Friday, 13 July 2012

New Recipes!

I feel silly sharing these because I don't think I am that creative of a cook to be sharing my simple style of cooking. But I was inspired and for my friends starting to cook their own meals and learning how to feed their men/future husbands, I would love to share some easy tips to make things taste good!

Over the last 6 months of marriage I have been learning to cook with flavor and using whole, unprocessed food and it has been fun!

I love my Crockpot! I cook roasts most often in it but have also done a lasagna which was great! When I season a roast, I pretty much just use whatever spices I have in my cupboard and fridge. Garlic is always good (my husband loves it!), plus some Worcestershire sauce! I also make pulled pork roasts often.

For a great pulled pork roast:
   - Start with a pork shoulder roast, cut the strings off of it! (this is important, last night I totally forgot to and the roast tasted great but didn't pull apart at all, so we had slice pork sandwiches!!)
   - Then add a whole bunch of BBQ (we have a Louisiana hot and spicy one that my hubby really likes but whatever you have in the house or what is on sale works...I find the spiciness adds something special to the sandwich!)
   - Add a bunch of other spices too! Last night I used some Epicure burger and steak spice! It always seems to turn out no matter what I add to it!
   - Put it in the slow cooker for however long, mine usually goes for 6 hours on low. When it is cooked, pull it apart in the Crockpot using forks and stir it up in the sauce! Add more BBQ sauce if you need to! I let it cook a bit longer after I have pulled it so the sauce thickens!
   - When the pork is done, toast your sub buns! And add sauce! I like a bit of mayo on mine but honey mustard sauce tastes sooo good too, or more BBQ sauce!  If you have a good amount of leftovers (which I always do), just freeze it and then when you go to use it again, fry it up in a pan with some more BBQ sauce. It cooks up real fast in my non-stick skillet!

Another area I have explored is a way to make my vegetables more exciting! I love to steam my fresh veggies...mmmm, steamed green beans and broccoli!

I recently prepared a dinner for some friends and I steamed green beans. I then (in a bowl) drizzled them with some lemon juice and sesame seeds! By accident, it cooled down by the time I served it and it was sooo good cold! Super refreshing for a hot summer day!  This works for broccoli too!


Another fave recipe that I have had requests for is mashed potatoes! To give your mashers extra awesomeness, use cream cheese! Yes, yum, creamy awesome potatoes! I also add spices! Yes, spice up your potatoes! Last time I used steak spices but I have also used a red pepper spice and it was sooo good!


If you really want to impress company this summer, make a batch of fresh baking powder biscuits (super simple and rather quick to make, only 30 minutes in the oven!). Also, making some real Iced Tea is sure to be a treat for guests! My new fave iced tea is iced rooibos (red) tea. Just brew your tea double strength or more, then add a bit of sweetener (lemon, sugar, honey depending on the tea), and either chill and then pour over ice or do a quick cool down and immediately  pour over a glass full of ice cubes and serve!

Can you tell I love having guests in my home??? :D


I think that is all I will share right now! Sorry there are no pictures, I should try to take some the next time I am cooking fun things! <3 <3 <3 I hope you are having a great summer day!!

Ps. I would love to hear about some of your recipes!!



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Friday, 6 July 2012

Coconut Oil!!

I love coconut oil! It is the only oil I cook with now and I I enjoy it so much!. I use a virgin organic coconut oil from Trader Joes and I really don't notice (nor does my husband) any coconut flavors in my food. But we both love coconut and have grown accustom to the taste maybe.... 

Some of the things I have used coconut oil for: 
  • Cooking/frying perogies, stir fry, potatoes, veggies, and much more....I use it in my pans too! No more Pam for me! 
  • I've used it as an ingredient for my recipes too! 
  • Moisturizing the ends of my hair! I did this a couple times before I stopped using shampoo
  • Oil Pulling! (I have only done this a couple times but plan to continue regularly!) *See video below for a good explanation of it!*
  • For dry skin (like under your nose when you have a cold and you are constantly rubbing it raw with a kleenex!) 
  • And I think that's about it! But I know there are so many other things you can do with coconut oil!! If you have suggestions, let me know in the comments below!! 




Here are a couple links on the benefits of coconut oil!! 


I think that's all for today :D Enjoy the sunshine!!! <3 <3 <3 
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