New Take on an Old Rub for Turkey & Chicken

I grew many of my own herbs this year, and have been trying to incorporate them into my recipes.  I previously put the recipe for the Best Turkey Ever on my blog, but these were made with commercial products.  Although this one has a commercial product in it, it also contains my own Italian Herb Mix and Black Sage.

The Italian Seasoning Mix is all dried herbs:

1 Part Rosemary-I don't like this much, but the herb mix isn't right without it.

3 Parts Oregano
2 Parts Marjoram
3 Parts Basil
2 Parts Thyme
1 Part Black Sage or regular if that is what you have on hand
1/4 Part Red Pepper Flakes or to taste-Grind this prior to placing in the other ingredients in the bullet in the next step.

Using the Italian Herb Mix:

It is great in spaghetti sauce.

2 Cans of Crushed tomatoes
1 Small individual serving bottle of nice dry red wine
1 scant Tablespoon of good cocoa powder (not a Nestle Quick type powder). I use Penzy's Spices; check it out here.  I use this in any tomato dish to amp up the flavor.
1 Teaspoon Sugar or equivalent of sweetener or choice
1 small onion ground in a blender-I don't want to see the pieces
2 carrots
2 or more cloves of garlic-to taste
1 Bay Leaf-Again I prefer the Penzys Brand, see it here

Cook this on low, in a heavy bottom pan for at least 1 hour so the herbs cook into the sauce well.  I will cook it until it reaches the desired consistency.  I use the heavy bottom to prevent sticking and scorching of the sauce.  You do need to stir this regularly to test the consistency.

This sauce is great warmed up, and improves after refrigeration over night.  It really is almost better the next day.  Serve over spaghetti.  Use in lasagna, or anywhere else you would use spaghetti sauce.

About Penzy's Spices.  I don't work for them, they don't pay me anything to push their spices.  I just appreciate good quality, and fair prices.  They have stores all over the country now, but I have been buying from them since I found them online in Chicago.  I bought 1 Pound of bay leaves from them.  I had no idea how much that would be, but everyone at work got some.  It is a massive amount of herbs.  I paid $15.00 for that then.  It would have filled over 50 of the regular spice jars, and the leaves would be broken and crumbled.  One ounce will fill a wide mouth quart jar and cost 7.30 now.  I use these for everything.  I just don't know how to cook without them.  LOL 

The most interesting part of this story is, that I tried to order some from them once and was told they didn't have any because they had to send the last order back to their supplier.  I asked them why they sent them back, and the lady said "He just didn't approve of the quality.  He wasn't going to sell that inferior product even if it meant he was going to have to tell his customers he didn't have any."  This speaks volumes for they type of herbs that are sold there.  I eventually got the bay leaves, and they were excellent.

Salad Dressing

This is good for Italian dressing with juice two lemons, or 1/4 C balsamic vinegar or 1/4 raspberry vinegar, and 1/2 parts oil; I prefer olive or canola oil.  I use 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Italian Seasoning Mix.  Shake until it emulsifies.  This is sooooo easy, and sooooo much better for you than the store bought stuff.  Keeps in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.  It really doesn't last long at my house.  We eat salads a lot.

Making the Turkey and Chicken Rub

I just hand crush the herbs before putting them into the spice grinder. (I use my Magic Bullet with the flat grinding blade for this.)  To this I add:

3 Tablespoons Italian Herb Seasoning
1 Tablespoon of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 Tablespoon of parsley
1 Teaspoon of dried mustard
2 Teaspoons black pepper or pepper melange or to taste
2 Teaspoons onion powder

I grind this all together until it has a slightly fine grind, but don't make it a powder. See picture above for consistency.

To use on a turkey or chicken, spray the bird with oil, I used olive oil.  Rub the herb mixture on the outside skin.  Lift the skin on the breast, and rub the herb mixture under the skin directly on the breast meat. 

Place two bay leaves under the skin on each breast. 

Sprinkle some of the rub mixture inside the bird along with a bay leaf,  onion wedges, carrot, celery and a lemon or orange. Use just enough to loosely fill the cavity. 

Tie up the legs and cook as directed by the package. 

I put it into a shallow pan/dish with a wire rack to hold it off the bottom of the pan.  I put 1 can of chicken broth in the bottom of the pan.

I use a 350 Degree oven, and tent the bird with foil until the last 1/2 hour of the cooking time. 
Times will vary depending on the size of the bird.  I use the pop up timers for mine, but you can find all kinds of charts giving approximate times for the size of the bird.

WARNING:  This is not a complete guide to cooking poultry.  Please look up recommendations from the USDA here.

I hope you enjoy the Italian Herb Mix and Rub.  It really was a smash at Thanksgiving this year.  Everyone loved the rub, and said it was the best ever.  UhOh do I need to change the name of the other one to the Second Best?.

Thanks for stopping by.
Namaste
 

Time, Time, Time's Not on My Side; No It's Not!!

I was reading this article about how to keep your house clean in 15 minutes a day with weekends off.  Now my mind just screamed, "RIGHT!  No way could that be possible, and do a good job!"  The reason that I hate housework is because it takes so freaking long.  yada yada yada!!!  My mind was flying around a million miles an hour with all the reasons that this just couldn't be done.  Then it occurred to me that I was doing exactly what I shouldn't be doing.  If I want to do this properly, I need to eliminate the talk of all the reasons why it couldn't be done.  I would need to focus on the reasons and methods that would make this work for me.  I needed to figure out what was needed to get my mind into that space.  Then it struck me, it is really all a simple mind game.  I know you have all heard the old adage by Henry Ford, "If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right."  I do think though that there was a lot more than mind gaming going on there with me.

I have this thing with time that has been plaguing me for a long time.  I have the "There isn't enough time" syndrome.  I'm convinced that there just isn't enough time to do "ANYTHING"; coupled with lazy-itis.  I'm not sure which srtuck me first, or if they both manifest at the same time.  Either way, I just can't seem to get anything done, and boy do I have a litany of excuses to keep me from doing anything at all.  It goes something like this.

I'm to tired to do that

I'm not going to get it done, so why start

Look at all this "other" shyt that is left undone

Where will I put that (we just moved, which is itself another excuse)

Crap I have to get groceries; please beat me so I don't have to go do this

Going to the grocery store (mall, craft store, doctor; etc.) exhausts me

I don't have enough time to do that

There isn't enough time to do that

Where did the time go

How long is that gonna take?

Really there just isn't enough time

The old man will be home soon, so I just don't have time to finish that so why start

Where did the time get to

With so little time in a day, I'd rather play

Let me just rest a moment before I start that

I don't have anywhere to put that

I'm sure you get the idea.  As you can see these are all coming down on the negative side.  So I need to turn these all around to a more empowering litany.  However, I will need to check in on the lazy-itis syndrome first.  My mother always told me that I was lazy, but I have noticed that I have sufficient energy to do things that I really want to do.  So lazy probably isn't the real answer here.  It is more likely a lack of interest in the proposed activity that is causing the "laziness".  So now that we have identified the disease, we need to examine its etiology of this lack of interest.

I suggest that the real cause of this lazyitis is the lack of fulfillment that I got when I was a child from performing the "clean your room" activity assign by my neatnic mother.  She had her own litany of inadequacy that she would use on the results of my cleaning my room, and it goes like this:

Do you call this clean

You have no idea what clean is

How could you be done if 15 minutes (lol, a telling statement), it takes me a good hour to do that

You didn't put everything back where it was

What's that under the bed?

Let me show you how to do that

Oh just get out of my way, I have to do everything around here

She would proceed to redo everything that I had done.  This happened "every" time I would clean my room.  So I got so I would just go in, and bang around a while come out and tell her I was done.  She would scream her litany the whole time she was re-doing the room.  My activity or lack there of really, would save me time and keep her happy. 

So now it is time to change my mind about the rewards of cleaning.  I need a new litany:

I like to see my clean house

I like the smell of freshness left by the cleaning products

I like to invite people over to my clean house--this is a big one here

My husband likes a clean house--whoops, hit a snag here.  I really have little proof that he likes it clean, as he makes big messes and leaves them lay.  Strike this one

It is more healthy to have a clean house--LOL it works for me

I sleep better when it is clean-that's true

I like the mood reward of doing it

The satisfaction alone is worth the effort

So OK, that works for me...

Now the litany of time

I don't need to finish it all at once, just get it started

There is time enough to get a little bit done

If you need it, there is a place for it

15 minutes is a LONG time, you can get lots done

You have the rest of the day left after you finish the 15 minutes of cleaning

I will start now so it will be finished before the old man gets home

I'll take a break after I finish this

I feel good, like I knew that I would

Energy abounds

I am pure Energy

I am a powerhouse

I am a neatnik

I can do ALL things--LOL, well that really is the truth now isn't it.  Maybe this is the only litany that  needs to be remembered

OK, it's off to clean this mansion of mine.  Back in 15 minutes.

Namaste



Middle Class Creed Updated

I had to update this as I saw it on Pinterest and realized that something was wrong in the last sentence. I guess it pays to leave them sit a year before you post them. lol

Clearly I've been spending too much time looking at election adds.  I'm tired of all of it.  This is my desire.  I don't want to work 24/7/365.  I just want to work, have good healthcare, play with my family, be respected for who I am, live in a decent house, and eat good healthy food.  I'm good with that.  I'm generally happy.  Occasionally I just see things happening that are quite hard to understand.  I worked hard all my life; I enjoy that.  A place to work must treat me fairly, and I will work hard for them.  It's hard to put into words just what I mean here.  Some people just don't need to be rich to be happy, but they aren't ready to be someone else's slave.  I know there are those out there that will understand this.

Namaste
I am enough
I am health
I am competence
I am that I am

Perfect Snack or Hot Weather Meal

This article is beneficial to Fibromyalgia patients, but the energy benefits described here benefit everyone.  The almonds have plenty of magnesium and the apple delivers the malic acid. Which gives low energy the one/two punch, bang zoom a trip to the moon.

This is one of my favorite snack combos; an apple and 1 ounce of almonds, and I can turn it into an evening meal by eating 3 ounces of almonds, and carrot and/or celery sticks. This combo is loaded with vitamins, but the mineral magnesium and malic acid content is what makes it an excellent choice. 

The apple is, of course, what I consider a perfect food. I eat at least one apple a day, because it really can keep the doctor away. The peel should be left as the concentration of vitamin C and malic acid is just under the peel, along with most of the soluble fiber.

I have included a couple of tables with the nutritional values for both of these foods. It is not surprising that both of these foods get huge accolades from most nutritional experts and doctors. With the low ratio of calories to nutrients they are a good clean burning powerhouse. Magnesium is an essential mineral abundant in almonds, and malic acid is an alphahydroxy acid derived from apples and other fruits which makes this snack a good energy source combination.  Read More here.

This is a low calorie, high energy snack of the kind that will stick with you for a long time.  The sugar to protein ratio will have this moving through your system at a slow, steady pace to keep the energy level high.  There won't be that crash associated with sugary snacks, and there is no sodium if you get unsalted almonds.

I want to say something here about organic apples.  I always buy organic as apples are number one on the 2012 Dirty Dozen List for the highest concentration of pesticides.  The link leads to my pinterest and article about the Dirty Dozen here.  There are huge conversations about this between health care providers, dietitians, USDA, FDA and produce farmers associations, and they can't agree on this issue.  Frankly, I don't care what any of them say.  My own intelligence tells me what I need to do, and that is buy organic when I can afford it.  Other times, I will buy conventionally grown and wash it really well with a cleaner I make myself.  Cleaner Recipe here.  I buy the ones in the bags as they are cheaper, and have less wax on them.  The wax coating is to help keep them longer, but makes it harder to clean the pestisides off them.

Nutritional Value of Unsalted Almonds 1oz Serving-Snack Size

Macronutrients

Calories 170
Protein 6 g  12% DV
Carbohydrate  6g 2% DV
--Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
----Soluble Fiber 0.057g
----Insoluble Fiber 2.436g
--Sugar 2.0g
Fat  15g  8% DV
--Cholesterol 0mg  0%
--Saturated 1.5g 8% DV
--Monounsaturated Fat  10g--This is a good fat
--Polyunsaturated Fat 3.0g--This is a good fat
Vitamins
--Vitamin E 10 IU 35% DV
--Thiamine 0.06mg 4% DV
--Riboflavin  0.22mg 4% DV
--Niacin 0.95mg 4% DV
--Vitamin B6 0.03 mg 2% DV
--Folate 17 mcg 4% DV
--Biotin 6 mcg 2% DV
Minerals
--No Sodium
--Potassium 207mg 6% DV
--Iron 1mg 6% DV
--Calcium 75mg 8% DV
--Magnesium 84mg 20% DV
--Phosphorous 147mg 14% DV
--Zinc 1mg 6% DV
--Copper 0.27mg 14% DV

 Nutritional Value of one medium Apple

One Medium 2-1/2 inch apple, fresh, raw with skin

 

Calories 80

Carbohydrate 21 grams

--Dietary Fiber 4 grams

--Sugar 16 grams approximately

Vitamins

--Vitamin C 8mg

--Vitamin A 73 IU

--Folate 4mcg

Minerals

--Calcium 10mg

--Phosphorus 10 mg

--Iron .25mg

--Potassium 159mg

 

Sources

University of Illinois Extension

USDA National Agricultural Library

 

I put this here in hopes that my children and grandchildren will want to explore my blog, and find out what good nutrition is all about. However, this is also something that I like to do just for myself, and hopefully it might help others.

 

 

Quick Easy Sausage Skillet-Learn to Cook Series™

Quick Easy Sausage Skillet Meal

This one is so easy that I find myself making it a lot.  It is one of those base recipes that you can add all kinds of stuff to it to change it up a little or a lot.  This is a "Learn to Cook Series™" Recipe.

Base Recipe

• 1 package of smoked or Kielbasa Sausage sliced on a diagonal.  (change up™)  Unfortunately that doesn't show up here.
• I Can of Unsalted Stewed Tomatoes-can any flavor you wish (change up™)--I prefer the Kroger Brand, and I stock up when they go on sale.
• 1 Can of Rotelle or other tomatoes with peppers, this is a constant for me.
• One package of Frozen Bell Peppers-I prefer the Kroger Brand, and I stock up when they go on sale.
• One package of Frozen Onions-I prefer the Kroger Brand, and I stock up when they go on sale.
• 1 Cup water
• 2 Bay Leaves-I prefer Penzy's
• 1 Tablespoon Good Cocoa Powder-I prefer Penzy's. Trick of the trade for rich tomato sauce.
• 1 Small bottle of good dry red wine-or 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar. Trick of the trade for rich tomato sauce.
• 1 teaspoon of sweetener or equivalent of sugar substitute  I use Stevia Extract.
• Salt and Pepper to Taste, Some Change Ups™ will take less due to the change up™ ingredients. 

Mexicali Change Up™

 

 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

1 & 1/2 Teaspoons of Cumin
1 Cup or Can of Beans--Any kind.
2 Cups Corn, peas, spinach, cabbage, celery to taste if desired, mix with other veggies.

Italiano Change Up™

 

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2 Cups of Fresh or Frozen Veggies-Corn, Zucchini, Peas, We didn't like Green Beans, potatoes, carrots, or any mix; celery is good, but needs to be mixed with carrots and/or potatoes.  California mix really good.

Middle Eastern Change Up™

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Fenugreek

1/2 small head of purple cabbage

1 to 2 beef bouillon cubes-or equivalent powder or granules

I like to add chickpeas to this recipe

 

I'm looking for an Indian Change Up™ if anyone has some suggestions?

Some notes on the Change Ups™:

You can do just about anything with this you like.  It is one of those dishes that rarely tastes exactly the same each time, but always comes out tasting wonderful.

I have been know to throw in some chia seeds to my dishes if they are not thick enough to suit me.  A few tablespoons does not change the taste but absorbs plenty of water.  It also adds lots of soluable fiber to the dish, and a great improvement for healthfulness of the dish.

If you are using dried beans soak the overnight per the instructions on the bag or box.

• Brown the onions and pepper mix.  Add sausage and brown a bit.
• Add both cans of tomatoes, beans, and herbs & spices of your Change Up™  of choice.  Let cook for a minimum of 1 hour covered.
• Add the Change Up™ frozen and/or fresh veggies and fresh.  Let cook for 10 minutes minimum, but check the water content as you don't want the dish to dry up during cooking.
• You can serve this over rice if you choose, or not as you so desire.  I don't usually serve over rice if I have put beans, corn and/or potatoes in the dish, as the corn & potatoes are enough starch, and the beans have enough fiber for me.

I hope you enjoy this dish.



*Copyright-This material may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author. Inquire below for information.
 

Learn to Cook Series™

"Learn to Cook Series™" Explained

Anything with this label will be a basic recipe with a variety of possible changes to make a completely different dish.  The difference will be in the seasoning and types of ingredients that will greatly change the taste of the meal, but will still use the same basic techniques of preparation.

This will allow you to experiment with the dishes, but also show you how to change things to create new tasting dishes.  These will help you develop the techniques for creating your own dishes using tried and true methods of basic preparation.

The series recipes will contain the base ingredients and methods, along with a variety of change up ingredients and methods for new dishes.  You will even be able to think of your own changes to the recipes to create your very own change ups for a totally new recipe.  Please share your change ups and experiences with us on the recipes that you "Change UP™".

Let's get cooking.

Namaste

Copyright-This marterial may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author.  Inquire below for information.

Sassy Apple Butter in a Crockpot

This was really simple to do.  I will be using this method all the time.  I found these apples growing in my new backyard, and didn't think much of them.  My sister-in-law, who grew up in the house, said the tree was there when she was growing up.  She thought that it had been there prior to the house being built over 65 years ago.  I found one on the ground, that the deer and ants hadn't attacked yet, so I cleaned it up and took a bite.  OMG what a treat.  They were sweet and just enough tart to make them ideal candidates for apple butter.  So I got out a recipe I was going to use someday, and started in.  I soon realized that about the only thing I could use from the recipe was the times for the crockpot.  So I decided to wing it with the recipe.  It turned out so well that I had to share this.

Tools:

• Apple Peeler & Corer-It can be done by hand, but this also sliced them thin for quicker cook down.
• 6 to 7 Jelly Jars, lids and rings
• Water Bath Canner-I have this sweet little granite ware one that works for 7 pints, and of course jelly jars
• Funnel, ladle, jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, and clean towels.
• Large capacity Crockpot-I know they vary in size, so the amount of apples will need to be adjusted accordingly as will the spices and sugar.

Recipe

• About 10-15 pounds of apples-enough to totally fill the crockpot, as the apples cook down a lot.
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1 to 2 cups sugar or to taste-this will depend a lot on the type of apples used.  Sweet tart apples are best, and the web abounds in recommendations for this.  I have no earthly idea what kind of apples mine are.
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1/4 scant teaspoon of salt-salt is not my friend
• 5 tablespoons bottled lemon juice-put into crockpot 5 minutes before turning off to can.

Process

Please consult the USDA home canning guide found HERE  My instructions are what I have used for years, and if this is your first time canning you must read this guide for safety precautions.  I insist on that.

I start this process a about 4:30 PM so I can turn my pot on by 5:00 PM.  Pack the crockpot full of peeled and sliced or cubed apples.  Combine the dry ingredients and pour into the pot.  There should not be any room to stir that in if the pot is packed.  Turn the pot on low.  Let this cook for a few hours or until you can stir it, and stir with a plastic or wooden non-reactive spoon.  "Metal will react with the acidy apples and cause a metallic taste in the applebutter. The same is true for tomatoes"

Let this cook on low overnight.  When you get up in the morning the house is filled with the lovely scent of apple butter.  Now is the time to taste the stuff and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.  Turn the crockpot on high, and cook for two hours or until it reaches the consistency that you prefer for your apple butter.  It will get a bit thicker when it is cold from the refrigerator.

Add the lemon juice about 5 minutes before completion of cooking time, this raises the acidity enough to allow for waterbath canning.  If this makes it too runny, just cook on high a while longer.

I use what is called a hot pack, which means that I boil my jars in the canner for at least 10 minutes before filling,  I actually just boil them 10 minutes, and pull them out of the hot water with my jar lifter, fill them, and return them immediately to the wire carrier in the canner.  The apple butter is also hot when put into the hot jars.  This method reduces the process time, and assures good sterility of the process.

I use a little saucepan to boil the lids for a minimum of 5 minutes, but leave the lids in the boiling water until I'm ready to use them so the seal is nice and soft for a good seal.

Fill the jelly jars with a plastic ladle using a funnel.  Clean the lip of the jar with a damp clean towel to remove anything from the sealing area.  I use a magnetic lid lifter to take the lids out of the boiling water, place them directly on the jar, and screw on the ring it should be tight, but don't have Hercules tighten it up for you, as a vacuum seal is created from the heating and cooling process.  You just need it tight enough to prevent water from seeping into the jar.

Lower the jars into the canner and make sure the water covers the lids by about one inch.  Process for the recommended time stated in the canning guide above.

When the jars are done, I set them on a clean towel and let them air cool.  Be sure to leave plenty of space between the cans so they cool quicker.  Any that do not seal, as defined in the canning guide should be used within a month.  You will know if you have a good seal, as the lids will be concave a bit, and when pressed they will not give.  I'm always cautious, and any off smell will be a good reason the throw it out.

I hope you enjoy.

Namaste