cup of cider vinegar to your bath water is a great way to relieve dry skin, too.

While you’re in the bathtub, use the time for a manicure and pedicure. Simply take the oil you are adding to your bath water and massage a small bit into the cuticles of your fingernails and toenails. After soaking a few minutes, use a wooden cuticle stick to gently push them back. Remove the oil with soap and water before polishing.

Herbs

Adding a handful of dried herbs to your bathwater turns your bath time into a spa treatment. This combines aromatherapy with healthful skin benefits. Try such herbs as dried lavender, sage, mint, or rosemary.

Summertime is a wonderful time to relax in a lukewarm bath and chill out. Try it with one of these additives and see how refreshing it feels!

May 23, 2011: At Home Spa Treatment Recipes

With the long Memorial Day holiday weekend coming up soon, you may want to indulge yourself with an “at home spa” day. This is a great way to refresh yourself, if you don’t have any travel plans, and get ready for the busy upcoming summer season. Here’s a few recipes sure to relax and rejuvenate you!

Body Scrub

¼ cup coffee grounds (go ahead and use the ones from this morning’s coffee)
¼ cup Epsom salts or Kosher salt
1 ripe avocado, mashed
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
Almond oil

Mix all ingredients; add just enough oil to make a smooth paste. While in the shower, use this in place of soap. Just rinse off and towel dry.

Recipe (slightly modified by me!) courtesy of Redbook magazine.

Cornflower Eye Refresher

2 T. dried cornflowers
½ cup water

Make a tea with the cornflowers in boiling water. Cool. Dip two cotton balls into the cooled mixture and place over your closed eyelids for 15 minutes. On a really hot day, ice down the cornflower tea before using.

Tip: To find cornflowers, look at your local health food store. They’re easy to grow so you may want to include them in your garden this year.

Use either of the following rinses as a final rinse for your hair (don’t rinse it out), then sit out in the sun and let your hair dry naturally. Each of these formulas is mean to enhance your particular hair color.

Chamomile Hair Rinse (for fair hair)

3 ½ cups water
2 ounces chamomile flowers
2/3 cup cider vinegar
5 drops lemongrass oil

Make a tea by boiling the water and adding the chamomile flowers. Let it steep for half an hour, then strain and add the vinegar and oil.

Rosemary Hair Rinse (for dark hair)

Same recipe as above except substitute 2 ounces rosemary sprigs and 5 drops oil of bergamot.

The above 3 recipes are courtesy of The Country Store by Stephanie Donaldson and published by Lorenz Books.

These recipes should get your at home spa day started. You may also want to do a mani/pedi and rub some yummy scented lotion over your body after you step out of the shower. Enjoy!

May 1, 2011: Natural Remedy Recipes

Here we are welcoming another month. Seems like just yesterday that snow was flying and the pellet stove was constantly running to keep the house warm. Then again… it still hasn’t been too warm this spring. Our temps here in Arizona’s White Mountains are still dipping down to freezing on occasion. So while I’m anxious to get my garden started, I’m afraid this year will be like the last in that our growing season is incredibly short.

However, in most (some?) areas around the country, spring is really in full bloom and everyone is spending a lot more time outdoors. I thought this would be a great time to share some natural remedy recipes. These ideas will help you plan what to grow in your herb garden and be handy to have around when the kids suffer from minor scrapes and burns and such.

Aloe Vera: Break off a piece of a leaf and use the gel to soothe minor burns, sunburns, and wounds. Drink a teaspoon of food grade aloe vera (kept in the refrigerator) to relieve hot flashes.

Black tea: Does anyone in your family participate in sports? If their feet are sweaty and smelly, have them soak their tootsies in full-strength black tea to eliminate odor. How it works: the tannic acid neutralizes odors.

Ginger: Before you pack the kids into the car for the long drive starting your summer vacation, have them chew on a bit of candied ginger and keep this treat handy throughout the trip. Ginger very effectively relieves the nausea from motion sickness. By the way, ginger ale these days usually doesn’t have any real ginger in it so that’s not a good substitute for the real thing.

For a sore throat, make a juice with a ¼ inch slice of fresh ginger and three rings of pineapple. Drink this anti-inflammatory cocktail for relief of a sore throat.

Meat Tenderizer: To treat a bee sting or bug bite, mix powdered meat tenderizer (unseasoned) with enough water to form a paste. Spread the paste over the affected area. How it works: the meat tenderizer quickly breaks down protein-based venom.

Vinegar: Add 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey to a glass of warm water and drink to alleviate leg cramps (this provides potassium, a lack of which is often the cause of leg cramps).

For bruises, make compress from a washcloth dipped in equal parts cool water and apple cider vinegar plus a few drops of lavender oil. Apply the compress to relieve heat and swelling.

This isn’t a comprehensive list of all natural remedies I’ve got in my recipe book, but it’s a good start – and should put you in good stead when someone in your family experiences a minor summer injury.