The Cottage on the Hill

The ingredients list on commercial mayonnaise jars is enough to send any health-conscious person running. For me, it was more than that.  I avoided mayo because my gastronomy became my enemy. Mayonnaise can seem daunting to make, and it is most costly to make homemade mayo than it is to buy commercial mayo, but the benefits are big, especially if you are on a GAPS/SCD, Whole30, Paleo, or other low-carb diet. Utilizing ingredients from Aldi can help keep costs down. Homemade Mayonnaise Put in a blender: 1 whole egg 1 egg yolk  (for eggs, I recommend not buying the Aldi egg, but spending the money on local, high quality eggs to reduce risk of contamination from using raw eggs.  Wash the eggs before cracking.) 1 1/2 tsp. fresh squeeze lemon juice (You can buy lemons at Aldi, usually, or use their bottled lemon juice.  The fresh lemons are better for you, though.) 1 tsp spicy brown mustard (Or dijon mustard.  You can buy both at Aldi.  I ...

I had success baking bread on my stove top!   I dug through my shed and found a Griswold cast iron pot with no lid.  Hubby removed the bale handle for me and my inverted #8 cast iron frying pan fit nicely as a lid and gave height to the "oven." I made my usual sized recipe of 3 cups of flour, but had to divide it in half and bake each half one at a time.   I used one of my small round pyrex casserole bowls to bake the bread in.  Greased. Inside the pot, I placed a trivet to put the pyrex bowl on.  I preheated the pot on the burner and preheated the frying pan on another burner. Then, I placed the bread on the trivet and covered the pot, keeping the heat at medium.   I didn't get a chance to time it, but it does take longer than in a conventional oven.  A long while later, I ended up with this! It is a successful, tasty little loaf of bread!  The bottom has a good crust.  The top is weak, as is understandable ...

Thanks to THIS RECIPE from Bulk Herb Store, I started making my own herbal smoothies at breakfast time. I am following the herbal blend portion, but not necessarily the smoothie portion of the recipe. Instead this is what I'm doing: banana frozen fruit homemade yogurt raw milk organic unrefined coconut oil acerola powder herbal blend Whirr away and enjoy! Yum yum yum! And filling! The herbs in this smoothie are all considered safe to consume during pregnancy, though if you're concerned, please contact your appropriate health care provider. The herbs are considered a great alternative to consuming synthetic vitamins. The neat thing, too, is that I didn't have my major afternoon crash like I usually do! That's a HUGE plus for me!

I have to be honest with you. If you want to eat better and you have a limited grocery budget, not only do you have to simplify, but you have to work harder. Yep. Make your own. Hate the idea? Well, if you want to eat better, then get over it. Life takes work and getting where you want takes work. Convenience costs one way or another. Hard work pays one way or another. It's daunting at first, I know. But once you get into the swing of things, it isn't so bad. It's ok to pick and choose, too. It may behoove you to make your own yogurt, but making your own bread is just too much. Just figure out what works for you and go with it, so long as you are actually saving money. Another thing to consider when making your own is the total cost of the end result. Remember, when comparing how much it costs to make your homemade bread that you don't compare it to Wonder Bread, but rather the finer, natural loaves. Sure, it may cost you more than a loaf of cheap Aldi...

Is there a burner on your stove that rarely gets used? Why? For me, it is the front right hand burner. The front left gets used the most because it is the only big burner on my little stove. The back two get used for safety reasons with curious little fingers. Thus, the front right hand burner is often on the "back burner."

www.ansonmills.com Lately, I've really been enjoying adding cornmeal to my sneak-attack quickbreads*. I love the texture and the reduction in the use of gluten since I seem to be gluten sensitive this pregnancy. It also adds a sweetness to the bread. *My sneak-attack quickbreads are made from leftover fruits and veggies I have laying around my house. For example, my latest one was made from banana slices not eaten at breakfast and pears that were past their prime. I made a carrot orange quickbread before that from leftover carrots and greenbeans and an orange that was getting too juicy on the inside. I've also made spinach bread, zucchini bread, apple, mixed vegetables.....any combination thereof. I use as little sweetening as possible. Bananas are usually add to the mix to add sweetness. Raisins help. I like to use maple syrup and/or molasses (depending on the bread), but if it needs it, I'll add a little Florida Crystals sugar. I follow no recipe. The result i...

I am desiring more and more for my family to eat as healthfully as possible, especially since 2 out of 3 of my children are very picky eaters. Unfortunately, our grocery bill is through the roof and I STILL pass up important organic foods because of the expense. So, I am starting this series, Budging the Organic Budget, as a sort of brain storm of ways to keep the grocery budget down and healthful foods up. Part 1 Eat more simply. Variety is the spice of life, but now that I am a busy mom of 3 going on 4, variety can be an added burden. I used to love making all those ethnic, different and gourmet dishes. Planning all those different meals is time consuming and expensive, not to mention all the leftovers that go bad in the back of the fridge because heaven forbid you eat chicken twice a week. With 2 picky children, making dinners such as casseroles, or gourmet flavorings means a lot of waste. They don't eat it. So, I am taking inventory of simple, healthful meals my children...

You know, it's bad enough they jacked the price of cans of tuna and lowered the contents from 6 oz to 5 oz, but then they went cheap on the cans! So now when you press down on the lid to drain the water, the lid bends and tuna goes squirting everywhere!

In my ideal world, I'd be eating 99% local, organically grown foods, many that I grew or raised myself. As it stands today, that is not the case, so I shop by some food rules and compromises. 1. Buying local doesn't work to well in the great northeast when you're dying for citrus or bananas. In this aspect, I try to at least buy USA only products. 2. Because we eat apples frequently, I have begun buying organic apples when I can. As for local, I don't know of any apple orchards in my local area that doesn't spray. 3. I have decided to buy tomato products in glass jars the best I can to avoid the BPA leeching from the acid. 4. I won't buy tomato soup, sauce or ketchup made with high fructose corn syrup or canola/soybean oil. (I did have major sticker shock when I bought a small glass jar of pasta sauce made with sugar and olive oil. Around $5.00!! Thankfully, my local Big Lots had larger jars of other brands, many organic for only $2.50. That still seem...

I could never be a true locavore. I don't even think our summers could sustain a citrus tree! I just love citrus too much to give it up, however, I do check to make sure it comes from the USA. Last week, I was finally able to purchase my favorite orange available here in the frozen north; cara cara oranges! Cara Cara Oranges Pink Grapefruit Lemons Limes That is how my citrus love list goes. I'd love to hear from you what your favorite orange or citrus fruit is!

I made Bettina's Apple Sauce Cake from A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband with Bettina's Best Recipes for breakfast this morning. It was so yummy and so comforting. I love how the butter-based batter cooked up. Usually, the cakes and quick breads I make are fruit puree or milk and egg based. Always one to tamper with a recipe, though, I did use a bit less sugar, omitted the dates and nuts to make it more palatable for my children, used shredded apple rather than apple sauce, and accidentally poured in more vanilla than was called for. I also used white whole wheat and spelt flour. It still came out so yummy!

The making of culinary creations using leftovers used to be a housewife's skill. I'm not big on leftovers, myself, but in the name of thrift and less waste, (and the fact that I cleaned out my fridge today) I'm tackling some leftovers. I have turned some old carrots, green beans from my garden, frozen corn, some leftover mashed potatoes and one lonely drumstick into a pot of nourishing soup with the simple addition of chicken broth I had on hand and some herbs and seasonings. Then, there was the loaf of bread I made that was quickly going stale. I whirred some more of those old carrots in the food processor along with some eggs, spices, the good bits of an apple starting to go bad, raisins, maple syrup, a little bit of organic cane sugar (hopefully to make it more palatable to my picky eater) and some milk. I added that to half the loaf crumbled up in a bowl and I'm letting it sit overnight. In the morning I will bake it into a bread pudding (disguised as cake...

I feel like my whole week so far has been spent in the kitchen! Peaches needed canning and freezing since they were ripening quickly. Not wanting to waste the peels and just dump them in the compost, I put them in the blender and made peachsauce. I canned one quart of that and the rest I turned into homemade fruit roll-ups. I've also made fruit roll-ups out of strawberries and mixed berries. My 5 year old son asked for apple-cinnamon fruit roll-ups. It's a little extra work on my part to make the roll-ups, but at least my 3 year old daughter is eating fruit this way! CHEESE!! I've been cheese-making! Mascarpone cheese was the first one done. I was pleased with the results, and so was my mom who got half the batch just because I know how much she LOVES mascarpone. I also made goat's milk mozzarella. That was fun and made a delicious chicken parm that night. That took a LONG time to make. I still have some goat's milk left to make some chevre out of later ...

I've decided that cleaning out your refrigerator is not only a public service, but high on the list of hospitable tasks. Two facts: 1. Other people's refrigerators gross me out. The smells, the look, the clutter, the unidentified moldy objects hidden behind the milk jugs, the food I can't believe they eat....LOL. 2. I just cleaned out my refrigerator today. We have a picnic coming up this weekend. As I surveyed my house to see what needs to be done (everything!), the very idea of people opening up my fridge made me pity them. Other people's fridges gross me out, so mine must gross out other people. That made me want to clean it out. My beloved grandmother might be coming and she might open my fridge. That made me scrub it out! While my grandmother is not judgemental at all, and very understanding and kind, the idea of this beautiful, graceful woman opening up my fridge and seeing...well...my fridge...made me embarrassed. She is a champion housekeeper. Me? Wel...

Due to some digestive issues in my household (and the rising food prices), I'm exploring the world of soups more. Today's dinnertime soup is a variation of THIS Spiced Butternut Squash Soup . I've also put salads back into my diet. I've discovered the delicious combination of grapefruit and balsamic vinegar in salads.

Yesterday evening I dined for the first time on Moroccan food! I've had Indian food before, but not Moroccan. It was so good! I ordered the Seafood Tfaya. It was delicious....beyond delicious! I'm going to attempt to make it for hubby next week after Resurrection Sunday.

Spring is upon us and with it comes the yearly change in appetite for me. I switch from heavier, stick-to-your-ribs foods to lighter fare. I've switched from cheddar cheese to muenster and soft cheeses. And, I begin looking at fresh leafy greens rather than cooked. Unfortunately, I lack the self-discipline to create and eat a salad. Salads are time-consuming and they don't tend to keep well once made. I have visions of delicious, healthy salads in so many varieties, but never seem to get past opening the fridge door! One of these days I'm just going to have to put my big-girl apron on and start chopping. I'll have that salad yet! It just takes self-discipline.

As family grows and food prices rise, I'm learning to love soups as a healthful, economical and tasteful meal for my family. Growing up, soups were either from a can or were tasteless, anemic broths with little substance. Hence, I developed a dislike for soups and avoided making them. I've always liked hearty stews and chowders, though, so I've made those. Lately, though, I've been dabbling more and more in making soups and they're not as bad as I used to think! I've learned to start with a good, hearty stock. Growing up during the "fat free" craze of the 90's, I remember my dear mother boiling boneless, skinless chicken breasts and lamenting at the lack of flavor and color in the broth. Now, we have Nourishing Traditions smarts and we know to use skin, bones, meat, feet, hocks and gizzards to create a hearty, extremely healthy stock. I've also learned to use herbs. I love herbs. I have an herb garden. I have an entire shelf in a kitc...

Years ago I bought a practically new bread machine at a garage sale for a steal. Fully intending on baking fresh loaves weekly, I wasn't prepared for the hole-filled bricks that would emerge. The machine went back into the cabinet. Fast forward a couple of years. Out of necessity and interest, my father began baking breads. He has a few bread machines picked up at garage sales. I wasn't the only one unimpressed with what emerged from those machines. My father instead used the machines to mix and rise the dough, but shaped the loaves himself and baked them in the oven. I thought this clever, so I began doing the same. He is now one of the BEST bread makers I know. I'm telling you, his bread is superb! Mine is pretty good. So, now I LOVE my bread machine. I use it to mix and rise my pizza dough, bread, and today, noodles! But, the machine never bakes. The kiddos love peering in to see the paddles work.

Let's face it, eating healthfully can be expensive! Add organic to that list and your grocery budget goes out the window! I admit that it is easy to fall into grabbing the cheap stuff when you're trying to keep within a small grocery budget. I used to. But now I just can't bring myself to. On the other hand, I hate seeing hubby's hard-earned money slip through my fingers at the checkout line while I walk out with only two bags of groceries! Still, it's better to spend the money on good quality food, getting bang for your buck so to speak, than to waste it on worthless foods. Here's what I'm doing to feed my family better for less: Oatmeal for breakfast every other day. Soaked oatmeal, to be precise. On the other days, I make eggs. Sunday is for special treats like pancakes or french toast. I'm back to making homemade yogurt. Simple lunches of a good bread, cheese, and fruits and veggies, or peanut butter and local honey, or leftovers. More soups...