Ceviche de Camarones

Ingredients
1-pound medium-small shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 Tbsp salt
4-6 limes
2-3 lemons
1 cup red onion finely chopped
1 hot Chile ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks


Method
1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4-5 quarts of water, add 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds (for medium) and 2 minutes (for large). Remove shrimp and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.

Chia Seeds

We've recently discovered this fabulous little seed - Chia Seeds. Yes, these are the very same seeds used for those horrendous Chia Pets that make their way through the stores during this time of year for Christmas presents.But don't let that discourage you. Keep on reading - you'll be amazed.Research on these little seeds reveals what a truly wonder seed they are. We've long tried to figure out good ways to have long term storage for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Most things that are high in these oils go rancid quickly or it would be cost prohibitive to store.Enter Chia Seeds. Here is some info for you:From Wiki:
It is still widely used in Mexico and South America, with the seeds ground for nutritious drinks and as a food source.Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food that is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, since the seeds yield 25-30% extractable oil, mostly α-linolenic acid (ALA). It also is a source of antioxidants and a variety of amino acids.Historically, chia seeds served as a staple food of the Nahuatl (Aztec) cultures of Central Mexico. Jesuit chroniclers referred to chia as the third most important crop to the Aztecs behind only corn and beans, and ahead of amaranth. Tribute and taxes to the Aztec priesthood and nobility were often paid in chia seed.Chia seed may be eaten raw as a dietary fiber and omega-3 supplement. Ground chia seed is sometimes added to pinole, a coarse flour made from toasted maize kernels. Chia seeds soaked in water or fruit juice is also often consumed and is known in Mexico as chia fresca. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in gruels, porridges and puddings. Ground chia seed is used in baked goods including breads, cakes and biscuits. Chia sprouts are used in a similar manner as alfalfa sprouts in salads, sandwiches and other dishes.Another source for excellent info: www.Mountainroseherbs.com
Chia seed is high in calcium, 5 times the calcium of milk. 631 mg per 100 grams of seed.
Chia seed is also high in protein, with 18 grams per 100 grams of seed.
The optimum ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 should be 3:1
Chia seed provides that ratio.
Chia seed is hydrophilic. Absorbing up to 14 times (Mix @ 9-10 times) its weight in water. This helps extend energy and endurance.
Chia seed is rich in antioxidant oils.
Chia seed contains chlorogenic acid, and
caffeic acid as well as myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol flavonols. These compounds are both primary and synergistic antioxidants that contribute to the strong antioxidant activity of chia seed.
Chia seed is also low in sodium, only 19 mg per 100 grams.

Watch Night Service

Watch Night Service - A bit of history for all.
Many of you who live or grew up in Black communities in the United States have probably heard of "Watch Night Services," the gathering of the faithful in church on New Year's Eve.
The service usually begins anywhere from 7 p.m. To 10 p.m. And ends at midnight with the entrance of the New Year. Some folks come to church first, before going out to celebrate. For others, church is the only New Year's Eve event. Like many others, I always assumed that Watch Night was a fairly standard Christian religious service -- made a bit more Afro centric because that's what happens when elements of Christianity become linked with the Black Church. Still, it seemed that predominately White Christian churches did not include Watch Night services on their calendars, but focused instead on Christmas Eve programs. In fact, there were instances where clergy in mainline denominations wondered aloud about the propriety of linking religious services with a secular holiday like New Year's Eve.However, there is a reason for the importance of New Year's Eve services in African American congregations. The Watch Night Services in Black communities that we celebrate today can be traced back to gatherings on December 31, 1862, also known as "Freedom's Eve." On that night, Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation actually had become law. Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, and all slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free .When the news was received, there were prayers, shouts and songs of joy as people fell to their knees and thanked God. Black folks have gathered in churches annually on New Year's Eve ever since, praising God for bringing us safely through another year.It's been 145 years since that first Freedom's Eve and many of us were never taught the African American history of Watch Night, but tradition still brings us together at this time every year to celebrate "how we got over" Yah US

Holiday Mail For Heroes

Holiday Mail For Heroes
For 2009, the Red Cross is sponsoring a Holiday card drive for soldiers. It's simply and easy to participate, but there is a deadline.
Simply fill out a Christmas or Holiday card, and mail it to the address below by December 7th. That's all you have to do! The Red Cross will then make sure the cards are sent on to soldiers.
Holiday Mail For Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Cards MUST be post marked by December 7th, or they will be returned to the sender.
Here are some additional guidelines to follow:
DO:
Sign all cards Entitle Cards "Dear Service Member, Family, or Veteran"
Limit the number of cards to 15 from any one person, or 50 from any one school class, business, or group.
Bundle groups of cards in a single, large envelope.
DON'T:
Send lettersInclude personal information, such as home or email addresses.
Use glitter- excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients.
Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process.
The program is to help deliver holiday cards only.
Those wishing to donate phone cards or gift certificates should go to www.aafes.com scroll down to AAFES Community Connection, and click on Help Our Troops Call Home, or Gift Cards/Certificates For Our Troops.
Please, repost this on your own blog, and remember when addressing your Holiday cards, to include a few extras.

Decluttering

I found this awsome web-site www.zenhabits.net love,love,love it
Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. Whether you’ve begun decluttering the living space, or you’ve just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. Even if that’s ALL you do and don’t start decluttering immediately, if you can only establish one habit at a time, establish the no-more-stuff habit first. This way, when you do get to decluttering the existing stuff, you’ve already stopped making it worse. Think of bailing out a boat with a hole in it. You can bail and bail, but it won’t do anything for the leak.
Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
Create a Joe’s Goals chart with decluttering on it — either daily, or 3 times a week. Check off the days when you declutter, and you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first – surfaces, empy the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the 2nd time around – ie. open the cupboards.
Whenever you’re boiling the kettle for tea, tidy up the kitchen. If the kitchen is tidy, tidy up the next room – it’s only 3 minutes but it keeps you on top of everything (helps if you have an Englishman’s obsession with Tea as well!)
Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff.
Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
Declutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel *so* good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It – Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
Gift everything. Books you’ve read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.

Frugal Stain Remover (It works!)

All Purpose Stain Spray
1/4 cup castille soap (or other veg. based soap)
1/4 cup glycerin
2 tablespoons Borax
10 drops peppermint or tea tree essential oil
1 3/4 cup water
Combine in a spray bottle. Spray and wash!

Organic or Not Organic that is the Question

Orgnic Foods, Genetically modified (GM) foods, Genetically modified animals and the MOST HORRIFING Cloning amimals for food.

Why go organic? Organic foods are grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Organic foods are not genetically modified. Organic foods are grown in soil that is nurtured, not treated... which means top soil, groundwater, rivers, lakes, streams, watersheds, fish & wildlife, and people are not compromised. Healthy food grows in healthy soil. You can often taste the organic difference!



Typically, genetically modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil, but animal products have been developed. Genetic engineering begins with the identification and isolation of a gene which expresses a desirable trait, with the aid of restriction enzymes. Then a recipient plant or animal is selected, and the gene is inserted and incorporated into its genome through a vector such as agrobacterium, through a gene gun shooting an elemental particle covered in plasmid DNA, electroporation, or a virus. Once part of the recipient, the newly inserted gene becomes part of the genome of the recipient and is regulated in the same way as its other genes.

Know your Eggs

What does 'pasture-raised' mean and how is it different from 'cage-free' or 'free-range'? And are pasture-raised eggs worth it?
First off, terms like 'free-range' and 'cage-free' don't always mean what people think (and hope) they mean. In fact, because there is very little regulation for these words, they basically have no meaning whatsoever. Cage-free is simply that the chickens aren't raised in battery cages but that doesn't mean they aren't stuffed into huge houses with forty thousand other chickens, leading only a slightly less miserable life than if they were in cages. And free-range chickens do have access to the outdoors, but it does not mean that they are actually using it.
Right now, the term 'pasture-raised' isn't very regulated either. In general, it refers to a system where the chickens are grazed outdoors in movable shelters and are fed organic feed, free of hormones and antibiotics. Pastured chickens are allowed to be chickens: scratch in the dirt, eat bugs, take dust baths. It's a fairly new term and until someone comes along to exploit it, it's the one I trust the most.
Of course there are farmers who use all these terms in the spirit in which they are intended, which brings me to my point: find a good farmer you can trust and pay what you can for their products. The American Pastured Poultry Producers website will help you find a farmer in your area.
The question 'are pasture-raised eggs worth it?' is a tricky one. It depends of course on your ability to pay that much for them but even more, it depends on what you value. I buy from a local couple in my area, because I 1. can see the chickens from my car, 2 know what they are fed, 3. know that the eggs are just days old and have not been trucked 300 mile to get to the local supper market and because in the matrix of my life, they hit high marks in all the areas that matter most to me: taste, living lightly, stewardship, connection, beauty.
In a more perfect world, everyone would be eating pasture-raised eggs and not just those who are wealthy and can afford them. For more information on the confusion around cage-free, free-range and other terms, check out this article from Mother Earth News.
Food, Inc

Berry Berry Blueberry

Blueberry Buckle **(See topping at the end of this recipe)**

Ingredients
1 ten-inch round cake or 2 six-inch round cakes
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
5 cups wild or cultivated blueberries
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a springform baking pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add egg and vanilla, beating until fully combined.
Add reserved flour mixture, alternating with the milk, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Remove from mixer. Gently fold in blueberries.
Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle streusel topping over cake. Bake until cake tester comes out batter-free, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool for 15 minutes before serving
Topping
Ingredients
Makes enough for 1 ten-inch cake or 2 six-inch cakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form.
Using hands, squeeze together most of the mixture to form large clumps. The topping can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months.


Blueberry Pudding **(Sauce at the end of recipe)**
1 pint of dry blueberries
4T butter
1 egg
3/4 c milk
1 1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 t. cream of tartar
(I use a 2 coffee cans for the mold)
4-quart pot
Wash and drain toe blueberries. Generously grease the inside of the cans and plastic lids with butter. I a small bowl beat the eggs; stir in the milk and baking soda. In a larger bowl mix flour, sugar, and cream of tartar; work in the butter with your fingers or two forks, until the mixture is coarse. Stir the wet liquid into the flour mixture until it is all moist. Stir in the blueberries; take care not to crush them. Pour blueberry batter into the molds (cans) and cover with lids. Set the containers in the pot and fill 2/3 full with boiling water. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or longer. As long as there is water in your pot the pudding will not over cook.
Sauce for Blueberry Pudding
1 c sugar
3 T butter
Pinch of salt
ground nutmeg 1/2 pinch
2 T Rose water or Lemon extract
2 C water
Direction
Simmer the sugar in water until it begins to thicken into syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from hear and stir in remaining ingredients. Slice pudding and drizzle warm sauce over the slice.

News From The Kitchen Front are we there yet?

Wartime food preparation ideas:
CHINESE CAKE
1 and a half lb (pound — one is approx 455 grams) green beans
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 lb mashed potatoes
4 oz boiled bacon
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon sugar
crisp bread crumbs
Soak the green beans for 24 hours, then simmer them for one and a half hours in enough water to keep them covered. Mash beans thoroughly, mix with potato, chopped bacon, sage, pepper and sugar. If the paste seems stiff, add a little bean water. Grease a cake tin, sprinkle the sides and bottom with the bread crumbs, press the mixture into the tin, cover with greased paper and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour. Serve with cabbage or Brussels sprouts and brown gravy

CORNED BEEF RISSOLES
4 oz (ounce — 1 = aprox. 28 grams) corned beef
Half lb mashed potatoes
Half lb mixed vegetables
4 oz wholemeal breadcrumbs seasoning,
pinch herbs
4 tablespoons brown sauce or vegetable water
Flake the corned beef and mix with the mashed cooked vegetables and breadcrumbs. Season and add the mixed herbs. Bind the mixture with sauce or vegetable water, form into shapes. Bake in a hot oven
OATMEAL SAUSAGES
2 tablespoons of chopped onion
Half oz cooking fat
4 oz oatmeal
Half pint water
2 teaspoons salt
Quarter teaspoon pepper
2 chopped meat, sausage or bacon
Browned bread crumbs. Fry the onion in the fat until lightly browned. Work in the oatmeal, add the water gradually and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Cook for 10-15 mins, stirring frequently. Add the seasoning and chopped meat, mix well and spread out to cool. Divide into 8 pieces and roll into sausage shapes. Coat with browned crumbs and fry or grill
FISH HOT POT
Cooking time: ¾ hour
Ingredients:
1 lb white fish, filleted,
little flour,
salt and pepper,
4 oz grated cheese,
1 ½ lb sliced potatoes,
vegetable stock or household milk or water,
chopped parsley.
4 Servings
Cut the fillets of fish into pieces. Roll in flour and put in a greased fireproof dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with grated cheese, and cover with a layer of potatoes. Pour in vegetable stock, household milk or water to fill a quarter of the dish. Cook in moderate oven for three quarters of an hour. Sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley

POTATO CUTLETS FOR BREAKFAST
These make an excellent start to the day; and one of the beauties of them is that you can prepare them the day before.
Scrub 1½ lb potatoes and boil in their skins.
When cooked, peel and mash them thoroughly.
Scrape ½ lb carrots, boil till tender and mash.
Mix the potatoes and carrots together, season with salt and pepper, then shape into cutlets. Dip in browned breadcrumbs, made by baking stale bread in the oven and crushing it. Next morning, place the cutlets in a greased tin and bake in a moderate oven for about 15 mins, or fry them in a very little hot fat

BACON TURNOVERS
Grill 4 oz bacon strips cook until browned and the fat is brown and well frizzled.
Pour off the liquid fat and set aside to get cold and congealed.
When quite cold treat as lard.
Rub it into 8 oz of self-raising flour.
Season with pepper.
Mix to a soft dough with the water. Roll out and cut into rounds.
Finely dice 8 oz of cooked mixed vegetables
Moisten with a little gravy. Put a spoonful of the mixture into the centre of each round,fold over and seal the edges, brush with the remains of the fat and bake in a moderate oven for 25-30 mins or until golden and appetising brown. These turnovers are delicious cold or hot

CARROT-CAP SALAD
Every woman who values her good complexion should have this salad regularly.
Cook two or three good-sized potatoes in their skins. When tender, strain without drying off to avoid making them floury. Slice and dice neatly; then dress in vinaigrette dressing (two parts of salad oil to one of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste) while they are still hot. Pile in a salad bowl lined with a few shredded lettuce leaves or water-cress. Sprinkle with a little chopped chives or rings of spring onion and pile high with grated carrot. To make a more substantial dish, add one or two boned sardines or fillets of smoked herring

SAGE AND MINCE PUDDING
Cooking time: 1 ½ hours
Ingredients:
Mix together 8 oz self- raising flour (or plain flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder),
1 lb grated raw carrots,
3 oz minced stewing steak,
2 tablespoons packet sage and onion stuffing,
1 finely chopped onion,
2 oz melted dripping or fat and seasoning to taste.
This should form a stiff dough, but if too dry a little water may be added.Grease a 2 pint basin, put in the mixture. Cover with a cloth or margarine papers and steam or boil for 1½ hours. Serve with green vegetables and a good gravy. Quantity: 4 Servings

MOCK APRICOT FLAN
Line a large 9 inch pie plate or flan dish with short crust pastry.
Bake without a filling in a hot oven for 20-26 mins until firm and golden.
Meanwhile grate 1 lb of young carrots.
Put into a saucepan with a few drops of almond essence,
4 tablespoons of water.
Cook gently until a thick pulp. Spoon into the cooked pastry.
Spread with a little plumb jam if this can be spared.
Note: carrots really do taste like apricots

EGGLESS SPONGE PUDDING
6 oz self raising flour
2 oz cooking butter
2 oz sugar
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
Half teaspoon of baking soda
1 dessertspoon of vinegar
Milk to mix
Sift the flour,
rub in the butter add the sugar and golden brown rice syrup. Blend the b'soda with the vinegar add to the other ingredients with enough milk to make a sticky consistency. Put the mixture into a greased basin, allow room to rise. Cover with a plate or buttered paper. Steam for one and a half hours or until firm. Serve hot with fruit
MOCK CREAM
1oz margarine
1oz sugar
1tablespoon of powder milk
I tablespoon of milk
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the milk powder and liquid milk.

Incredible Dinner

I made the most incredible dinner lastnight. I stuffed chicken breasts with feta, basil and roasted garlic (I always keep roasted garlic in the freezer.) I felt inspired, plus I had to do something different besides roasting, grilling or baking. I was amazing. I stuffed the breast with the seasoned cheese and browned them in my pan deglazed the pan with red wine (I know I know, I didn't have white wine) and baked them in the oven until done. I removed the chicken and added butter to the juices in the pan and voilà what a work of art. I had some sautéed bok choy in the freezer ( I cook and freeze our harvest, it's a lot of work, but in the winter months it's a godsend!)

HUNZA DIET BREAD RECIPE
Hunza Diet Bread is a delicious, dense, chewy bread that's very nutritious and is almost impervious to spoilage. The following recipe makes a huge batch of approximately 60 (sixty) 2 inch squares, high in protein, vitamins and minerals. Keeps weeks at room temperature, even longer in the fridge and indefinitely in the freezer. The recipe for this wonderful bread is as follows:
* 4 cups of water
*3.5 to 4 pounds of organic buckwheat or millet flour
* 1.5 cups of canola oil
* 1.5 cups of natural unrefined sugar
* 16 ounces of honey
* 16 ounces of molasses
* 4 ounces of powdered milk
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon organic ground nutmeg
* 2 teaspoons baking powder (non aluminium)
Hunza Diet Bread has a taste that is very satisfying and chewy all on its own, but you may also add, chopped walnuts, almonds to the above ingredients.
Mix ingredients.
Grease and lightly flour cooking pan(s).
Ideally use baking trays with about 1 inch high sides.
Pour batter in pan(s) half an inch thick over the base.
Bake at about 300 degrees for 1 hour.
After cooking, dry the bread in the oven for two (2) hours at a very low heat - 90 degrees.
After it is cooled tip out and cut into approx 2 inch x 2 inch squares.
Store it wrapped in cloth in a container. Hunza Diet Bread is made from natural buckwheat or millet flour. It is rich in phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese and other minerals, as nothing has been destroyed in the preparation from the organic wheat. Thus it contains the essential nourishment of the grain. This is why you must ONLY use organic buckwheat or millet flour to make your own Hunza Diet Bread.
Suggestions to lose weight with HUNZA DIET BREAD: Each piece of bread is thinly spread with butter for a total of approximately 100 calories.
Plan A: Eat 1 piece every 5 hours of the 16 hours you're awake. That's 3 pieces which total 300 calories. This is the fastest way to lose weight. It works faster than any high protein diet. Why? You have more energy and burn more calories. Second, the high fiber bread keeps your digestive system regular. Third, your body stays healthy. A healthy body means a properly functioning metabolic system.
Plan B: Really gorge yourself with the bread. Two pieces every four hours for a total of 8 pieces but only 800 calories. You'll feel full all day.
Plan C: Eat a piece in the morning for breakfast and a piece 3 hours before your dinner and you will eat a great deal less.
Plan D: Eat a piece of HUNZA DIET BREAD, 10 minutes before you eat your regular meal. When we do this we eat only a fraction, such as 1/4 of what we would normally eat.
Plan E: Eat the bread at the end of meals that don't fill you up enough, such as low calorie meals. This is a perfect way to use the bread. You eat a low calorie meal, enjoy it, then eat a piece or two of bread to fill you up. No urge to snack.
***I have not tried this one yet, but through the flu season I want more protein in my diet so I will be making this bread and freezing it for quick nutrition***

Mastering the Art of Kombucha

The Basics
1 kombucha culture (or scoby)
2 litres of water
3 or 4 tea bags or 3 or 4 teaspoons of organic tea (green or white)
160 grams evportated cane juice
200 ml of kombucha from a previous batch as a starter or 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar if you don't have any kombucha.
The Equipment
A 3 litre glass Pyrex bowl
A tea towel for covering the bowl
A rubber band or piece of elastic to secure the tea towel
A teapot or saucepan to make the tea in
A measuring jug that can measure 2 litres
A scale to measure the sugar
A strainer
Some bottles for storing the finished drink
The Method
A Note on Cleanliness. Make sure everything is very clean when handling kombucha. It's a living culture, a complex system of bacteria and yeasts and you don't want risk contaminating it. Use freshly cleaned hands, clean jars and clean non metallic equipment.
Make the tea
Make a pot of tea with the tea bags and leave it to brew for 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively add your tea to a saucepan and simmer it gently for 5 minutes.
Strain the tea into your measuring jug, add the sugar and stir it until it dissolves. Now add cold water to bring the tea up to 2 litres. Hot tea can kill the culture. It should be no more than blood heat before you add it to your culture, so if it’s still too warm then let it cool down before you add it to the bowl.
Making the brew
Add the starter. Into glass bowl put the starter liquid from the previous batch of kombucha. If this is your first batch then use 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar as your starter, (It adds the acid environment the culture likes) or some commercial kombucha if you have some. Once you’ve made your first batch you’ll have your own kombucha to use as a starter on the next batch.
Pour the cool tea into the bowl. Make sure your tea is cool before you add it to the kombucha culture! Hot tea can kill the culture. It should be no more than tempture before you add it to your starter.
Add the kombucha scoby. Pick up your scoby and slide it into the bowl. It will probably float but sometimes they sink. It will make no difference if it floats or sinks so don’t worry about it. If the scoby has a 'dirty' side where it's darker in colour and has beard like brown bits sticking to it then put that side facing down into the tea. The brown bits are yeasts.
Cover it and leave it to ferment.
Put your tea towel over the bowl and secure it with a rubber band or a piece of elastic. This keeps contamination out of your culture. Fruit flies especially like the smell of kombucha and can appear like magic out of thin air to lay their eggs in the scoby. So it’s important to cover it properly.
Put the bowl in a warm dark place 70°-86°F like a kitchen cupboard or near a heat source. And that’s it!
Checking The Brew
The fermentation will take 5-14 days depending on the temperature. If you check your brew after 2 or 3 days you’ll notice a scum forming on the surface. It’s not scum at all; it’s the first thin membrane of your new kombucha scoby.
Start tasting the brew after 4 or 5 days. Gently move the scoby aside and dip a wooden spoon in to the liquid. When the kombucha is ready it should be neither too sweet nor too sour. This is rather a personal taste and will depend on how much evaportated cane juice you want left in the brew. It’s up to you, so test it every day until its the way you like it.
The round creamy blob is the starter culture. All around it a thin new culture is developing and you can see bubbles under the surface.
In this close up the new scoby is lifted off the surface of the kombucha so you can see how thin and transparent it is compared to the starter scoby at the bottom of the photo. The yellow sediment floating in the brew are yeasts and quite natural.
Bottling
When the kombucha is ready, with clean hands gently lift the mother culture and it’s offspring out onto a clean plate.
Strain the kombucha into your measuring jug leaving behind about 200ml in the bowl as a starter for the next batch.
Now fill your clean bottles with the kombucha, label them and store them in a cupboard or the fridge. You can use any kinds of bottles but some batches will be a lot fizzier than others and it's a good idea to use pop bottles, that have rubber gaskets on them. This kind of bottle will let out any excess pressure and prevent explosions!
After bottling your kombucha make up a second batch of tea for the culture and set your second brew to ferment.
Kombucha is ready to drink immediately, but storing the bottled kombucha for a month or two will give you will give you an even better drink. This kind of bottle conditioning can improve the flavour as any home wine brewer will know. The sugar continues to ferment a little, giving you lighter, drier taste and producing more fizz.
The kombucha will often grow little scobys on the top of the liquid in the bottles. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about but look out for them when you take your first mouthful!
You are now ready to drink your first home made kombucha!
The Next Batch
Now you can make a second batch of sweet tea and when it’s cool add it to the bowl and the waiting starter. Then add your scoby and put the tea towel back over the bowl and put the bowl away to ferment.
For your first 2 or 3 batches it’s a good idea to use both the mother and the baby together until the new scoby thickens up. When they are new they can be paper thin. With each brewing a new layer will form on top and your scoby will get thicker. Then, when it's somewhere between a quarter and a half an inch thick, you can gently separate the mother and baby and use the mother to start off a second brew.
Each scoby will grow with each brew, gradually getting thicker. You can leave them like this and occasionally peel of a layer from the bottom and discard it. Or you can separate them and either pass new scobys on to friends or store them as spares in another jar of sweet tea which you can keep in the fridge to slow down fermentation. It’s useful to have spares in case your active culture becomes contaminated and you need to discard the kombucha and the scoby and start again.
Containers
The kombucha culture needs oxygen for the fermentation. A large glass bowl gives a large surface area and is an excellent brewing container. But you can use taller jars to brew the kombucha, it will simply take longer to brew because there's a smaller surface area exposed to oxygen. So 5-10 days in a bowl becomes more like 10-20 days in a jar.
Several brewing suppliers now carry kombucha fermenting jars. A large pickle or sweet jar will do very well too.
Temperature
Kombucha likes a steady temperature of 70°-86°F. A steady temperature gives a more consistent brew. In summer when the air is warm this isn't too difficult. Keeping the brew in an airing cupboard will keep it at a constant temperature too. But if you can't do that then in the winter as the temperature changes from cold to warm with the central heating in modern homes there will be a fluctuation in the brewing time and possibly in fizziness and taste too.
Tea
Kombucha requires tea for its fermentation. That's real tea (Camellia Sinensis) not herbal tea. Use oolong, green or white tea and look for organic tea as contaminants in some commercial teas can affect the culture.
Kombucha can be also be sensitive to strong aromatic oils. A tea like Earl Grey that contains Bergamot oil, can sometimes kill or badly affect the culture. So avoid these types of flavoured tea.
Sugar
Use orgainc evporated cane juice. Sugar is used by the yeasts during fermentation, and is broken down and transformed into acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and carbon dioxide. Sugar is also involved in the propagation of the Kombucha culture. It uses the sugar to build the scoby. At the end of the fermentation period, if done correctly, the sugar will have been virtually all converted and there should be little or no sugar left in the kombucha. Using raw brown sugars can give the brew a bad taste and result in poor culture formation.
Water
Chlorine added to water will kill the millions of friendly bacteria in Kombucha. That’s why the water you use for brewing your kombucha tea should be purified. USE ONLY PURE WATER

What Does This Mean For Us?

Terrible Outlook For 2009 Global Wheat Output
by Eric deCarbonnel
The numbers for this year’s wheat output are horrible.
1) Romania = output wheat down -30%
2)Ukraine = output wheat down -27%
3)Hungary = output wheat down -28.5%
4)Czech = output wheat down -20%
5)Bulgaria = output wheat down -30%
6)Poland = output wheat down -10%
7)Spain = output wheat down -42%
8)Australia = output down -10-35%
9)Argentina = output down -34%
10)China = output down -20% or more
11) US = output down -20% or more
12)Canada = output down -12%
13)Russia = output wheat down -21.5%
Conclusion: Nothing has changed. Estimates for agricultural production are being continuously downgraded every month. Droughts, under planting, and lack of credit have devastated global agricultural output. The world is still facing food shortages in 2009.

Swine Flu

Ok, I am not one to panic over epidemics, bacteria or even viruses....but this one has me worried. This weekend Michael and I made colloidal Silver. It's pretty easy to make just check out Youtube. We started drinking 1 tablespoon or 1 ounce. I am freaking. I know that this thing was man made, and I know that this is totally in Gods hands. We are not prepared. I am low on bottled water and I only have 25# of wheat. We have 30# of beans and our beef is low and we can't buy our cow until September. Thank God our CSA starts in June, this year I will preserve about 350# of food. Last year I did 200# of food and we are starting to run out. I will be more diligent and steadfast this August, September and October. I think we will also buy a lamb too.
I also fermented some cabbage over the winter, I just took some out and will start eating it tomorrow

Mana

I have been baking bread more this year and loving it. I promised that I'd bake all of the bread we eat. Hello I am a pastry chef...I will add the method later.

Baking with my Granddaughter. We had a ball making Donuts:

Raised Donuts-- Simply delicious and decadent.

Ingredients:

2 0z.or Rapid rises yeast

1/4 cup Warm water (105 to 115)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scaled then cooled)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup shortening (spectrum orgainc)

5 cups all purpose flour

Vegetable oil

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in 2 1/2-quart bowl. 2. Add milk, salt, eggs, Shortening and 2 cups flour. Beat on low speed, scraping bowl Constantly, 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed scraping bowl Occasionally, 2 minutes. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. 3. Cover and let rise in warm place, until double, 50 to 60 minutes. (Dough Is ready when indentation remains when touched.)4. Turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with Flour. Gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Cover and let rise until double, 30 to 40 minutes 5. Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Slide doughnuts into hot oil with wide spatula. Turn doughnuts as they rise to the Surface. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Remove carefully from oil (do not prick surface); drain. 6. Dip the Doughnuts into creamy glaze set on rack then when slightly cooled spread chocolate glaze on top

Creamy Glaze

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2 cups powered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 to 6 Tbsp. hot water

Method:Heat butter until melted; Remove from heat. Stir in powered sugar and Vanilla until smooth. Stir in water, 1 tbsp. at a time, until desired Consistency.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2 cups powered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 to 6 Tbsp. hot water

4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips or semi- sweet chips

Method:

Heat butter and Chocolate over low heat until chocolate is melted; remove from heat. Stir in powered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water 1 tbsp. at a time, until desired consistency.

Family

Shrimp Bisque

I made this the other day and had to post the recipe. This was Divine!

Shrimp Bisque

1 1/2 pounds (31 to 35 per lb.) shrimp
5 cups homemade (fat-skimmed chicken) broth
1 onion (1/2 lb.), quartered
4 stalks celery cut into chunks
1 carrot peeled and cut into chunks
2 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
6 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups half-and-half
Salt and pepper
Dill sprigs (for garnish)
1. Shell and devein shrimp; save shells. Rinse shrimp. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. In a 5- to 6-quart pan, combine shrimp shells, 5 cups broth, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and white peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour broth through a strainer into a 2-quart glass measure or bowl. If needed, add more broth to make 5 cups.
3. Melt butter in same pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir just until limp, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in flour.
4. Off the heat, whisk broth and half-and-half into flour mixture. Stir over medium-high heat until boiling, then boil for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp and stir until pink, about 1 minute.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls; garnish with dill and shrimp. Yield: Makes 8 servings

Too Sweet

Here is my baby Tiffany. She is soooo sweet

A Good Day For Soup

Today I made vegetable beef soup. I had some left-over prime rib frozen from Christmas and added some of our beef sirloin. I also added some of our dehydrated carrots, parsnips. Then I added some fresh onions and celery. I also keep a jar of "scrap veggies" in the refrigerator in a salt brine to be added to soup and stews and sauces. This gives a amazing taste and flavor the the hum-drum soups stews and sauces. After I put my soup on I made some vanilla for a friend. With the vanilla crops being plagued with fungus I thought that it would be cheaper to make my own and WOW! it's very good. The vanilla is ready after 6 weeks. I have never had such a wonderful flavored vanilla in my life. I thought that I was buying the best vanilla on the market. Mine is:). Just adding alittle to any baked item what a difference and our french toast is amazing.

This is my scrap vegetable jar

My vanilla on the right and the one I made for my Friend on the left

We finished the day with Banana Bread made with barley grass and spirulina, yummy