Homemade whip cream or Cool Whip? I choose homemade whip cream!

My children have been asking for cool whip for quite some time... Of course my first thought is but I'm trying to keep processed foods out of my house.

Well I made the decision that Cool Whip which not only does not change shape for an entire 12 DAYS (check it out-http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/horrifying-12-day-cool-whip-experiment/), but is also made of mostly hydrogenated vegatable oil, natural and artificial flavors, polysorbate 60 and other hard to pronounce names.

I figured I'd much rather my kids have an occasional treat of heavy cream, vanilla and yes (processed powdered sugar) than all that yuckiness in Cool Whip listed above. In saying that here is the simple recipe that I promised my instagram and facebook followers. Enjoy!

Half pint of Heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (it's up to you how sweet you want it)

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whip with a hand mixer or use a electric Mixer (I used the Kitchenaid Mixer):
http://www.target.com/p/kitchenaid-classic-plus-stand-mixer-empire-red-4-5-quart/-/A-14264291?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C14264291&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=14264291&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=14264291

Easy Homemade Applesauce

This was literally the easiest recipe yet!! We had some organic Fuji apples that were getting a little soft so my daughter suggested we make applesauce. I mean she said it like I hadn't been on my feet for 2 hours cooking dinner. So, I took to the internet to find a recipe I could modify to fit my needs which was for it to be super easy and simple! So this is what I did...

4 organic Fuji apples or any sweet apples such as Red Delicious or Gala
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon

Peel, core and slice your apples. Add the rest of the ingredients to a saucepan and stir. Heat on medium for about 20-25 min or until soft. Let the apples cool then you mash with a potato masher or fork. I used a mix n masher, which is the best ever at mashing anything. Unfortunately I cannot find a link for you to buy one. The brand is OXO. 
It looks like this. 





When your done eat it right away or store in the fridge for later. Lets just say my kiddos will be eating applesauce for lunch tomorrow. 

Freeze your onions!

Well look at this!!!




Easy way to store your onions...4 easy steps...Chop/food process, put in cupcake pan, freeze and bag it in ziploc bags. I used wax paper in the cupcake so it was easy to remove once frozen. Drop them in any recipe that requires onions. 1 medium onion divided into 7 portions.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

So I did it and it was so easy! I finally got my Madagascar Vanilla beans and I got my little bottles I ordered on Amazon. Click link to order http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Round-Bottles-Oz-Pack/dp/B003FXH2LY/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_cp_1_GJCK

All I needed was some vodka or Rum so I got a 1.75 L bottle of Rum. I had 15 vanilla Beans that I ordered on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Bourbon-Madagascar-Vanilla-Beans-Mushrooms/dp/B000ET4SM8/ref=sr_1_5?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1365821313&sr=1-5

I had to pour out about 4 oz to fit the beans so I made a drink. Makes the task less mundane :) Took 12 beans, cut the ends off and sliced them down the middle. Then I dropped them in the bottle. I had 4 left over so I cut them in half, split them down the middle and dropped them into the2-3 oz jars. I added vodka from our bar to the 3 oz jars. Hey "Why not?".

 So now I have 1.75 liters of Rum Vanilla extract and 2 jars of Vodka vanilla extract sitting in a dark, cool cabinet. I will shake the bottles once per week for 8 full weeks then I will update with the end result. Cookies coming soon!

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ small chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups organic chicken broth See my recipe below for crock pot chicken and broth

1 cup cooked organic brown rice (I use a rice cooker)

½ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of onion powder

½ teaspoon chili pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked, shredded organic chicken or Shrimp

Directions

Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and green bell pepper and saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, rice and all spices

Bring all to a boil; reduce heat, cover skillet and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in shrimp or Chicken and cook until heated through. Discard bay leaf and serve hot.

Crock Pot Chicken and broth

1 whole organic chicken or 6 chicken thighs

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon basil

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Himalayan sea salt

3 bay leaves

3 chopped celery stalks

a couple of chopped carrots

half onion chopped into big sections

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

I use this for my chicken noodle soup stock or freeze chicken and freeze broth in a mason jar to be used later in soups, cooking rice, gravy etc.