Wordless {ish} Wednesday

Strawberry Fields Foreverrrr.... 

 It has come to my attention, STRAWBERRY season is upon us... My step momma picked me up a FLAT of them from the local Farmers Market / Swap Meet ... 16 LBS for $5 ... 

I NEED to get in on this again this weekend ... Fruit and veggies from the farmers markets tend to not last long, so I chopped them all up and froze them ... NOW I have room for more this week! ...I'm looking for some of your favorite Strawberry Recipes! ... Specifically looking for a low-sugar pectin free Freezer Jam (Old School Style) ... I was DISGUSTED to learn that more strawberry Jams are like 2c. Sugar 1c. Strawberries... EW. 

ANYWAYYSS... Sharesies? 

Baby K Thanks you in Advance... she LOVES her strawberries! 

Pico De Gallo {Recipe}

Pico De Gallo is a fresh Salsa ...it's a great way to eat healthy and a perfect alternative to preservative filled store bought salsa and dips and other upside is that there are many ways to customize it.

This is the recipe I used;

Ingredients; 

• 5 Medium On-the-Vine Tomatoes (other kinds of tomatoes can be substituted) 
• 3/4 of a large White onion (can sub purple)
• 1 lime (Juice)
• Bunch on Fresh Cilantro 
• Salt

----------------------------------------

DO THIS; 

1. Chop tomatoes to salsa sized bits (removing seeds) 
2. Slice & Dice Onion very fine.
3. Remove Stems from Cilantro and Slice & Dice very fine. 
4. Mix together 
5. Add lime juice
6. Salt to taste
7. Add optional ingredients (See Below) 

Optional Ingredients; 
Green Onion
Fresh Garlic
Cucumber
Advacado
Jalapeno (very commonly used, but we left it out :) )
Hot sauce
Tabasco Sauce
 Hubby suggested Black olives

Serve on Tacos, with Chips or Crackers  - Crack open a Carona (or, in this nursing mama's Case, a Lime + ice water) and enjoy!

Inexpensive DIY Holiday Gifts + recipe

Making our Molasses-free Gingerbread (We made 3 batches and it made enough for about 20 Tins/Baskets) 

RECIPE; 

 Cookies;

• 1 c. Butter/Magerine 
• 3/4 c. Brown Sugar 
• 3/4 c. White Sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 2 1/2 c. Flour 
• 2 tsp. Baking Soda 
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon 
• 2tsp. Ginger
• 1 tsp Clove & 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (I Substituted both for 1 1/2 tsp Allspice) 

~Cream Together Sugars and Butter/Margarine
~Beat in Egg 
~In Separate Bowl, Combine  all remaining ingredients including spices  
~ Combine two bowls, mix evenly and pat into ball 
~flatten slightly and chill (3 hours in refrigerator or overnight)
~Preheat oven to 375
~roll out to 1/8 of an inch and cut out with cookie cutters (or roll into og and slice into 1/8 inch circles) 
~bake for 6-12 mins on lightly greased baking sheet


Faux (Marshmallow) Royal Icing

•  2 cups powdered / confectioners  sugar
• 1 tbs Corn Syrup 
• 2 1/2 tbs Hot water 
• 1 tsp Vanilla 
• 2 C Mini Marshmallows (Melted)

~Mix first 4 ingredients until smooth.  

~ Melt marshmallows (until they puff up) in the microwave (15-30 seconds) 

~ Combine and blend on High for 2 min.s - Until smooth 

**Icing can be refrigerated - add a few drops of hot water and blend again if necessary **

 

Our Materials, Decorating, and our baskets full o' goodies

 Beautiful once wrapped, This was 

Big T's Christmas gift to his Teacher

These gifts are perfect for unexpected guests, people you don't know well enough for personal gifts and people such as Doctors, Teachers, Mailman, Bosses etc.