Showing posts with label Misc. Postings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Postings. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

FRESH SQUEEZED Orange Juice.... Don't Be Fooled! Plus a Neato Juicer


I'm not going on a big fanatical tangent about store-bought Orange Juice. 

Although I'd like to.

Instead,  I wanna tell you why one simple solitary orange can give you the Best Tasting.....Better For Ya......Instant Dose of Pure, Unadulterated Vitamin C......Just like THAT!

As the years begin to add up on my Life's-Calendar, I'm becoming more aware of what I eat, where it comes from, and if I'm making the right choices.

I've also learned how "clever marketing ploys" can trick you into thinking you're buying something good for you.....When in fact, it's only a mere shell of it's true original form.

Take store-bought Orange Juice for example.


True, "fresh squeezed" Orange Juice is literally impossible to package and sell.

In order to get the pure health benefits from "fresh squeezed" orange juice, it literally has to be squeezed and drank straightaway.  

Otherwise, it has to be heat treated, pasteurized, processed with additives, all of which, ZAPS the pure juice of its true health benefits.

It's an Orange in disguise really.


Store-bought orange juice is FAR FROM a Glass of Sunshine that the juice companies are implying.

Oh it's down right exhausting, all the information available on what happens to orange juice before it hits your grocer's refrigeration section.

I'll let you read all about it on your own, or you can just trust me when I tell you that no OJ is more pure than one single fresh squeezed orange.

INSTANT LIQUID VITAMIN C.

Which leads me to my new favorite juicer that I bought from TJ Maxx (also know across the country as Marshall's or Home Goods).  Quick, go there and see if they have any left.  You'll thank me for it.

It's nothing fancy.

It's cute.  It's simple.  And it's ergonomically perfect.




It's got a great little spout.

Perfect for catching the seeds.

Which, by the way, seed catching is imperative for recipes that call for juice from a Lemon.  Darn those little lemon seeds.

Plus, this handy dandy little juicer, squeezes out every last drop from your citrus product with very little effort.


If you are a pulp eater like my hubby, or have a recipe such as Lemon Orange Pound Cake which calls for pulp, this little baby will catch the pulp nice and neatly too.



Pure, delicious Vitamin C.

Oh, and fresh squeezed orange juice also has Vitamin A, Potassium, Calcium, fiber, antioxidants, and all kinds of essential amino acids which the body needs to make and repair healthy muscles.

But don't tell your kids all that gobbledy gook, their tiny little brains don't need to hear that just yet.




Just one, cute, round, supple, navel orange, can give you your daily allowance of Vitamin C.  All  in one quick squeeze.

So easy.
So pure.
So good for ya.

Your daily boost from this fruit couldn't be simpler.

Buy a big bag of oranges.

 
Cut ONE in half.


Use your handy dandy little juicer and squeeze away.


No added garbage.

The real McCoy.

Good stuff your body craves.


Juice from about 2 to 3 nice sized Navel oranges (1 c.) will give you your daily dose of Vitamin C.

Now get to squeezing and put that REAL Glass of Sunshine back in your life.


NOTE:
I am not professing to be a doctor, or a nutritionist, or dietitian.  What I wrote here might not be worth a hill of beans. It's just my personal opinion about fresh squeezed orange juice.
(This note is written just in case Minute Maid or Tropicana decide to send me a nasty-gram.
This sort of thing happens quite often when you publish your opinion on the Internet for the world to see).












Tuesday, June 7, 2011

DUTCH OVEN LOVE: The battle between CRUESET vs LODGE


I'm an avid Food Blog follower, and a blog that I love to follow is "The Hungry Mouse".

She's incredibly fun and is one of my favorite food bloggers.

This week she featured the one of the most clever posts I've ever read. 

Being a HUGE fan of my Crueset Dutch Oven, she instantly had my attention.

If you have a Dutch Oven, or always see all the Food TV cooks with their fancy white-bottomed pans, and always wondered what they are and what kind to buy - then you really need to read her post. 

Quite the clever lady.  Trust me, you'll be glued to every word.

A Battle between two Dutch Ovens!
by Hungy Mouse

Let me start by saying: This was not a scientific experiment. This was one little mouse in her kitchen with 2 pots and 8 lbs. of short ribs.

When it comes to cast iron, to a lot of people, there’s Le Creuset and Staub, then there’s everybody else.

They’re the Rolls Royce and Bentley of cast iron cookery. Of course, they also both come with hefty (think $200+ in many cases) price tags.

So when a couple of folks asked me recently what kind of cast iron they should buy, I wasn’t sure what to say.

Dutch oven love



I love my Le Creuset dutch oven. It’s actually the only one I’ve ever had. I picked it up on a super sale at Marshall’s maybe 15 years ago for well under $100. (Get the same pot today on Amazon.com for $279. Yikes, right?)



Now do I have your attention?  That was just a little snip of her post.

Finish reading and find out which Dutch Oven won the Battle here:  Hungry Mouse's Dutch Oven Battle - Click Here







Monday, May 30, 2011

MOOD LIGHTING.......Say Hello To My Little Friend, the Mason Jar.



Well, it's officially "Outdoor" time.

Us Midwesterners have a very small window of "outdoor" opportunity, and before you know it, we're back inside, hiding in our houses, waiting for that perfect evening to come along.

It's either raining, blistering hot, or utterly freezing around here.  So when the weather is perfect for Patio Sitting, we are outside faster than you can say......well......faster than you can say ...."Quick get outside before the weather changes".

My favorite outdoor sitting time is in the evening.  To me, there is nothing better than sitting outside on a perfect night.  And there aren't too many of those around these parts during a 365 day span.

So when they finally arrive, we take full advantage of them.

That's when Mood Lighting comes in.

Say Hello to my little friend............the Mason Jar.



Mason Jars, or Ball Jars (depending on what your grandma use to call them) are inexpensive ways to light up that perfect evening.

Just drop in a tea light candle or votive candle, and Voila........instant Mood Lighting.

* Line them up all around the edge of your patio

* Place them all around the ledge of your deck

* Hang them from trees

* Cluster them together, all different shapes and sizes, on your patio table

* Scatter them here and there in your back yard like little lightening bugs


So many ways and creative uses for these little fellas.

Almost any second-hand store you go into, you're gonna find Mason Jars for a pretty reasonable price, just waiting to be re purposed, and proud to give you that patio Mood Lighting.

You can find bags of 200 tea light or votive candles at Michaels or Amazon, for about $20.

A very cute, clever, and inexpensive way to set a cozy ambiance to your perfect evening.











So hurry up.

Get out there and enjoy those beautiful evenings.

And don't forget your little friend Mason, to help you create the perfect mood.



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Capture the Moment. MOTHER too many Photos!



I think my daughter is a tad bit fed up with my constant picture taking of our food.

I don't blame her one bit.  I've gone, somewhat, snap-happy.

Like the other day for instance, she comes in the kitchen after smelling a Brisket that I had just made, and asks if she can have some.

I fix her a plate with some Brisket, potatoes & green beans, and as I am handing it to her, it happened.

I saw a PERFECT photo opportunity.

The food, just so happened to be arranged perfectly.  I pulled the plate back, straight out of her hands, and said  "HOLD ON . Don't touch this plate yet".

I ran and got my camera and snap snap snap, started taking photos of the perfectly arranged plate with brisket and potatoes.

"Mom, come on. Can I eat that now"?

Snap Snap Snap

"Mom, are you done yet?"

Snap Snap

"Mom, I'm hungry, can I have my plate"?

Snap Snap..... "Hold on, one more photo", I said.

"MOTHER, please give me that plate"!

She called me "Mother", she was really annoyed with me now.

What have I become?

I'm starting to see photo opportunities with every plate that passes before me. 

I feel as though I need to "capture" the moment before it's gone.

Well that's what I did the other day.

All I wanted to do was "capture the moment" before it was gone.

All I innocently wanted to do was "capture" something that made me so proud.....so so happy.

I walked by my daughter's bathroom and happened to catch a glimpse of her curling her hair, getting ready for work.

I could not believe it was my baby girl. 

When oh when did she grow up?


That HAIR!  Simply Stunning.

She obviously didn't get the "hair gene" from me!

Like any adoring & proud mother would, I quietly ran and got my camera. 

I stood in the hallway snapping photos, not believing how beautiful she has become. 

Where oh where did the time go?

She lives under my roof, I see her every day, and yet I looked at her and wondered when did this happen?  When did she suddenly go from unicorn sticker books and glitter, to...well....to a beautiful young lady?
Snap Snap Snap

Tears of pride were welling up in my eyes. I could barely see but I kept snapping more photos.

Calmly and very celebrity-like......she turns to me and says.......

"Mother, Honestly!  I'm not one of your food entrees you can photograph for your blog!"

We both instantly started laughing and laughing until we were doubled over and our sides hurting.

I realized how creepy she must have felt with her own mother stalking her.  Like a 12 year old girl stalking Justin Beiber.

I took one last photo.  I couldn't help myself.

She turned away from me like a movie star turns from the annoying Paparazzi.



"Mother please!  I'm not an Asparagus Frittata you can photograph whenever you want".


She teases me relentlessly and we laugh and laugh.

But between the teasing and the laughing at my constant picture taking, all I want to say is this......

Capture the moment before it's gone.

Time goes by so swiftly.

They grow up right before your eyes and sometimes you don't even realize it.