Wild rice soup and a teeny house update!

More on the house later, buuuuut!!!  I had to share!!  A few weeks ago I posted on my facebook page that I was going to paint a glittery topcoat on my daughter's walls of her room.  What I tried turned out splotchy and terribly uneven.  So, I talked to a friend and tried a different approach.  And guess what?!  It worked!!!  Thank you Carla for the suggestion!!!!!!!

Here's what I used.....

You just dump 2 of these into your gallon of paint and then mix it in.  We bought our paint at home depot a couple weeks ago, so it needed to be shook up.  We poured the glitter in, put the lid back on and took it back to home depot and had them shake it.  It is perfect!  Exactly what I envisioned!  I really wish it would come across in a picture but of course, it doesn't.  Sad that I can't share that with you, but just know this stuff is awesome!!  Sparkles from every angle!   I hope Shiloh will love it forever (doubtful, I know....she's only 9 months right now)!  I guess I will just have to love it forever for her!  ha!

Ok, so enough of that.  I'll post a blog soon covering what has been going on with our little "farm" soon!  :)

I made some homemade chicken broth yesterday, and there are occasions that the broth is just so delicious you can't can it or freeze it, you have to just make something with it right away or drink it! This was one of those times.  Yummy!  Anyway, so if you broth is homemade, this recipe will vary from time to time depending on how your broth tastes, but it will be delicious regardless.

 So, Mike was telling me that he wanted some soup out of the broth I had made and he thought rice would go well in it.  I thought about it and decided wild rice would be the way to go for a nice change.  Plus I don't ever really recall cooking wild rice and this would be a fun experiment.  Here's what I came up with!

Wild Rice Soup

8-10 c bone broth (I used homemade chicken, but you can most likely use whatever)

2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
2 c wild rice.....I used this (affiliate link)
filtered water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, combine broth, celery and onion. Bring to a boil and cook about 20-30 minutes.  Add in rice.  Cook until rice is tender; about an hour.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add water to desired soupyness.  These last two instructions (salt/pepper and water) are more of personal preference and depends on how salty your broth is already.  Mine didn't need salt and pepper because the broth was seasoned well prior to making the soup.  I did add about 3 cups of water though because the water gets soaked up by the rice and also evaporates while boiling....plus we like soupy soup :)


So my kids love to know if something I cook for dinner is on my "blob" and when I say "it will be soon!" and I start taking pictures, they beg to have their dinner plates or bowls picture taken too.  I just can't say no, so here they are :)

(Mike's bowl)

<== Ethan's bowl  
                                                Michael's bowl ==>

A few tips and tricks...

So this will be a short and sweet post because tomorrow is Valentine's day and I've got a few little valentines I need to prepare to treat tomorrow. :)  And I'm a bit under the weather so I'm gonna try and get some rest tonight so I feel better tomorrow.  I was actually wondering when it was going to be my turn....last week it was Ethan, then Michael, then Shiloh and now me.  Praying that Mike stays healthy and doesn't catch it.

So, I don't have a recipe but I do have a few tricks to share with you.

One of my recipes for pancakes (this one) calls for baking powder (with a sub for baking soda).  I really prefer making that recipe with baking powder because it fluffs the pancakes up much better than baking soda.  I recently learned how to make my own grain free baking powder!!  YAY!  All you do is 1 part baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar, and 2 parts arrowroot flour.  Then just measure out what you need.  Works like a charm!!!

Another tip is that any of the milk my recipes can be exchanged cup for cup with coconut milk or almond milk.  Despite the fact that there is an added "gum" listed in the ingredients, I prefer using this brand (affiliate link).  There are other kinds that are gum free, but I have not personally had good luck with them.  This one is smooth and works well for coconut whipped cream too!

For a butter substitution in any recipe, you always can sub coconut oil tablespoon for tablespoon (I was going to say cup for cup, but that's a whole lot of oil!!  lol!)

For a butter substitute in baked goods, you can sub coconut butter (equal parts).

I don't have a sub yet for eggs in baked goods that I am satisfied with but once I find one, I will for sure share it.  I know there are people who cannot or do not consume eggs and I don't want to leave them out.  I have a few things I'd like to try, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Anyway, I am sure there are more, but for now, that's all I can think of.

So, from our family to yours.....HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

As I've mentioned before, our family loves breakfast!!  Since going grain free (mostly), it's been difficult not to fall into the egg rut.  Scrambled is our "go-to" but sometimes I like to get crazy and fry them.  haha!  Anyway, I do a lot of scrambles that usually consist of whatever is left over in the fridge mixed up in scrambled eggs, omelettes, or hash, but sometimes it's fun to have something sweet for breakfast and my boys love them some pancakes!  So, this morning, I especially treated them and made these chocolate chocolate chip pancakes.

At first, Michael said "Mom, these look different.  They look really burnt".  haha.  I'm not the best pancake cooker in the world, but I definitely don't burn them totally black!!  lol.  He was very pleasantly surprised when he bit into the goodness that was these pancakes (if I do say so myself).

Sooooo, I'll get to the point and post the recipe already.  :)  Enjoy!!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1/4 c coconut flour
1/4 c arrowroot flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c milk
3 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/4 c chocolate chips....I like these (affiliate link)
coconut oil for frying

Put all ingredients in a bowl and beat with hand mixer until combined (I turned mine up real high to get the cocoa powder clumps out...don't be afraid it will mess up...it won't).  Heat skillet on medium high and melt a small amount of oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet).  Using a 1/4 cup, pour batter into pan.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until bubbles form and start popping.  Flip pancakes over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Serve warm and plain or with your favorite topping.

Brussels Sprouts with fennel and bacon!

I.  Love.  Brussels Sprouts!  I didn't used to love them, but now sometimes, I can't stop eating them!!!  I never ate them growing up and my first encounter with them was when I was an adult and I happened across them in the frozen veggie section.  I was making my own baby food at the time (trying to offer a variety of veggies so I wouldn't have a picky eater as he got older) and I made my oldest son Michael, some boiled and pureed frozen brussels sprouts that smelled like feet (GAG!!).  Poor sweet baby!  He ate them, but you could tell he didn't really want to!  Soooo, I decided to hang up my brussels sprouts cooking shoes for a while after that.  Ha!

.......Until........my dear friend Carla showed me the error of my brussels sprouts cooking ways (Thank you, thank you Carla!)!  Saute' them in coconut oil or butter, salt and pepper until they are cooked through.  Delicioso!!  So good!  Mike liked them too (which, he really likes all food, unless it's really, really bad......which thankfully has only happened once in our marriage) so that was a plus!  My kids?  Well, none of them have quite come around but I am working on converting them.  Michael may never come around since I tortured him with them when he was a baby, but we will see.....I'm gonna keep trying.  ;-)

Anyway, so I had gotten stuck in a rut.  Every few days we were having saute'd brussels sprouts and Mike requested that we take a break from eating them.....haha....oops!  So I waited a while and decided to look into other ways to cook them.  Then I decided I should make one up of my own.  I was inspired by a recipe I found in the 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook (affiliate link).

Here's what I came up with.....

Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Bacon

1 Package Brussels Sprouts
1 Fennel Bulb
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

Slice the brussels sprouts and fennel bulb (keep the tops of the fennel for another recipe or put in the compost bin).  Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, place brussels sprouts and fennel in the pan.  Sprinkle salt, garlic and pepper on top and stir to combine.  Saute' for a few minutes (about 3-5) and then squeeze the lemon on top and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.  When the fennel is just about done, add chopped bacon and continue cooking until the bacon is warm and the fennel is tender (you want it to have a little bit of a bite to it....no mushy fennel) :)  Serve warm!

Yummy!!

I had to add this picture because while I was taking the picture of the dish,

 Ethan asked me to take a picture of his plate too.  haha.  

This is what was there....not very pretty, but he was pleased with it :)

(This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive monetary compensation)

Yummy Chicken :)

Well, this week has been full of cleaning, organizing and unpacking.......and then I look around and wonder what exactly I did (?!).  It's been one of those kinds of weeks.  Whew!!  One thing I did do relatively well was cook, which is a nice change from all the fast food (bunless burgers anyone?) and gluten free pizza we've eaten the last few weeks.  You can only do so much to make take out "healthier" so I'm glad to really be able to get back into my kitchen and create some delicious meals for my family.  In the last couple years, cooking has become my "outlet" and I love it....it's fun!

So this is a dish I made my family this week.  It's an easy chicken recipe with a little bit of tang and a little bit of spice; one of our favorites!  I hope you enjoy it too!!

Yummy Chicken

1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
1 Tbsp plain mustard
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine coconut oil, mustards and spices in a small bowl.  Place chicken in an oven safe dish and brush mixture over the chicken.  

Bake for 45 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 170 degrees.

House update

Well, it's been a little bit since I posted about the house, so I thought I'd share some of the work we'd done.  The pictures really don't do it justice, but everything is turning out beautifully!  We've had to break from working on the inside of the house because we need to get the outside ready for spring and for our new animals, so we've been working on getting fencing up and figuring out how everything will be set up.  There's gonna be a lot of trial and error when it comes to all that.....wish us luck!

I wish I had some pictures of Shiloh's room, but alas, that was a complete fail.  I'm not sure if it was the glitter paint, or the glitter painter (me!) but it turned out splotchy.  So, we are going to try a different technique that my friend (thanks Carla!) tried on her daughter's wall.  She said it turned out great, so as soon as we get this fencing done and I get over to home depot to get the supplies, I'll get it done and will post a picture!  

We also ordered bunk beds for the boy's room, so once those come in and I get their room all situated, I'll post pictures of that too.  I'm so ready for my house to not be full of boxes!!

Ok, so here are some pics!!

This is our dining room.  The green really isn't as green as it comes across in the picture.  It's more of a muted sage color, not this strange green that it looks like.  This is so far my very favorite room!  It is beautiful and I love it!  I can't wait to get a table and chairs for it and get it finished up (right now it's full of boxes).

This is a ceiling fan we installed in the living room (thank you Lori and David for the gift card!!).  LOTS of light in this house!  No more shadows for us!

This is my lovely clock my mother in law Dru bought for me!  We never knew what time it was so she got this for me and I love it!  It fits perfectly with the feel and design of the house.

This is the living room.....please excuse the boxes and the toys on the floor, and whatever that is on the couch!  LOL!  We have since hung the tv on the wall.  OH!  And that stove in the corner....wow!  It puts off so much heat and provides a nice and cozy atmosphere.  I love it!

My laundry room.  Once I get this completed I will be in love!  My sweet father in law, George, painted it for me and I love the color!!  I can't wait to get it finished.....a folding counter and a place to hang the clothes out of the dryer.....Yay!

I found this picture at walmart for $4.97!  What a deal!  haha!  

This is very true for our house!

Here's my sink, my picture and my clock!  

This is my home school room.  I am very please with how the room turned out and how Michael is doing in school.  He's so smart and just soaks up everything he learns!  He is so excited about learning and says he loves school!  I'm one proud mama!

This is a portion of the fence Mike and his dad put up.  

They did such a good job!  I am very proud!

Hard at work!!

Cutting branches!  

I was so nervous watching him doing this!!  

He finished up with all of his appendages intact!!

Stopping for a break.

What a cutie pie!

Watching her big brothers.

Ethan's turn to cut branches!

I love his expression in this one!!

Pretty sunset.  I love it here!

Well, that's all I have for now.  Not a whole lot that is completed, but some progress!!  Thanks for reading!  

Baked Grapefruit

I've been thinking.....there's a lot of things to talk about going on in my life, so I am thinking that I will make two posts; one with a recipe and one with an update on life happenings.  Let me know if you like that better or if you prefer it combined.  I want you to keep reading and happy, so whichever you all prefer, that's what I will do.

A few years ago, Mike took me to a bed and breakfast in Bowie, Tx for my birthday.  It was a wonderful weekend of fun and relaxing (with a quick trip to winstar....I WON!!), but one of the best things that I took away from the weekend was a delicious addition to our breakfast one morning; a baked grapefruit.  I am not a huge fan of grapefruit.  I think it is bitter and is definitely not first (or even 10th) in the lineup of fruits I enjoy eating.  HOWEVER, this grapefruit was yummy!  So, I set out to recreate what our sweet hostess made for us that weekend.

Here's what I came up with!!

BAKED GRAPEFRUIT


1 Grapefruit cut in half
2 tsp butter or coconut oil
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste...I prefer closer to 1/2)
2 tsp honey or coconut sugar
1 tsp Rum or Bourbon (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  With a small knife, cut around each little segment of the grapefruit.  This will allow for the flavors to sink down through the whole fruit rather than just sitting on top, plus it will help it come out easier when you eat it (thanks mom for this tip!)
3.  Place grapefruit on baking sheet
4.  Starting with the butter/coconut oil, layer the remaining ingredients on top of the grapefruit pieces (dividing evenly between the two halves)
5.  Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes.  When it is done, some of the
juices will be on the bottom of the pan, pour back over the top of the grapefruit.
6.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!