Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

1 – 8 oz. pkg. Cream cheese

2 c. powdered sugar

2/3 c. smooth peanut butter

2 c. Cool Whip (thawed)

1 – 9 inch graham cracker crust

½ c. Cool Whip for top of pie

¼ c. finely chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Whip cream cheese until soft & fluffy.

2. Beat in the powdered sugar & peanut butter

3. Fold whipped topping into the peanut butter mixture.

4. Pour filling into the pie shell.

5. Top with ½ c. cool whip.

6. Top with peanuts (optional).

7. Chill till firm.

The Quest

My love and I - we embark on a quest.

A quest to take our health more seriously and undo the ravages of winter hibernation.

Seriously, this winter was not kind to my body.  I had a sinus infection that lead to coughing, coughing that lead to a broken rib.  Two and a half weeks later I broke a second rib, again coughing.  If you have never suffered this injury please take a moment and give thanks...go ahead... I'll wait for you...

The only treatment for broken ribs is lying around on pain killers.  The pain was dulled so that I could breathe and continue to cough.  If I didn't cough, I would get pneumonia.  If I didn't breathe deeply I would get pneumonia.  But every time I would breathe it would move a rib, so the healing time was quite extensive.  They don't recommend wrapping broken ribs anymore either, because it restricts breathing and leads to pneumonia.  Did I mention I pulled muscles on both sides of my abdomen, again, from coughing before I broke the ribs?

Finally I am whole again!  And thanks to PCOS and 4 months of forced inactivity I am about 25 lbs heavier and lack energy pretty much all the time.  This is utterly unacceptable.

As result, we quest!!  Quest for health.  Quest for energy.  Quest for a smaller pant size!

I am quite an odd duck when it comes to weight gain.  It's all in the tummy (and arms, unfortunately).  But such is the nature of PCOS.  The insulin resistance leads to tummy fat every time.  Why my arms feel they must take their share, too, I will never understand.  So I still have great legs...I just can't find them as easily.  Haha.

Anyway, with emphasis on a high percentage of lean high protein and good fats in our diet we are changing the way we eat.

No more relying on processed, oven ready foods because I cannot stand at the stove to cook.
No more fast food 2 - 3 times a week because I cannot stand at the stove to cook.

Now I can cook again!  And I intend to use this power for good and not evil.

I find baking several boneless, skinless breasts of chicken at once very useful.  I usually do 4 - 6 at a time, sprinkled with herbs that sound good that day.  We eat 1 each at the next meal and I refrigerate the rest for quick, high protein meals over the next 2 - 4 days.  I did this Monday, and Tuesday I created the PERFECT chicken salad.

High Protein, Mayo Free Chicken Salad

• 6 oz cooked chicken breast, cubed (2 small chicken breasts)
• 1 rib of celery, chopped small
• ¼ cup walnuts, ground or chopped small
• 1 T. dried minced onion
• ½ t. garlic salt
• ¼ t. ground black pepper
• 1/8 t. salt (optional)
• 1 t. lemon juice
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (you will not taste the yogurt in the salad)

Combine and refrigerate 30 min.

Serve plain or in bread (whole grain, pita, croissant, etc.).

For sweet rather than savory version, omit garlic salt and add ½ cup grapes cut in halves or quarters.

You cannot taste the yogurt!  It's fantastic!

Here is one of my favorite pieces of off the wall, silly classical music set to a very cute video. Mussorgsky's "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" seemed like a great pairing with a chicken salad recipe, although we paired ours with cottage cheese and fruit on Tuesday.

Healthy Household - Cleaning Naturally Better

I have a hormone imbalance and allergies.  Cleaning around the house is, of course, important - but so is HOW the house is cleaned.  I have been exploring the wonderful new (to me) world of homemade cleaning recipes.  Let me assure you, these really work and cost pennies, maybe dimes, on the dollar compared to other store bought, chemical based cleaners.


My store bough laundry detergent is $5.36 for 32 loads.  My homemade laundry detergent $2.85 for 44 loads.  Seriously!!  The detergent I made works really well.  My clothes smell fresh, are very soft, and do not irritate my sensitive skin.  I even have homemade fabric softener.  I keep it in an old, empty bottle of my former store bought  fabric softener.  I like the irony and it help my DH and I remember which container it's located in.


Laundry Soap 

• 3 bars ivory soap, grated – $1.29
• 1.5 cup Borax – $0.63 (Per box - $4.00 - 9.5 cups)
• 1.5 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Powder – $0.66 (Per box - $3.00 - 6.875 cups)

Mix all and store in a container with a lid.
Total for one recipe = $2.85 for 44 loads
(Initial output of $8.29)


Use: 2 tablespoons per load


Don't use your food processor to grate the soap unless you have a grating disc in place.  It just makes a globby mess otherwise.  And and be careful not put the food processor or grater in your dishwasher with very much soap left on it.  You could have a foamy accident!


Fabric Softener

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 cup baking soda
• Shake well
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar

Use: 1/3 cup per load - shake before each use.
Both are suitable for sensitive skin.  The ingredients are all natural and gentle to your skin.


All Purpose Spray Cleaner


Quick and inexpensive spray clean with easy to find ingredients.  It cleaned the inside of my microwave with ease and cuts through grease with no trouble!  If you need to scour a surface, use baking soda and a spray of this cleaner.


Add the following to a spray bottle:

• 2 cups hot tap water
• 3 tablespoons Borax (shake well with water to dissolve)

Add:

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I used 5 drops orange and 5 drops grapefruit oils.)

Shake before each use.  It works like a dream and smells delicious!

Chocolate Syrup - Dirt cheap and no evil ingredients!!

High frusctose corn syrup.  It's evil and it's in store bought chocolate syrup - oh the horror!

For more info on why HFCS poison and how it's making us all fat (or why we have to fight harder to keep from gaining weight) please visit a previous post here.

BUT no worries!!  You can make it at home and it tastes BETTER than even the most popular store bought chocolate syrup (you know the one)...and it's dirt cheap as well as easy to make, too.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa powder and the water in a 5 quart saucepan (or larger). 

Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. 

Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. 

Bring to a boil watching carefully or it will boil over and make a huge mess!

Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Be careful not to let it get too hot and boil over! 

Add the salt and the vanilla. 

Let cool. 

Pour into a clean glass jar, and store in the refrigerator.  If you fill the jar or bottle while the syrup is very hot and place the lid on immediately, it will form a decent seal.

 Keeps for several months, but I seriously doubt it will around for that long. 

Makes about two cups.

The result is very rich, so I only use a teaspoons for an 80z glass of chocolate milk.

I poured the chocolate syrup into a cleaned jelly jar.  Super cute!!

Pan Roasted Broccoli

 

Broccoli for the broccoli haters.

This does not have the strong broccoli taste you may be used to - a bonus at my house.  I love broccoli!  My husband does not, unless it is drowning in cheese sauce so that it does not taste of broccoli - it just tastes like cheese.

Well step aside green beans, carrots, corn, and all other sweet and mild tasting vegetables, this is the moment for a new broccoli!

Pan Roasted Broccoli

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups fresh chopped broccoli florets (the heads of the broccoli)

3/4 cup broccoli stems (or more, according to taste)
6 tablespoons chicken stock or chicken broth (stock has a richer flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1lbs.  Broccoli separated into small florets and sliced stems 

Directions:

1. Stir stock or broth, salt, and pepper together in small bowl, til salt dissolves.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high then add the broccoli stems in an even layer.
3. Don't stir for about two minutes until they get light browned.
4. Add the florets and toss to combine and don't stir for another two minutes, until they just begin to brown.
5. Add broth/stock and spice mixture and cover pan with lid, cooking for two minutes.
6. Uncover and cook until desired tenderness.

Family Christmas Recipies

My family bakes.  We always have.  I don't actually remember not knowing how to bake.  My mom started my younger sister and I on Christmas cookies when were 3 years old - or maybe younger!  It was a wonderful intro to the art of baking.  Mom remembers baking her first pie at nine - and I remember putting colored sugar and red hots on cut out sugar cookies practically from the cradle.  (Red Hots are small candy buttons that are flavored with cinnamon and are probably the best thing about Christmas cookies...ever!)  The other strange item we had for decorating was a small ball, kind of like a tiny pearl except it was silver.  I rarely see them these days in stores, but when I do I get excited and extremely nostalgic.  They were perfect for buttons down the front of gingerbread men and women and beautiful as reindeer eyes.

Mom has a wonderful collection of cookie cutters for the sugar cookies: bell, stars, snowman, holly leaf, Christmas tree, reindeer, two different angels, a gingerbread boy and girl, and  more I'm sure I've forgotten.

The point is that this was not just a festive holiday confection - it was a creative art!  I am a creative person by nature and this was probably on of the first outlets for this dominating aspect of my personality.

Other traditional cookies in our household include Russian Tea Cakes, Chocolate Spice Bars, and Buckeyes.

In 1993, my family hosted a Russian exchange student for almost a year.  She said she had never heard of the Russian Tea cakes or seen anything like them at home; file the cookie's name away with french fries and English muffins.  Oh, well.  They are ridiculously delicious regardless of their unknown origin.  Some say they are very similar to the Mexican Wedding Cake.  They are simple, crisp, walnutty goodness - where ever the come from.

The Chocolate Spice bar is traditionally the first Christmas treat to be baked in our home.  Not because is an out-n-out favorite, for who could choose a winner among so many amazing pastries, but because it is dead easy.  It's very much like a brownie, but with the Christmas spices cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

The Buckeye seems to be peculiar to this part of the world.  Perhaps because we are the buckeye state?  My sister lives in Wisconsin and seems to be the only one in her circle of friends and acquaintances that makes this chocolate and peanut butter delight.  Needless to say she and they are very popular and well received each holiday season.

So pick one, or two recipes and try them at your house - or be brave and try them all!  Every year I make Christmas cookies and remember the wonder of childhood.

From my family to yours - Merry Christmas!

(Btw, I will be getting around to making some of these very soon!  Check back for pictures!)

CHRISTMAS  CUT-OUT  COOKIES

Cream:   ½ c. butter

                 ½ c. shortening

                 1 ½ c. sugar

Add:        2 eggs (add one at a time, beating well after each)

                 1 t. vanilla

BEAT UNTIL  LIGHT

Dissolve: ½ t. baking soda in

                       1T. milk (use a few drops of vinegar to sour the milk)

Sift:         4 c. flour

                 ½ t. salt

Add:        cream & flour to egg mixture.

BLEND  WELL

Chill:      until very cold.

Roll:        ¼”  thick on a floured board

Cut:         into desired shapes (dip cookie cutters in flour occasionally)

Bake:      350  for 8 min.

DON’T  BROWN  THESE  COOKIES!!

CHOCOLATE  SPICE  BARS

Ingredients:

¾ c. shortening                            

1 ½ c. brown sugar                      

¾ c. flour

3 eggs                                            

1 ½ t. cinnamon

½ t. allspice

½ t. cloves

2 t. vanilla                                    

3 sq. unsweetened chocolate

(substitute: 3T. cocoa powder &1t. oil for each choc. Square)

dash salt                                             

Optional: 1c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.    Grease a square pan.

2.    Work shortening until soft & light (I do it all with the mixer)

3.    Add sugar gradually & continue working till creamy.

4.    Add unbeaten eggs and beat hard.

5.    Dump in vanilla, spices, salt & flour.

6.    Mix well

7.    Stir in melted chocolate & nuts.

8.    Pour into pan

9.    Bake at 375  for 25-30 min.

10. Sprinkle with a little  powdered sugar.

11. Cut while still warm.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Mix:

1 c. butter

½ c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Add:

1/4 t. salt

¾ c. chopped walnuts

2 ½ c. flour.

Chill:

Roll into walnut size balls.

Bake:

At 375 for 12-14 min.

Roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.

BUCKEYES

1 ¼ lbs. powdered sugar (4 ¼ c.)

½ lbs. butter (2 sticks) (melted)

1 /12 c. peanut butter

6 oz. chocolate chips

¼ cake paraffin or shortening

  

1. Mix sugar, melted butter & peanut butter.

2. Shape into balls the size of walnuts.

3. Melt in double boiler chocolate chips & paraffin.

4. Dip balls in chocolate using a toothpick & leaving a dime size area undipped.

5. Put on waxed paper.

6. When cooled, use your finger to fill in the hole.  Sometime a drop of water helps work the peanut butter better when filling over the toothpick mark.

BBQ Chicken in a Crock Pot

BBQ done easy.  

BBQ done to perfection!

A simple recipe that takes about 5 minutes to put together.  What's better than that?

• 1 1/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.  (I like Baby Ray's Original.)
• 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (frozen or thawed)

Add all to a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 - 12 hours.  I like to put mine on right before bed and serve it for lunch.

Serves 4.

I serve it over white or brown rice with plenty of the juices.

Pan roasted broccoli is an excellent side dish to complete this meal.  Even if you are no fan of broccoli, give this recipe a try.  My husband loved it, and he's never before like broccoli unless it's drowning in cheese sauce.