Yummy in your tummy creamed spinach

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So i looked all over for a creamed spinach recipes and decided to cobble together my own based on all of them! So here you go, I have made this ahead of time so that the flavors can mix together for tomorrow!

Yield: Makes 8 servings

2 lb frozen spinach

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup cream cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ parm cheese finely grated

Defrost Frozen Spinach . Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Squeeze small handfuls of spinach to remove as much moisture as possible.

Heat milk , cream cheese cut up in cubes, and heavy cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until warm. Meanwhile, cook onion in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook roux *, whisking, 3 minutes. Add warm milk mixture in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, and simmer, whisking, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, garlic, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until heated through.

Cooks' note:

Creamed spinach can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over moderately low heat until hot.

What is a roux you ask…

Here is your answer:

Roux is a cooked mixture of wheat flour and fat, traditionally clarified butter. It is the thickening agent of four of the mother sauces of ... ( from wikipidia)

Now how do you make one:

Here's How:

0.Melt 1/2 cup (unless a specific amount is called for) of butter, shortening, oil, or other fat in a heavy skillet over very low heat.

0.Gradually sprinkle the hot melted fat with the same proportion of flour and immediately begin stirring.

0.Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the desired color, which may take from 15 to 30 minutes.

0.Remove from the heat and continue stirring until it has cooled down a bit and there's no risk of burning.

0.Add herbs, vegetables, or whatever your recipe calls for or store roux tightly covered in the refrigerator for later use.

Tips:

0.A dark roux will thicken less than light roux.

0.If black specks appear in the roux, it has burned and you'll have to start over.

If roux is made ahead and refrigerated, pour excess oil from the surface before reheating, or let it return to room temperature.

Cozy Brunch

I woke this morning and just did not want to get out off bed, it was cozy, warm and inviting. So I stayed there, I didn’t have somewhere to be, coffee was calling my name but the pull of the covers won out. As I surfed the web I started to think about the various holidays going on and how right now it’s Hanukkah. I have always lived fairly close to a Temple, had Jewish friends, and when in the hospital the sweet little Bubbeh comes finds me and spends hours speaking Yiddish to me. I never can answer so I just smile nod my head and pat her hand right back.

I love Potato Pancakes they might be the perfect comfort food to me, I order them wherever I can. I have never made them, they seemed like impossibility. My friend Ingie, made them for us last year… they where to die for! But mind you this is the same amazing women who made deviled quails eggs for a party we all had… Yes, it took hours to make them. So this morning when I finally rolled out of bed I thought POTATO PANCAKES for brunch!!! I knew I had everything I needed; I had been searching recipes for days.

Ok so let me say this the recipe below is delish, I just combined all the ones I had read, the only thing I would do different is add parsley and wring the potatoes for a bit longer… so enjoy ! PS I made them with out my daily needed coffee! Also please note that I made them with out my much-needed coffee… wait I still need that Coffee!!!!

Ok on a total side note, Target has Mrs. Meyers Iowa Pine Cleaning Soap and Spray on sale for 2.99 it is heavenly, and very enviro friendly! ( you can see it it in several of my pictures)

Potato Pancakes aka Latkes

5- medium baking potatoes

1- onion

2- eggs

2 tablespoons flour

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1-teaspoon garlic powder

Vegetable oil

Butter 2 pats

½ cup greek yougart

½ cup sour cream

½ applesauce

Directions

Prep eggs, flour, salt, and pepper and garlic powder

Grate onion with either a hand grater or food processor.

Using a hand grater or food processor, grate the potatoes. Wring dry in a dishtowel. Put into a mixing bowl, and toss with onion, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cover the bottom with 1/2-inch of oil. Add 1 pat of butter too! When the oil is hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling into individual cakes. Using the back of the spoon, flatten each pancake. Pan-fry until golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Fry the cakes in batches and do not over crowd the pan.

Mix the greek yougart with the sour cream to create a yummy low- fat lower cal topping!

To serve, place a dollop of the applesauce and/ or sour cream in the center of each latke. Place the latkes on a platter and serve warm.

Raw Coconut Lime Cookies- So Yummy

For those of you that know me, my trip into Raw Food, has got to make you laugh and laugh hard. You know I love to cook everything, so that part is not a surprise, but to try Raw Desserts and crave them over yummy Red Velvet CAKES - WHAT!  But yes, I am really enjoying it. So is Sid for that matter :O)

While I am writing this lil' o’l blogger I am listening to the Wicked sound track and thinking of my friend Carol and her love of all things "Wicked and Sweet"

   While I am not 100% vegetarian or raw I do a good bit of it.  I'll do another post on all that later :O) These cookies are a great way to get started... especially when you are craving something sweet and a little crunchy :O) I think they would go great with a watermelon martini!

Original recipe from "LIVING RAW FOOD” by sarma melngailis

The Equipment you will need is:

Food Processor, Dehydrator (or a freezer :O))

2 cups macadamia nuts 

(I only had 1.5 cups so I added 1/3 cup of ground golden flax seeds)

1 cup shredded dried coconut

1-tablespoon lime zest

(helpful hint buy a zester it is so much easier)

1-teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup agave nectar 

(I used Vanilla Agave Nectar recipe to follow)

2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the nuts in the freezer to chill for a few minutes (I had them in there for 8-10 minutes, this helps with the oils in macadamia nuts) Once chilled, pulse the nuts, coconut, & lime zest in a food processor until the mixture is well combined but still a bit chunky. BE careful not to over process the mixture or it will become oily.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and combine well. (I just tossed the other ingredients in the food processor and mixed it in there for those of you wondering if you can do that). - I am all about less to clean up!

Using a ice cream scoop, spoon rounds of dough onto Teflex lined; dehydrator tray and flatten then into round cookies, about ½-inch thick. Dehydrate for about 24 hrs or until cookies reach the desired consistency.

 

·      Alright if you do not have a dehydrator, simply shape like cookies place between parchment, and put them in the freezer to harden for a chilled, crunchy cookie snack.

·      Also We don’t have a crazy fancy dehydrator yet, waiting till we move. So I just use parchment paper in ours works great!

*********************

Vanilla Agave Nectar - from Rebecca's infusion Kitchen

1 bottle Raw Organic Agave

1/2 of an Organic Vanilla Bean

open bottle

splice open the vanilla bean by running the pairing knife down the center, pull it slightly open drop in bottle with nectar... let the nectar sit for a few days. Then use as normal and enjoy a yummy treat!

My first ever Blog.... Oh, my

Well this is defiantly an experiment ! It almost makes me sick to my stomach to be writing my thoughts out, to share with the world. Oh, well I keep hearing the words transparent/transparentsy  where ever  I turn, I think it might be a hint... guess that is what i am about to do... become and walk out my life in a transparent light. I hope it has a tint of rainbown-ness to it... think, blowing bubbles, the light catches the bubble and you can see a rainbow of color in it, which holds the promise of so much. 

What we'll find here in this blog oh, mine.  Thoughts, hope, dreams, dares, food, laughter, love, passion and oh, so much more? :O) 

I am going to start off with life's  pleasure that I have been thinking about... TODAY  as the rain was gently coming down Sid and I played in a play ground at the beach. We swung on swings and slid down slides and I jumped in the puddles, my feet are still cold :O).  This made me want to start a list of LIFE'S PLEASURES... so here I  go :

LP's 

#101 walking on the beach with my hubby and girls 

#102 going to a mid-night showing of a new movie that's coming out 

#103 playing video games with your friends and family 

#104 swinging on swings in the rain with your hunny

#105 Kissing your hunny in the rain :)

#106 an amazing coffee with beautiful latte art

Ok that is all of those for the moment!

Check back soon for some yummy stuff