Every one a coconut.

After the coconut milk had been made,  I still had no inclination to get to “work”, and besides, I was technically in the middle of home school. So while I listened to the girls reading, I made ice cream and macaroons.

The ice cream was a big hit and super easy:

• 1 banana


• 1 cup of coconut milk


• as much vanilla essence as you like (or none at all – I used just shy of a teaspoon)


• honey (I used aboout 1.5 tablespoons, and found it rather sweet)

Blend everything well in a food processor, then freeze. This amount of mixture made six ice lollies, and froze reasonably fast. It was delicious but I think next time I will take it out of the freezer and beat it a couple of times to get the crystals out. If chocolate was allowed on the SCD I would definitely dunk the ice lollies in melted chocolate. So much of nice.

The macaroons were less successful. I’ve made macaroons many times and while I’m no Daniela, they’ve always been edible and in most cases people ask for more.

Not today.

I think I hadn’t squeezed enough coconut milk out of the coconut, and I also substituted honey for sugar, so almost immediately my light and fluffy egg whites swirled into slightly separated strangeness. I thought a tablespoon of macadamia nut butter would help to reconstitute the mass into something that would sort-of hold together, but that was a mistake and I knew that before I even opened the jar.

It wasn’t all bad, because after 20 minutes of baking, the macaroons began to resemble the correct consistency. I let them cool, scraped them into a bowl, and formed the lot into 9 little balls. Baking these yielded something … well … something. But it’s edible. And you don’t need a spoon.

I won’t post the recipe until I have one that works.

So, why the coconut?

Have I mentioned SCD? I’m sure I have and you’re probably like everyone else who knows me by now: over it! But whether or not you’re over it or you’ve never heard of it, it is fascinating and I can’t wait to get started. All I need to do is read the book, understand the book, and get started.

I have started reading the book, so I know that coconuts make up a big part of the diet. They are a good source of a lot of the things our bodies need, and easily digestible. Coconut milk can be used as a regular milk substitute. It can be turned into yoghurt, and used for smoothies and ice cream. The liquid inside the coconut is a valuable source of electrolytes and the flesh is delicious and multi-functional.

Empowered by all of this information and ready to act, I headed off to the green grocer and bought the first coconut I have ever personally owned. Nestled among the bananas (to make it feel at home), we admired it for a few days, then finally decided to depilate it on Monday morning. I had expected the process to take long, and I supposed it did, but not as long as anticipated. Removing the hairy husk was followed by driving a nail into the eyes to see if any liquid came out. It did not.

Next up was the extremely satisfactory process of hammering it open. I wrapped the coconut in a dish towel, took it outside, and holding it down firmly by the dish towel I hammered away with semi-gay abandon. It was fun. Highly recommended.

Once it was broken open, I faced the tedious task of scraping off the softish brown outside of the flesh with a sharp knife which, despite the element of danger, was rather dull. The blender served well to break the flesh into the recognisable consistency of dessicated coconut, though without so much of the dessicated. I really enjoyed discovering the thick, waxy white by product smeared on everything (not sarcastic, I promise), and used that to great effect in lieu of cooking oil for frying the onions I used for dinner.

Using the method I found here, on the wonderful Nourishing Gourmet blog, I made coconut milk. I thought it was delicious, and really enjoyed it in my coffee. It was a little thin, but I think that’s because of the ancientness of the coconut I’d bought, which had not even a drop of liquid inside.

Given the cost of the coconut, the labour involved, the sheer delight of hammering the thing open (which in my mind is worth the cost all by itself), the by products (“oil”, coconut pulp), and the health benefits of it all, I think this is a potentially worthwhile pursuit. I could have made more coconut milk by using more water. (I used two cups, then one cup, while the recipe suggests two cups, then two cups. That made 2.5 cups of coconut milk). I could also have squeezed the pulp harder to get more out, I later found, and I now know that I need cheesecloth. Is that stuff reusable? I should probably have let it stand in the water for longer too. Some people even simmer it gently, which I may try next time.

Coco Mojo

Yesterday was a good day. Full of energy and accomplishment, it was the kind of day I wish every day was. Having worked until nearly 2AM the night before, when I had put my house in order by 7AM, I was disinclined to do any billable work. (Funny, that). So instead I “supervised” the girls as they sorted out their room. This process was made both more and less difficult by their best friend spending the day with us. She helped a lot, but the three girls can never spend more than a few minutes together without collapsing in giggles, and I didn’t have the heart to unleash Mean Momma on their hilarity.

We only started “school” around 9:30!



“Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild” has great special features, including an art lesson!

BFF (Tinkerbell) was visiting because she’d begged her mom to let her come and try a day of home school with us. We started by hacking open a coconut*, moved on to reading, made coconut milk, studied the Bible, made coconut ice-cream, then took a break. After lunch Papa Bear helped them to make hovercrafts to study the effects of air pressure, then moved on to an art lesson. Since we’re currently looking at identifying the shapes within objects, we decided to use the “learn to draw” part of the Stuart Little 3 DVD for today’s lesson. We drew Snowbell and Reeko, but by Stuart we were pooped. Although Goldilocks was up to the challenge of creating the little mouse, and did a good job, too.

I made the left over “dessicated” coconut into arguably the worst macaroons in the world, although they were better after I rebaked them, having dried out a little the first time around.

Papa Bear played tag with the girls out front while I made supper. They laughed and played and frequently declared, “Daddy needs to be disciplined!” This out burst was followed by well-intentioned beatings with a miniature yard broom, rendered utterly jelly-like as a result of mirth-overdose.

Dinner was delicious, despite Tinkerbell’s absence (she’d already gone home), and everyone relaxed in front of an animated movie afterwards. *Bliss*.

Why can’t every day be like this?

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*More on the coconut to follow.

Money Management and Real Food: lessons we can learn from both

Some years ago Papa Bear and I attended a Dave Ramsey Money Management course in our Church. It was great, and even though we’re only starting to implement the principles now (#1: emergency fund. Hmm..), we learnt a lot and it certainly affected our attitudes and perspectives.

This week I discovered a clever application of these principles in my research  into SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), so I’m sharing it here. The article comes fromKelly the Kitchen Kop and the full post (and others) can be read here.

Dave Ramsey’s Money Principle #1:

• Implement the Debt Snowball – Attack one debt at a time, the smallest first.  When that’s done, attack the next smallest debt.  Soon you’ll have gained the momentum you need to keep it going.

Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Principle #1:

• Implement the Good Health Snowball – Start with one thing at a time so you’re not overwhelmed.  (You could go through these Rookie Tips.)  Change that one thing in your kitchen or in your diet, and when you’ve got that down, move to the next goal.  Soon you’ll have gained the momentum needed to keep you motivated for each next step!  (My Rookie class could help with this, too!)

Dave Ramsey’s Money Principle #2:

• “Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else.” Drive beaters without payments, don’t spend money you don’t have, live within your means, save your money.  Then later when you’ve built up wealth, you can live like no one else.  You won’t be too buried in debt to have peace in your life.

Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Principle #2:

• “Live like no one else so later you can live like no one else.” Don’t load up onsugar any old time you feel like it. (A good reminder for myself, too.)  Cook most of your food at home.  Don’t eat out for convenience sake.  Don’t keep processed foods around.  Then later when you’re in your 50’s or 60’s and haven’t been to the doctor in years, or you’re in your 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and still on the floor wrestling with your grand kids or out walking each morning pain-free, you’ll be living like no one else.

Dave Ramsey’s Money Principle #3:

• Don’t be “normal”. Many may mock you for being “weird”, but remember that “normal” is broke and in debt.

Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Principle #3:

• Don’t be “normal”. Many may mock you for being “weird”, but remember that “normal” is sick and tired.

Dave Ramsey’s Money Principle #4:

• Don’t take advice from broke people.

Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Principle #4:

• Don’t take advice from those whose advice has kept us sick.

Dave Ramsey’s Money Principle #5:

• “The Borrower is slave to the lender.” (From the book of Proverbs.) Debt does not create peace in your life.

Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Principle #5:

• “The Truth will set you free.” (From the book of John.) Nutritional advice that makes common sense can free us from health issues that may have weighed on us for years or that could be right around the corner.  Good health can set you free to enjoy the life you’ve been given.

This week I’m starting SCD with my family, so I’ll let you know how that goes.

Kentucky-style grilled chicken

In my ongoing pursuit for health and happiness in the absence of masses of what the world calls “wealth”, I subscribe to like-minded blogs and try to apply what I learn as I go along. Today I got an email from ModernChristianWomen for the recipe below, which looks and sounds delicious! I’m definitely going to try this one, and I thought you might like it too.

KENTUCKY STYLE GRILLED CHICKEN

This is one of those unique recipes that you have to try to believe it’s good.  The ingredients are a very unique combination (in my opinion – I’ve never had anything like it before!) but the result is an incredibly savory, smokey grilled flavor.  You can use this marinade on both chicken and turkey – I haven’t tried it on pork, but I think it would be delicious!  I have also tried this on fresh corn on the cob…very good!  This recipe is a really nice change of pace from the more traditional BBQ chicken or Italian Dressing marinated chicken.  My family requests it often – and I think yours will too!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cider vinegar


• 1/2 cup vegetable oil


• 5 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce


• 4 teaspoons hot sauce (I use Frank’s)


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1/2 teaspoon mustard (I used yellow, but feel free to experiment here!)


• 2 teaspoons salt


• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or honey or your favorite sweetener)

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a bow and mix well.  Add desired meat to 1 cup of mixture and let marinate for 4 hours.  Grill over medium heat for 20 minutes – turn and grill for 20 – 30 more minutes until juices run clear and meat is cooked through.  Baste occasionally with extra marinade. 

The total cost for this recipe is $.55 – pretty good deal!  I love that a few simple pantry ingredients combine to create an amazing meal! And the difference in cost between this recipe and a store-bought marinade is about $2.00.  GREAT savings!

First of all, I should admit that I have tried these kinds of flavour combinations before, so I know they work and taste awesome. Secondly, I have no idea how this recipe translates into rands. I’ll have to make it, calculate it, and update this post.

Enjoy!

We have a logo!

My darling daughters (DDs) and I have decided to resurrect my sister's business: a farmers' market-style stall selling baked gluten-free goodies. Home educating my girls has given us the opportunity to practise fun alternatives to learning. Baking has proven a good one on many levels, and now it seems that building a business together could well provide a very valuable source of educational opportunities.

Today we started with step one: Identity. (Yes, I know other people would approach it differently, but I am, after all, a graphic designer by trade). We already had the name: Aunty Em's.

Today DD#1 created her first logo - for this business. Here it is. Don't ya love it?

[caption id="attachment_10" align="alignnone" width="300"] Aunty Em's - DD#1's first official logo (age 9!). So proud.[/caption]

 

Oh the depth of wickedness I have plumbed!

I have a very sweet tooth. It’s not a good thing, since sugar tends to make me squirly. (Although I am assured by my fans that it’s most amusing to watch!). I love chocolate. I loved fudge. I love condensed milk.

Fortunately, my allergies have been a strong deterrent. The sugar makes me squirly, as I’ve mentioned. Dairy does unkind things to my complexion, and the combination does both, with a side order of twitchy headache. It’s a good thing, because without symptoms I’d be gigantic. In fact, part of me is convinced that God got tired of trying to answer my prayer for will-power, so He gave me allergies instead. Effective.

Until today.

Dairy-free condensed milk. Toffee-like and delicious.That’s because a simple and poorly-intentioned Google search revealed the key to dairy-free desert nirvana: a simple recipe for making your own condensed milk! Oh wow. So I made some. Since I was experimenting with ingredients, I made less than the recipe suggested, but I will confess that as I write this, scarcely two hours since I started the experiment, there’s precious little of the gooey, toffee-coloured deliciousness left.

The original recipe can be found here, but this is what I did. (Heads up: this is an easy snack, but not a quick one).

Ingredients

• 1 litre dairy-free milk. I used soya milk, although I imagine rice or almond milk would work too.


• 1 cup granulated sugar -greatly reduced from the recipes I found online (can also use brown sugar). I totally used thick treacly sugar for this … *sigh* … Next time I might xylitol or even, if I’m feeling particularly adventurous, stevia.


• 1 tablespoon butter (Optional – to thicken the milk). I used margarine. I might omit this next time.

Thick and gooey and ickily sweet. Yumm.Method

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk and the sugar to a boil over medium heat.


2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for about two hours (yeah, I know..) until the volume is reduced by half. The mixture should be barely simmering and never bubbling at any point. Stir every 15 minutes or so to keep the milk from forming the “skin” on top. I forgot to stir and the milk burnt slightly and turn yellowish instead of remaining white. The original author said this but I did the same thing, so I’m leaving it in.


3. After 2 hours, stir in butter.


4. Remove the pot from heat and let the milk cool. The mixture will thicken further after it has cooled. Try HARD not to eat the fresh, hot condensed milk. It does scald, although the sheer bliss masks the symptoms for a bit.