Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

Veggie Wash

November 29, 2012November 16, 2012 by KTgreen

Michelle is posting for me today. She actually makes her own Veggie Wash! So clever!

OK, Boys N’ Girls it’s your old pal Mr. Wizard….(Ouch, I’m really dating myself – and not in a good way). Today we’re making household cleaners….No, not like Breaking Bad! Pay attention dammit! 🙂

I have for you a healthy food lover Veggie Wash. The stuff in the stores is great I’m sure. But my crafty and ‘economically challenged’ Mom sent me this little tidbit (note the spelling of the word Veggie on the bottle? …gotta love Ma…I’m not going to tell you what she comes up with for mayonnaise ).

I’m sharing this with you because I know there are people out there that lick their cell phones to clean ‘the stickiness’ off and then touch all sorts of other stuff with those newly ‘cleaned’ fingers…I would continue to explain that last comment, but that one needs a Blog Post all it’s own! Also, I happen to know it works. How, you ask? Well, back before I knew I needed glasses (I was in complete denial!) I went to clean something baked onto the glass door in my oven. No need to run the self-clean option, I just wanted some glass cleaner to break that greasy whatever off. I reach, for what I thought was my bottle of Sudsy Ammonia/Water mix (yes, I really do make my own glass cleaner, in a yellow spray bottle). I was disappointed that it didn’t remove everything…it was Veggie Wash! Duh!! So, since as a degreaser it scores an 8, I’m thinking those pesticides haven’t much of a chance against it. Have fun…

Step 1: Ingredients;

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Distilled Vinegar – yup cleans coffee pots too

20 Drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract – someone has too much time on their hands squeezing all those little seeds!

1 Tbl Baking Soda

Step 2: OK, Get a bigger bowl than you think you need – NO you may NOT mix it in the bottle…unless we’re all revisiting the baking soda volcano experiments of our Mr. Wizard days!Load in the Water and Vinegar, then count 20 drops of that stuff you went out of your way to pick up at the health food store.

Step 3: Sprinkle, EASY, I said s p r i n k l e the baking soda.

Step 4: It’s fizzing up pretty good now.

Step 5: Hey, too fast – Better move this rodeo to the sink!

Step 6: OK, that’s it. Now wait for the bubbles to go down. Go get your spray bottle and little funnel.

Step 7: I can’t wait for anything – hurry up! A little stir breaks them down.

Step 8: With a little funnel, pour it into your bottle.

Step 9: There you go – Cheap and easy…and super clean grapes. Just spray it on your fruit, let it wait 3-4 minutes and then rinse. Yummmm, no Sevin dust, Diazinon, or kid spit (which I think is probably a better insecticide than cell phone cleaner)!

Michelle

Oh, yeah, I know who used to lick off his cell phone to clean it! Think he gave that up. And he lives in the very cold white north where germs don’t have a chance to survive!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

November 29, 2012November 14, 2012 by KTgreen

It’s Fall ! Yippee!!! Besides loving all things pumpkin, I love, nearly, all things maple. Western Pennsylvania native – surprise!! One drawback, it’s a diet no-no. Most of it isn’t even real maple syrup either. Like so many things that have been Frankensteined (“It’s Fraaanken-schteen!!!”) like cheese labeled “pasteurized cheese-food product”, and mayonnaise that doesn’t require refrigeration …. makes you wonder. And yet, these things are deemed ‘safe’ and actually have found a place in our culinary quilt called the American Diet. Maple syrup is either 100% Pure Maple Syrup, or an artificially flavored corn syrup product. Lite syrup is just the latter with water aded, it seems. Which is why you really do use 1/4 cup as a serving, because it HAS NO TASTE! And a horrible something happens when they use artificial sweeteners for No-Sugar Maple Syrup. That’s when the stitches come loose and the monster turns bad – very bad.

That’s not the maple surple I remember as a child. Yes, I called it surple because I couldn’t say syrup yet…but that wasn’t going to stop me from asking for some! When I was little Grandma had what looked like a ginormous oil can printed with a snowy scene filled with that Northeastern Liquid Gold. And it was G o o d. When it was gone, Grandma kept a bottle of Mapleine, an artificial maple flavor that she’d cook with sugar, or Karo (corn syrup) to substitute until another of those big cans appeared. Now, I’m not sure just what they use to make Mapleine, and I don’t care, because it’s so close to the original I’ll take the chance. Last time I bought a bottle the label actually looked like it did some 40 years ago – which is how I recognized it on the shelf. They haven’t changed a thing. Something that has changed is our choice of sweeteners. Everyone’s heard about how we need to cut back on corn syrup usage and I agree. So, I set about looking for an alternative. Sugar, is well, just sugar and I’m needing to get away from that too. Honey has too much of it’s own character. I have to stay with a natural base to keep the amber goodness. Xantham Gum may thicken Whey-Low or a Truvia, but they have a ‘fake taste’ and the Gum makes a weird texture. Hmmmm, I did mention ‘amber’…. Agave nectar is amber. It’s the right consistency, and takes well to flavoring. Yes, it is technically a ‘processed’ product. It isn’t the darling of the health food world it used to be, now that we know what they have to do to get it. And it’s not one step from tequila either! Although, it has a low-glycemic index which helps the diabetics. Even dieters know the caloric burning advantages to using it. Wow- this is a no brainer. And I just happen to have a ginormous bottle of it – organic to boot. Let’s blend, shall we…

Step 1: Well, there really is only one step. There’s no cooking at involved. I used a 1/2 cup of Agave and 1/8 tsp Mapleine – it’s strong, be careful. Really? That’s it? It’s great!!!

Even though I love pancakes, I know I can only eat one or two. I used only about 2 Tbl on 2 pancakes and that’s all they needed. It soaked in and was mapley all the way thru. Yuuuum. And 2 Tbl is like 120 calories. Which I can’t label as ‘diet’ but it’s at least not the 230 that regular syrup packs on. If you want Butter Flavor, well, ok. We’ve already gone the slippery slope of artificiality so add a drop or two of Butter Flavoring. I use the Wilton for icings that need to taste good, but that real butter will make to soft to decorate with. It’s not bad, and adds a warmer, buttery pancake syrup flavor….just like on the farm. Back when my waistline didn’t care that I had 2 pats of butter and an amber ring of gooey goodness circling my pile of pancakes. I was happy that Fall was back and Grandma had yet another one of those ginormous oil cans….

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

November 7, 2012 by KTgreen

Michelle is tempting us with a new recipe for football season!

Ahhh, October and football food….mmmmm. Pulled pork sandwiches, yummy, ugh nooooo – You’ve seen those greasy cousins of the gut bomb that the men inhale! Sure they taste good, all that fat laden pork swimming in a sea of bar-b-que sauce piled high on a puffy white bun. Hmm, ‘You are what you eat’ – puffy white buns. Yea, got em – don’t want ’em. Let’s fix this. With some more help from my fitness friend Jillian Micheals (did I say friend? No friend would kick my ass like that! I know I asked for it – and I love it), I’m sending you this counterfeit comfort food. It really is good, give it a try.

Waist Not Pulled Chicken

Step 1: First we need the ingredients. For my pot today I have some leftover chicken that well, didn’t turn out so well. So, I tossed it in the fridge and knew I’d make it work (because you know I can’t throw out food I can fix) Best for this are chicken thighs, skinless. Or whatever chicken’s on sale. Did I mention I’m cheap too?

2 1/2 lb Chicken (skinless)

1 can (17oz) Tomato Sauce

1 Small Onion, finely chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

4 can (4oz) Chilies, chopped

3 Tbl Cider Vinegar

2 Tbl Honey

1 Tbl Paprika (I like smoked)

1 Tbl Tomato Paste

1 Tbl Worscestershire Sauce (really Mr.SpellCheck, you know how to spell that one! Good Luck)

2 tsp Dry Mustard

1 tsp Chipotle Pepper, ground (or less…kinda hot)

1/2 tsp Salt

Step 2: Put the chicken, and the next 4 ingredients into the crock pot. Set on low for about 5 hours – or for however long you’ll be at work! If yours has an auto-shut off, great. Then set it to about 2 hours before you think you’ll be home.

Now, take the rest and in a little bowl mix together like a sauce and pour over the chicken and tomato sauce, give it a bit of a stir to mix it up. If you’re pressed for time, hold the chicken for last, toss the lot it all at once, give it a stir and then put in the chicken.

Step 3: Walk away – yessiree, just walk away. Go do something fun or whatever.

Step 4: Oh good, you’re back. Smell that? OMG! Yuuuum!

Step 5: Pull the bones out with a fork and shred the meat.

Finale: There you have it. Jillian’s site says this should be 184 calories, and 8g fat. For the photo I’ve got one of the Publix bakery rolls, any big whole grain roll will make it a man-sized meal. And, yes, if you’re from The South, you can put a pickle on it. I really enjoy it on one of those little flat deli sandwich rolls,…or just put on a bed of salad drizzled with ranch (lo-cal of course). Those chips are Cape Cod Reduced Fat chips – heavenly. I guess it isn’t really ‘counterfeit comfort food’ if it’s real…and really good for you!

Michelle

I’ve made pulled chicken before. How can it be fake if it’s real and yummy and everyone gobbles it down? I’ll have to try Michelle’s recipe since it’s even lighter than the one I used. Bucs are on a winning streak and this would be good to munch on during the next winning game!