Author: ladypbwiggins

To My Tortilla Making New Friends

by ladypbwiggins

You will be my new friends if you help me with my homemade tortillas. My daughter-in-law and I spent some time together making our first homemade tortilla. It was really a funny experience. She had broken her glasses and couldn’t read the instructions and I had injured my hand an couldn’t manipulate the dough. We jokingly called this time, the Blind and Maimed Hour. Nevertheless, we made the tortillas. They tasted good and fulfilled the purpose but we were not satisfied. We used the instructions on the Masa Harina bag. It was simply the flour and water. The tortilla press I own did not make them flat enough so we used a rolling pin. Then we placed them on the grill where they didn’t hold together when folded. (We were making tacos)

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So to my new friends, how do I keep them moist and held together? If I get this right, I may almost never buy tortillas again. It was really easy. I like easy and quick.

What is this?

by ladypbwiggins

20160115_131340 (2)What is this?

It’s a little jar of successful goodness!

For weeks I had been thinking about the ease or dis-ease of making my own condiments. I watched those chefs on the Food Network make sauces and it didn’t look so hard. I quickly followed that thought with, “You are not a professional chef and you don’t even like to cook.” I chickened out and bought the organic ketchup from my favorite store, The Organic Roots.  The desire to make my own resurfaced as I thumbed through the Daniel Plan Cookbook. Lo and behold there it was: a homemade ketchup recipe. I have had this book for  months and I didn’t notice the recipe. So here is my version

The recipe called for 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes. I didn’t have enough so I used organic tomato paste and organic Roma tomatoes. All ingredients are certified organic unless otherwise stated.

6 Roma tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of agave  (I didn’t have raw honey)

1 teaspoon of sea salt

I threw all ingredients in the Vitamix. Blended on high until smooth.

It’s homemade ketchup.

One more thing off the grocery list except in emergencies.

Note. The consistency is thicker than the ketchup in the store. It was also sweeter. It didn’t hve that tangy taste. Store in the refrigerator. There are no preservatives. I plan to make it again and use the sun-dried tomatoes and add a little onion and garlic. I’ll let you know what happens.

 

Catching UP

by ladypbwiggins

So far behind.

My laboratory experiments stacking up.

Documents I need to read.

Clothes I need to wash, car too

Rooms I need to clean

Groceries to purchase

Meals to prepare

Research for Outreach Center

Making plans, making plans

Rest

When will I ever CATCH UP.

(You all should be laughing now because I know I just described your life, too!)

See, I forgot categories and such.

Back In the Lab 2

by ladypbwiggins

If you are like me, long blog posts sometimes get to be tedious. That’s why I broke Friday’s laboratory experiments into several parts. Continuing.

Country-Style White Loaves
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I tried to find the link for this recipe but there was only links to the book. It is The Art of Cooking Recipes and Techniques(The Cooking Club). The basic elements were all purpose flour (white), yeast, sugar, butter, milk and water. Those who know me personally, this recipe is healthy sacrilege. I must tell you I paid the price. I believe it was the source of gastrointestinal disturbances and inflammation pain in my joints. The reason I used these ingredients was because I bought the flour for Christmas desserts that we did not make. I decided to use it up and then replace it with oat flour or gluten-free flour. It was okay. Heavy like my great-grandmother’s.

Homemade Ketchup20160115_131340

This recipe is found in The Daniel Plan Cookbook. I used this recipe but I didn’t have enough sun dried tomatoes. Once again I substituted. I used ripe Roma tomatoes. I guess we are so used to the store bought kind that the sweetness was a little much. I don’t know if the tomatoes and honey combination was the source. I will use it and make the next batch with the sun dried tomatoes as instructed. I also checked the ingredients on the organic ketchup I had bought before. It contained more spices. Maybe I will add some of these spices on the batch after that. Continuing to experiment until I get the taste we want.  Ketchup

 

Vitamix Minestrone Soup

20160115_151027

I’ve wanted to try making minestrone soup for a while. I found a recipe that appeared to be similar to The Olive Gardens’ Ministrone. Before I had a chance to try it, I discovered a recipe in my Vitamix cookbook.  I tried it with a few changes. I used black beans instead of kidney beans and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I guess I blended it a little longer than necessary because my soup looked creamier than theirs. However, it tasted good. My husband and I decided mine would make a good spaghetti sauce. Here is the link for the recipe. It is worth a try. It is a tasty, quickly made soup. Vitamix Ministrone.

Some adjusting and changes will be made to better suit our needs and lifestyle.

Happy Experimenting.

Back In The Lab

by ladypbwiggins

On Friday January 15, 2015, I finally re-entered my my lab (kitchen). I have cooked meals but after the holidays I just was not interested in doing any “new recipe” cooking. I awaken quite early but I did not enter the lab until about 6:30 AM. I put the coffee on and moved into action.

The first order of business was to prepare for breakfast before my husband joined the conscious world.

20151026_091752Turkey Sausage I seasoned the ground turkey so that the sausage seasoning would have time to penetrate. This time I made more to freeze for future breakfasts.

 

Oatmeal and Dried Fruit Muffins 

I didn’t particularly care for bran muffins until I made these. Usually, I experience20160115_122020d very dry muffins. The black strap molasses and unsweetened applesauce make them quite tasty and moist. In stead of purchased applesauce, I put a fresh apple and a little water in my Vitamix and let it rip. The recipe is in Dr.Steven Masley’s 30 days Heart Tune-Up.
I cannot publish the recipe because of copyright laws. I would recommend purchasing the book, especially if you have heart problems. There is a lot of good information for heart health and many tasty recipes.

Mini Potato Corn Meal Cakes

Have you ever had boxed potatoes flakes and didn’t know what to do with them. I never used them and now that I am trying to prepare fresh, unprocessed foods I was at a lost. I didn’t want to throw them away. They were a blessed and appreciated gift in a Thanksgiving basket. While having my first cup of coffee, I noticed a recipe on the box that was interesting. It was Mini Potato Corn Meal Cakes. Why not, I said to me. I followed the recipe and it yielded more than I needed for that morning’s breakfast.You got it. I froze the rest. Here is the recipe with my real time changes.

2 cups Idaho Spuds Classic Mashed Potatoes

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed  (I didn’t use)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions  (I used yellow onions)

Combine potato flakes, cornmeal, garlic salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Stir milk, corn kernels, cheese and green onions.Let stand for 2 minutes.

Scoop into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Flatten into 1/2 inch thick patties. (I skipped this. I went straight to the skillet.)

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.

Place patties in a single layer in pan. Brown [patties about 4 minutes per side, spraying with additional cooking spray as needed. Repeat with remaining patties.

Serve warm garnished with a dollop of sour cream and green onions or shredded cheese. (I skipped this. It would defeat my healthy plan.)

My husband said the cakes were good. My omissions did not affect the taste.  Next time I will use fresh potatoes.

This is getting to be pretty long so I will put the other recipes in another blog.  Friday was a busy day.

Happy Experimenting.

 

Reflective Inventory

by ladypbwiggins

A few days ago my son asked me what was the purpose of my blog; why was it “random thoughts.” I told him that I had thoughts about many different things, so I didn’t want to be limited to one train of thought. He then said, “Oh, it’s just your journal.” That stung. Was it the characterization or maybe his perceived tone? Nevertheless, he made me take inventory and that required reflective thought.

From that process I solidified the purpose and structure of this blog. It may not be very marketable but I hope it will be fun or at least memorable. I want to be free to dabble in poetry and storytelling. I want to share insights from my personal bible studies. Who knows I might do a series of teachings on a subject. I want to share information regrading mental health and my rich culture.

20151115_160611
Out of darkness , light.

I want to share

spontaneous images like seeing a double rainbow or light shooting from a dark cloud. I even want to share a new experiment in my laboratory (kitchen).

Yes these are the kinds of things I want to share.

Now, I know what I want to accomplish with this blog. I want to

  1. Inform
  2. Provoke thought
  3. Inspire and encourage
  4. Challenge
  5. Learn from others
  6. Engage in conversation with people who have different backgrounds and experiences.

It will still be Random thoughts.

It will still be My journal.

I Need Your Help

by ladypbwiggins

To all my Facebook,  Twitter and Google+ readers and followers, I need your help. I am trying to decide if I should self host my blog. To make this decision I need more accurate statistics. Some of you have commented on FB or “liked” a post there. It would be helpful if you would “like” or post your comments on the blog posts. If you can’t for some technical reason, please let me know. I might need to fix something. I will be posting more soon and more regularly. Thank you so much. Blessings to you.

11:59 PM-12:00 AM-12:01 AM

by ladypbwiggins

So these are the last few hours of the year 2015. Some people have been planning for this night for weeks. Some people have begun the “get ready for the celebration or the parties” at the hair salon, nail salon, spa and BevMo. Some are even partying while preparing for “the” party. Then there are those like me who plan to bring in this new year as quietly and relaxing as possible. Regardless of the group or groups we fall in we share something in common. We are greeting this change with heighten anticipation. But why?

What is the difference between December 31, 2015 11:59pm and  January 1, 2016 12:01am; That line in the sand, the prime meridian of years, the ball drop hour called 12:00am, or midnight? What power does this hour hold that causes us to celebrate? In fact why do we celebrate?

I have come to the conclusion that the answer to all of this is HOPE! Hope that we get a ” do over” for decisions and actions that were not so good in 2015. Hope that all the bad stuff that happened in 2015 is behind us and that this new year will bring new, good stuff. For those who had very little bad stuff, you hope for more and better good stuff.

11:59 pm –Hope anticipated

12:00am – Hope activated

12:01am- Hope actualized

Hope activated takes but a moment. In that moment all the dreams for a better life slowly begin to take shape. Hope actualized is a long process that takes about 12 months. This anticipation and process is why we celebrate. We are glad the last year is over so we can begin the actualization of one HOPED.

Welcome 2016!

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No Conflict

by ladypbwiggins

The word science comes from the Latin “scientia,” meaning knowledge. … This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. … Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it.  www.sciencemadesimple.com/science–definition.html

or for the more particular

a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws: the mathematical sciences. 2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.  dictionary.reference.com/browse/science

 

The bottom line is science observes what is and gains knowledge from it. From where does what is observed come?

It is my belief that the what was created by God. There was a divine entity who executed a divine plan. Mankind has been observing and experimenting to understand God’s creation since the beginning of time.

God Created. Science learns.

No Conflict.

Essential Oils Essential

by ladypbwiggins

Peripheral Neuropathy – Peppermint, lemongrass, cloves, wintergreen, Lavender

I put about 5 drops each in a bottle with olive or coconut oil and massage it into my husband’s legs. It doesn’t cure it but it greatly reduces the pain and other symptoms.

Memory – Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint, Christmas Spirit

I have seen positive responses to putting these oils in the atomizer and sleeping inhaling them. It is also relaxing.  I sometimes add a few lemon drops to clean the air.

Repel Ants and Roaches – Peppermint

This year I didn’t have any ants while my neighbors reported an attack. That is what we call it here in the desert when the summer heat kicks up to 100+. I was donated some clothes for our church giveaway. They must have had a few roaches because after they stayed in my garage too long. I didn’t have a roach problem until then. I sprayed peppermint infused water around the baseboards ad garage entrances, my pantry, behind the stove, refrig and dishwasher and I have only seen one in months. That one seemed to have come up the bathtub drain. My next plan to insure that they are gone for good is to put a few drops of peppermint int he carpet cleaner solution.

Can someone give me a solution to get rid of crickets using the oils?

 

I am using my oils for all sorts of purposes. I don’t buy lotion anymore. Toothpaste is an endangered species. Haven’t gotten the deodorant down but it is next.

If you are interested in trying essential oils, contact me.