Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa

Merry Christmas everyone.


I hope you are enjoying your day whether your visiting family, friends, or just staying in alone and getting some rest. That actually sounds great right now. Christmas always seem so busy and hectic. We say every year that we are not going to do so much the next Christmas, but then we do. It’s all fun though. 


My daughter will still come over and spend a few day at home during Christmas. We laugh, cook and shop and get on each others nerves at times but I love it. 


Christmas eve day we walked around and gave out some home made Cranberry Salsa to my sweet neighbors. 




We are so blessed to have nice, friendly and helpful neighbors on our street. Every time we are out at the same time, we end up talking forever about things going on in life. I just like to share some Christmas cheer.


Christmas eve we headed out over to mom and dads for a nice family gathering. We had all kinds of foods and sweets. My daddy read some scripture and sang us a little song. My mom stayed busy working in the kitchen despite she was not feeling well. Sometimes I don’t know how she pulls it all together, but she does. 


Now its Christmas day. I got up early and enjoyed a nice quiet breakfast. As I was sipping my coffee, I gazed at the Christmas tree with presents underneath. I smiled and said to my husband, “we did it”. We never think we can pull it off with our small income but we do. My daughter was happy to wake up for the 32nd year with presents under the tree. 


Cranberry Jalapeño Salsa:

  • 12 oz fresh cranberries,
  • 1 Jalapeño
  • 1/2 Cup Cilantro
  • Lime juice
  • 4 Green onions
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar ( see instructions)

Chop all the above ingredients together, then mix in 1/2 cup sugar.

Let it set in the fridge for a few hours and enjoy.

It’s great poured over a block of cream cheese with your favorite crackers.

Or use for a sweet n spicy salsa for your tortilla chips.


It’s getting later now and Nick is making lasagna to take over to his brothers tonight for our Christmas dinner. Everyone will bring a dish. There are some small kids that we get to watch play and open gifts. 


Tomorrow I will rest. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours


Old Fashion Nougat Candy

 Who remembers the Braches Jelly Nougat candy? 


I remember seeing them in the candy baskets at the candy stores or in restaurant lobbies. They were never one of my favorites. I would always lean more toward the powdered candy or those little waxy drink filled molds. 


Well, for those that enjoyed this kind of candy, I am going to share the recipe that’s quick and easy. I made a batch for the first time. I think I actually like it now. Ready? Ok. Get out a mixing bowl.


Old Fashion Nougat Candy


  • 1 bag of mini marshmallows.
  • 1 bag of white chocolate chips.
  • 2 tablespoons of butter.
  • 1 box of Dots candy -Cut each piece in half. 


  1. Place butter and white chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted. Put in the marshmallows and microwave 30 seconds at a time until you can mix it all smooth together. 
  2. Fold in the Dots candy and pour into a square dish lined with parchment paper (this will help get it out).
  3. Place in fridge for 2 hours or best overnight. 
  4. Once cooled, take it out of the pan and cut into pieces. 

Can be left out but best stored in the fridge.




Just look at how pretty they are.

These little candies have the consistency of taffy. People will be surprised at how good they actually are. I took some into the office to share and they disappeared in no time. 


Cottage Cheese Cilantro Dip

I am always looking for easy recipes. While I try to eat healthy, it’s hard to give up a good dip. Most of the food I eat are sorta bland since having to eat low sodium meals. Thats when a good dip comes in handy. I have never been one to add a lot of salt to my foods but most foods are loaded with salt. I had to give up soup and Chinese food above all. I have done good but I miss it. I love Chinese food and opt to making my own egg rolls now.


Speaking of healthy, If you like cilantro, I made a delicious creamy dip that can be used on almost anything. I have been seeing a lot of videos and hype about “whipped cottage cheese”. I am not a cottage cheese fan but something magical happens when you whip it up until it’s smooth and creamy. 

“Easy Peasy”



Cottage Cheese Cilantro Dip

16 oz cottage cheese.
1 bundle of Cilantro (make sure to wash it)
Juice from 1/2 Lime.
Drizzle of Olive oil.
1 teaspoon Garlic (I used garlic powder).
Salt and Pepper.

Place all in food processor on high. Mix until creamy.
Enjoy.


You can use this dip on anything. It is great with chicken, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, salads and more. I had it on my pizza tonight. Ok, so maybe the pizza was not a healthy option but the dip itself is healthy as it is not full of fatty ingredients. It’s fresh tasting and will have your taste buds dancing. 

Give it a try.



Sugar Free Blueberry Sauce

 If you are trying to watch your figure and your diet includes sugar free foods, then you will like this little sweet toast topper.

I was playing around in the kitchen the other day and decided to make this blueberry spread that can be used on waffles, fruit, bagel, toast or anything else you would like some natural sweetness on the top.

I wanted something to put on top of my fruit dessert and this spread hit the spot.

Sugar Free Blueberry Sauce 

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries.
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1tablespoon water.
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Bring everything together to a boil, stirring occasionally and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

It turned out delicious and I topped my fruit, but I can imagine it on a slice of homemade pound cake. 

Oh yum.

Air Fryer Banana Bread

This past Sunday I was feeling a little groggy and due to some heath issues and the cold rainy weather, I skipped church and stayed in my pajamas half the day. I hooked up my echo dot to my blue tooth and listened to the live streaming of the sermon. 
I was lazy all day but I did manage to vacuum and get a couple loads of clothes washed.

As I was cleaning up the kitchen I started to throw away one banana that had ripened. Then I thought, “ I could make a banana bread and just cut my moms recipe in half and make a small one. The original recipe calls for two bananas. I only had one. So I pulled out the other ingredients I needed and started mixing.

1 cup self rising flour.
2 Tablespoons butter.
1/4 cup of sugar.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
1 small egg or 1/2 large egg (Ill let you figure out how to half an egg.).
1 ripe banana.
1/4 cup of milk.
Nuts (optional).

Mix well and pour into a greased mini loaf pan.
Preheat air fryer for about 5 minutes at 325 degrees.
Bake for 20 minutes or until done. (I used the tooth pick test).

I wanted to try making this banana bread in my air fryer. The small disposable loaf pan I had was slightly too big for my air fryer basket so I bent it in a little to make it fit. 


I sprayed it with some cooking spray and poured in my batter.
Perfect!

20 minutes later, I had the perfect little loaf of banana bread. It was over enough for the two of us to enjoy after dinner. 



Did I mention how much I love my air fryer? It’s like an adult Easy Bake oven. 



Many ask what kind of air fryer I use. I uses a Ninja Max.


I got mine at Sams but you can find this one also on Amazon HERE.



As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.



Egg Roll In A Bowl

If you like egg rolls, you are going to like this recipe I am fixing to show you.

People who do not venture out and try Asian foods think egg rolls are made out of eggs. This is false. Egg Rolls are a deep fried appetizer stuffed with cabbage and meat then dipped in a sweet or spicy sauce. But why are they called egg rolls when they do not contain eggs? It is assumed that it came from a cookbook in 1917 called “Dan Gun” which translates to “Egg Roll” but there are other guesses too. 

I love egg rolls but wanted to make a healthier low carb option, so I made what’s called “EggRoll in a bowl”.
It consist of all the goodies of an egg roll without the egg roll wrapper or deep fried oils.



It can be made with any kind of chopped  meat but I chose to us Hot Jimmy Dean pork sausage. It was full of flavor with a little kick.

We did not eat this for dinner. We had soup and salad instead. But I wanted to make a batch of this stuff so I would have something take to work for my lunch a couple days. I have a mini Crock Pot Lunch Warmer  on my desk that I place it in, plug it up and by lunch time It will be hot and ready to eat. I think it taste better heated up the next day.



Egg Roll in a Bowl

1 pound ground sausage (or other meat of choice).
7 cups coleslaw mix
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup green onions

Cook sausage stirring and crumbling until cooked through. 
Stir in Coleslaw mix, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and stir. 

Top with wonton strips and drizzle with more soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. (Optional).

This has become one of my favorite quick meals and so easy to put together. My husband likes it but he tries to stay away from pork sausage. I will have to try a different kind of meat sometime. 

Do you like egg rolls? You can actually put anything in an egg roll and make it delicious. 



As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

Wonder Bread Chaffles

I’m still holding my weight down and enjoying the feeling of not carrying around the extra pounds. It’s amazing what a difference 10, 20 or 30 lbs loss makes. In the grocery store the other day, I picked up a 10 lbs bag of potatoes and thought to myself, “this is pretty heavy and I lost 3 of these bags in weight”. I have kept the weight off by staying away from breads and pasta and sugar. However, I will grab a handful of cheez-its every now and again and I have had some thin crust pizza. But I think staying away from starchy foods contributes to a healthy weight loss. 

People will ask, “If you don’t eat bread, then how to you have a sandwich?” There are alternatives out there for bread. I bought a loaf of “Keto” bread the other day. It was ok and did fine for a sandwich. Keto bread is often made with Almond flour or Sunflower flour. These breads are expensive and run about six dollars a loaf. With that being said (or rather spelled out), I chose to make my own bread if I want a sandwich or toast.

I made some bread using my little Dash waffle maker. I have blogged about making chaffles before but chaffles use cheese, egg and almond flour. They are really good too but I didn’t want all the cheese this time. I searched around and discovered “Wonder Bread Chaffles”. They turned out light and fluffy and made the perfect sandwich. 


No, they did not taste like waffles. They did not have any waffle ingredients in them. They taste just like regular bread. I plan to make them this way for now on when I want a sandwich. I have tried making the microwave bread with basically the same ingredienta but these chaffles are way better. 


I slapped some deli ham and provolone cheese between to pieces and had the perfect sandwich without real bread. Want to know how I made them? Easy!
I have the recipe below. “Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it”.

WONDER BREAD CHAFFLES

1 large egg (whisked). I used liquid egg whites.
2 Tbsp Almond Flour.
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise.
1/4 tsp baking powder.
1 tsp water.

-Preheat your mini waffle maker. (I use a Dash)
-Add all ingredients together and mix well.
-Spray waffle maker and pout half the batter in.
-Close the lid and let cook for 3 minutes.
-Repeat for second piece. 




Make ahead and place in sealed container or plastic bag. Stays fresh for about 3 days in a sealed container.  
My other chaffle Ideas can be found HERE.  

Raisin Bran Muffins

This will be a short post. I’m tired and can barely hold my eyes open. But I wanted to share a delicious recipe with you all. This recipe is so easy, your kids can make it. 

My husband has been looking for some healthy bran muffins. We have not had any luck finding any that are not full of preservatives or sugar. Nether could I find any bran mix to make my own. 

I started searching around on line and found an easy recipe that used Raisin Bran cereal. 
This recipe called for a half of cup of sugar but I used a little less of the calling because I figured there was enough sugar in the cereal. 

I have to say, this was one of the easiest muffin recipes I have found and the muffins were delicious.



RAISIN BRAN MUFFINS

3 Cups Raisin Bran Cereal
1 1/4 cup of Milk
1 1/ 2 cup of Self rising flour
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour the milk and cereal in to a mixing bowl and let it set for a minute or two so the cereal will get soft. 
- In another bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.
- Add egg and oil to the cereal mix and stir to combined.
- Add the flour and sugar in and mix until combined.
- Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins. (Should make 12).

Bake for 10-15 mins or until done. 
Stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, they are done. 
You do not want to over cook them or they may become dry.

These muffins are good to freeze then thaw on counter top or microwave. 
I love these muffins heated a little in the microwave with a cup of coffee.

Original recipe can be found HERE.

Peanut Butter Pie

It has been a while since I made some sweet stuff. But this past Fathers Day I decided to make my daddy two peanut butter pies. One to share and one for is own.


Why peanut butter pie? Well. I had no idea what to get my dad for Fathers Day so I started thinking about some of my child hood memories of him.
I remember how he used to always eat Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies. Boy that’s a mouth full. 
He would say the little slogan every time he took one from the pack. 


My dad would always (probably still does) eat a spoon of peanut butter right out of the jar.. I remember smelling it on him when he would tuck us in at night and give a goodnight kiss on the cheek. 

Since those days, he has developed diabetes but has it under control. He knows when and how much sugar he can have. A peace of pie is a possible treat for him. Everyone else enjoyed a piece after we had hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.

This pie did not disappoint and I had to share the recipe with my Sisters. Now I will share it with you. It is easy and delicious. Reminded me of peanut butter cheese cake. 

Enjoy.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE.

1 pre-made graham cracker pie crust. (or make your own.)
8 oz cream cheese. (softened)
1 cup creamy peanut butter.
8 oz cool whip.
3/4 cup powder sugar.

Mix cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth.
Add powder sugar a little at a time until mixed well.
Fold in cool whip until until blended.
Pour into pic crust and refrigerate for 5 hours or over night before serving. 

I topped mine with crushed peanut butter cups, shaved chocolate and melted peanut butter drizzle. (All optional).

Oreo cookie crust is another option to this delicious dessert. 


Air Fried Kiwi Chips

I’m typing this post as I ride shotgun toward the coast. I worked a few hours then my chariot arrived and swept me away for a long weekend getaway. 


I wanted to share with you something new I tried. Do you like Kiwi fruit? I’m not a big fan but I tried this little trick and it was actually pretty good. 

AIR FRIED KIWI CHIPS


I started out with a couple clean scrubbed Kiwis. 
They feel like suede and I don’t like the fuzzy texture. So I scrubbed them really good. 
It did not help the texture but it eased my mind a little. 

Then I sliced the Kiwi thin and placed them in a single layer in the air fryer at 320 degrees for 8 minutes. 
No need to add any other flavors, oils or spices to them as they will have a bold taste alone. 
Note: I left the skin on (optional).


They turned out nice and crispy. Surprisingly the Kiwi skin was not tough nor did it feel fuzzy Ha. The cooked Kiwi had a unique taste. It’s hard to explain. I guess you can say it tasted somewhat like a baked apple but was very tart. 

Will I make them again? Probably. Because it is a healthy cheap snack and the sour bite curbs my appetite. 

Here are some health benefits in these little prickly fruits.
-Vitamin A which is good for the eyes.
-Regulates the digestive system and helps block E Coli bacteria.
-Vitamin E and Antioxidants that improves skin.
-Controls Diabetes.
-Rich in Potassium and polyphenols that improve heart health.
-Boost Immune system.
-Improves Iron absorption.

Do you like Kiwi? 
What is one of your favorite fruits? I am more of a melon eater than a fruit eater but I love pineapple. 



Pineapple Tea

If you use fresh pineapple, stop throwing the skin away. Lately I have been buying fresh whole pineapples and cutting them up instead of buying can pineapple. It taste a lot better and it’s cheaper too. I just learned today that there are a lot benefits in the skin of the pineapple just like with other fruits. 

When your finished cutting up the goodie of your pineapple, gather the skins and boil them for about 15 minutes then let them simmer for an hour. 
After an hour, you strain the water and you have a nice clean pineapple tea. 


Pineapple peels have an abudance of health benifits including anti inflamatory properites. Anti- flamitory is the major benifit in boiled pineapple skins. 
They say you can lose weight by drinking pineapple tea daily as it is high in fat eating bromelain. 
The skin has 38 % more vitamin C and 40 times more calcium then the flesh. 
It improves digestion, improves  arthritis, and cleans the blood. 



How does it taste? 
It is not as sweet as the pineapple flesh. It has a vinegary/sour taste. I like it. It was like drinking a warm pineapple cider. I will continue to do this every time I cut up a pineapple. It was soothing to sit back with a hot tea to end the evening. And who knows? I could lose a few pounds drinking it. 

Oh but wait……
Let’s not forget the top of the pineapple. Don’t throw that away either. Cut it at the bottom and place in in a bowl of water. Once you see it rooting, you can plant it in a pot of dirt for a nice tropical plant that could produce another pineapple. 



I will share more about this once I see it working. I’m a little skeptical about this trick really working,  but well see. 

Valentine Breakfast and Cake Pops

Happy Valentines Day! 

I hope everyone can find someone to call their Valentine today. Someone to share some love and sweetness with. If your single and alone, find someone who could use a hug. Your not alone on this day. 

When we woke up Sunday morning, Nick asked if I would like to try the new breakfast joint in town.  “Sure”, I said in excitement. I jumped up, threw my hair back and put on some bluejeans. I was ready. I love breakfast. It is my favorite meal of the day. It is also the most important meal. 

The place was called “Eggs Up”. The inside looked like a glamorized waffle house. We were seated and I started off with a vanilla cappuccino. I normally drink coffee with almond milk, but today I splurged and sugared up. Boy was it sweet!


For breakfast, I ordered the banana foster french toast. 
What did I think? It was ok but the caramelized glaze they put on top was globbed on and hard as a jaw breaker. They did not do it right. I just put it to the side of my plate and enjoyed the french toast, bananas and bacon. I made a comment to the waitress afterwards. She agreed and other customers had complained about the same thing. They had so many different items on the menu. We plan to go back another day and try something else. 

After breakfast, I went to church wearing my distressed heart sweater. 


I kept it clean so I could wear it again today to work. 

Speaking of work. I worked hard making cake pops for the office to enjoy as a sweet treat for Valentines Day. I have never made cake pops before. I guess because I have never been a fan. I do not like the texture nor the how sweet they are. But they are cute and favorite to a lot of people. 

The cake pops were easy to make but hard to cover with chocolate topping. It was hard to get the topping to look good on the ball of cake. It wanted to drip. If I laid them on wax paper, it would leave a flat spot. If I put them upright, the coating would run down the handle. So I had to just dipped them and held them while turing them until the cocolate would dry enough not to drip or run. It was time consuming. 
 

Cake Pops
-Cook a cake of your flavor.(I used confetti cake) and let it cool.
-Mix unitl crushed to the consistency of. Grits.
-Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cups of icing. Mix until well mixed. 
-Work into 24 balls.
- dip end of stick in the melted chocolate and stick it inside  the ball.
-Dip each ball into the melted chocolate. 
-Add sprinkles (optional). 
I placed each pop in a hole of a colander. This kept them from getting flat spots.

I think they turned out rather pretty and hope they are a hit at the party. I kept out two for Nick and my daughter to enjoy. 


Tonight we plan to stay in and enjoy a nice steak on the grill. We do not usually have good luck finding a place to eat on special occasions like this. By eating at home, I do not have to worry about finding something to wear and there is no wait. 

What are your Valentine plans?


Air Fryer Salmon Patties

Growing up, Salmon patties were a regular in our house. Mom would make salmon patties with a side of black eye peas. I have never been able to make them like mom. Hers were always so good. I do not think she added much to the recipe but they were always smashed flat and fried with crispy edges. 

Me and Nick are always trying to decide what to make for dinners during the week. We both work so we like something thats quick and easy but we are just running out of ideas. It has been a while since we had salmon patties so I decided to prepare some the night before so all we had to do was cook them and add a side. 

We do not fry our foods in grease. We haven’t done this in a long time. About the only thing that gets fried around here is an egg. We usually use the oven, grill or airfyer. I used the air fryer for this recipe and they turned out puffy and delicious. And yes, I added a side of black eye peas. 

AIR FRYER SALMON PATTIES

12 oz canned salmon (Drain, skin and remove the larger bones.)
2 eggs
¼ cup mayo
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup breadcrumbs
Lemon zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon Dill weed
Add everything together and form into 4 patties.
Turn on air fryer to 390 degrees and preheat for about 3 minutes. 
Spray air fryer tray, place in patties and spray tops of patties. 
Cook for 8-10 minutes. 

I liked these better than the crab cakes I usually make. They are simple and quick. They can also be made ahead of time and placed in the fridge until ready to cook. 

Do you like Salmon patties? What are some meals you remember growing up on. 


Kale, Apple and Carrot Slaw

There is just something about Apples in Autumn. I know most people like Pumpkin Spice, but not me. It’s fun to look at all the pumpkin spice flavored foods that come out during the Fall season but I’m not temped to buy any of it. 

I’m going to share with you a recipe that is not only good but it’s healthy and a great way to eat your greens and carrots. It is a struggle for me to eat veggies but if there is a veggie dish already made in the fridge, I will dip out a bowl of it with my meals. This recipe is a good one to make ahead and will stay fresh and crispy for a few days. It also includes Apples that give it just enough sweetness and crunch. 



Kale, Apple and Carrot Slaw.
1 head- chopped Kale.
1 apple- cored and small diced.
Handful- shredded carrots
Handful- raisins
Handful- chopped pecans (optional)

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons- plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons- mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon- brown sugar
1 Tablespoon- apple cider vinegar
Salt/pepper

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients.
Pour in the dressing and toss.
Cover and chill until meal time or over night.



Kale is healthy greens full of vitamins A,K,B6,E and C and antioxidants. It also contains calcium, copper and potassium. Together, these vitamins can help your skin look younger. It brightens your skin appearance and dark spots. Boy, I need a lot of this stuff but sadly it can also cause bloating and gas. Also, if your on blood thinners, don’t eat Kale without talking to your doctor because Vitamin K can interfere with that medicine. 

Now for the big question….
Are you more of an apple person or pumpkin spice person when it comes to those Fall favorites. 


Original recipe can be found HERE.

Air Fryer S’mores Oatmeal

For the past two weeks, I have been doing a smoothie for breakfast. I’m getting tired of it. I like to eat my food, not drink it but I am always looking for healthy meal options. I have also been taking my lunches to work instead of coming home for lunch and pigging out. I have to limit my meals. Portion control is what I have to do if I want to lose weight. It’s not as much about what you eat but how much you eat. 

This morning I wanted to make a solid breakfast for a change. I started making an egg but ended up burning it. I guess I was out of sync. I used to always make an egg. I consider myself an omelet pro and I love my eggs over easy too. We grew up calling it “an egg with a moon on it” Only momma knew what we meant. 

So, since my egg didn’t turn out well, I resorted to a recipe I found for S'mores Oatmeal. I’m not a big fan of s’mores but this was a winner. It was like eating a dessert instead of breakfast. This is still considered “healthy”, It’s easy and can be made in your air fryer within 7 minutes. 



AIR FRYER S’MORES OATMEAL
1/3 Cup Quick Oats
1/2 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/3 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Sheet crushed Graham Cracker
Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Mini Marshmallows

Mix together, oats, protein powder, baking powder and Almond milk.
Pour into a Ramekin.
Stir in a few of the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Top with crushed graham crackers, and the rest of the chocolate chips and marshmallows. 
Cook in air fryer at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. 
SPECIAL NOTE: Mash your marshmallows down a little so they do not fly around in the air fryer. 


After I ate breakfast, I went outside and ran/walked 3 miles. So I guess I can say this breakfast wasn’t heavy. But the 20lbs I have put on this year sure was. 


Original recipe was found at jhydefit on Instagram.
Follow her for more easy, quick and healthy foods. 



Easy Muscadine Jelly

My parents recently moved into a new home. It came with a big Muscadine vine and mature peach trees. The peach trees did not produce many peaches but the Muscadine vine is full of fruit. 



I made a visit one day to pick some muscadines. Within a few minutes I had a small bucket full. I was not sure what to do with them so I washed and put them in the fridge. For a week, we would reach in and grab one or three for a snack but I still had a lot and wanted to do something with them before they went bad. 



I decided to make jelly. Mom told me I did not need to add extra pectin and all I need to do is boil them hull and all. Then strain them afterwards. She said they have enough natural pectin to do the trick.

I looked around online anyway and every recipe I found had added pectin. I took my moms advice and went with what she said.




Mom was right (as always). With 3 cups of muscadines, I was able to fill three small jelly jars of thick jiggly jelly. I gave a jar to my mom and dad and one to my daughter. We kept one for ourself and it is almost gone.


Here is how I made Muscadine jelly.

  • 3 cups of muscadines.
  • 2 1/4 cups of sugar (3/4 cup to every cup of muscadines).
  • 1/4 cup water.

Add muscadines, water and sugar in a pot and boil for about 20 minutes. 

With cheese cloth, strain the muscadine mix into a pot and boil for another 5 to 10 minutes. 


Note: You can seperate the hulls and boil them separately. Place the hulls in a food processor to chop fine and add them to the stained muscadine mixture. This would make it jam. 

🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇   🍇

To test if it is ready, place a plate in the freezer for a few minutes to get it cold. Add a drop of the Muscadine jelly to the cold plate. It should move when the plate is tilted but not runny and watery. It will have a slight skim texture on the top when you touch it. This is how you know it’s ready to put in a jar and place in the refrigerator. It will thicken as it cools. This is called refrigerator jelly. 




It turned out great and went good on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and toast. I may be going back soon for some more grapes because I found a recipe for Muscadine cobbler I want to try soon. 



Muscadine vs Scuppernong: Muscadines are red (or purple) and Scuppernong is golden green. Scuppernongs are the state fruit of North Carolina. All Scuppernongs are Muscadines but not all Muscadines are Scuppernongs. Confused yet?


Cookie Dough Energy Bites

I am not a cookie dough eater. Home made cookies have egg in them so when I think of cookie dough (or any dough), I think of raw eggs. No thank you.
We used to lick the beaters when mom would make a cake but that was from the homemade frosting. Yum yum, that brings back some memories.

Now days you can find “eatable” cookie dough in tubs at the grocery store. I assume there are no raw egg in this type. I have never had intentions of trying it but I know a lot of people that love cookie dough. There is even cookie dough flavored ice cream, yogurts, and cereals. 

If you like cookie dough, you are going to love this recipe I’m going to share with you. This cookie dough is made with only 4 ingredients and no eggs included.  

I am always looking for a small finger tip snack and this is perfect and so easy to make. 


Cookie Dough Energy Bites

1 Cup- Almond Flour (or coconut flour).
2/3 Cup- Peanut Butter.
2 Tablespoons Honey. 
1 Tsp. Vanilla (optional).
1/4 Cup- Chocolate Chips ( minis are best).

Mix peanut butter, honey and vanilla until smooth.
Add Almond flour and mix/kneed until combined.
Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.
Roll into 1 inch balls.
Store in airtight container in fridge. 



Beware: It’s easy to eat too many of these. Each ball only has about 3 grams of protein and a little over 100 calories each, so take it easy if your trying to drop a few pounds. In fact, you may need to hide them from yourself. After one bite, you will get the urge to eat a few more. 

Cookie dough lovers, I guess you can just keep it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon. 


Coconut Pound Cake

I hope all you Fathers out there had a wonderful Fathers Day yesterday. Nick had to work but afterwards he was honored with a cake and a few gifts from the daughter. We let him nap all afternoon. We honored the fathers at church during the morning service and took the dads out for dinner that evening. It was a great day.

Now to the coconut cake. 
My daughter came home Friday night to aggravate spend time with her dad all weekend. They are always picking and playing. She likes to bake with me so I decide to make a coconut pound cake after seeing the recipe online. I did not plan to eat all of it so I gave half to my daddy. He loves any kind of sweet stuff. 



I love how it turned out and it was fairly easy to make. When I cook, I can make the biggest mess and it usually takes me more time cleaning up than actually making it. So if you saw my kitchen, you would think I struggled. It only took about 5 minutes to put it together and 65 minutes to bake. It had a light taste that was not too sweet. I think it tasted more like some sort of bread than a cake. It went great with a cup of coffee and only lasted 2 days. 

I let my daughter make the frosting. It was delicious and added just the right amount of sweetness. 


COCONUT POUND CAKE
  • 2 cups- all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp- baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp- salt
  • (You can use self rising flour and eliminate the salt and baking powder).
  • 3/4 cup- butter (room temp)
  • 1 cup- sugar
  • 1/2 tsp- vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp- coconut extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut milk (or coconut cream)
  • 1 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, use a hand or stand mixer and cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and coconut extract together. 
Add in the eggs one at a time then gradually add in the dry ingredients while alternating with the coconut milk. 
Fold in the coconut then pour into a prepared loaf pan. (Lined with parchment paper or well greased).

Bake 350 for 60-65 minutes. Test it with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness.

*FROSTING
  • 4 tablespoons- butter (room temperature)
  • 2 cups- confectioners sugar
  • 2 tablespoons coconut extract
  • 1/4 cup- toasted coconut
Mix together the wet ingredients then gradually add in the powder sugar. 

*You can also add coconut extract to store bought vanilla or cream cheese frosting. 

Keto Crackers

I am not on a Keto diet. I do not think it is a healthy diet to stick too but I do like to make some Keto dishes because I am trying to stay away from breads. One of my favorite is the Chaffles I shared in another blog post. I also made flourless Bagels and Cauliflower bread sticks before. 

Today, I want to share with you these delicious Keto Crackers made with only two ingredients. 


➞2 Cups Almond flour
➞1 Egg
➞ Spices (optional)
Place it all in a food processor until the dough is formed. 
(Mine looked like little beads until I kneaded it in my hands).
Put the dough between two pieces of wax paper and roll very thin. 


Cut into squares or rounds (any shape of choice) and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 
and bake 350 for about 10 minutes. 
Keep an eye on them. Once the edges start browning, they are done. 
(You can also poke holes in them to give them a different look)

Some of mine were thinner than others and those browned quicker. 

These crackers are sort of bland so you may want to add salt or seasoning of your choice. I added “everything bagel” seasoning and they were delicious/  
If you leave them plain, you will think your eating those nasty communion wafers served at what us Baptist call “The Lords Supper”. 



My husband took one then asked where the wine was. Ha ha. 
He was just kidding because mine were full of flavor from my added spices and would be great served with a veggie dip or cheeseball. 
They didn’t last long.

These would also be great served on a Charcuterie board which I would love to do one day. 






Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup

Growing up, I thought chicken noodle soup had medical and healing results. If we were sick, cold, hurt or just having a bad day, Chicken noodle soup was the cure. I bet Chicken noodle soup would cure covid if they would just listen to those grandmothers out there.

I love soup of all kinds but I am limited with can soups as the all have a lot of sodium. Being on a low sodium diet means I try to eat foods with less than 5% sodium. Soups are over 21% and some are as high as 47%.

If you know me, then you know I lost 50lbs on Nutrisystem ( you can read my journey HERE). I used Nutrisystem for 4 years until I figured out that some of my health issues were because of too much sodium, so I had to give it up. Now I follow the eating habits I learned while being on the program. I have been able to keep the weight off for 5 years now. Well, I have put on an extra 15 lbs but I’m working on getting that off by Easter. They flew me to Florida twice for photo and commercial shoots but If they call me now,  I would probably have to turn it down. I still do live calls for them on QVC and HSN but I feel my time is ending. 

I mentioned Nutrisystem because they had a wonderful soup recipe on facebook the other day. They will often share recipes that follow along with their plan. The soup was Chicken Noodle Soup but made by using low sodium chicken broth and spaghetti squash instead of pasta noodles. I just had to give it a try.


Oh my goodness. It was delicious. I think the spaghetti squash was a perfect pasta substitute. It also called for Thyme. I didn't know you could even eat Thyme. I always thought it was just a natural fragrance. I guess we do learn something new every day. 

This soup was very tasty and I had enough to eat for two meals. I just kept the left overs in a mason jar and heated it back up for a quick healthy meal. Below are the ingredients. 



I added everything together except the squash and cooked it until the carrots were soft and then I added the spaghetti squash. 

My favorite soup is french Onion.
What is your favorite soup?






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