Over Indulging Remedies

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big believer in natural remedies.  I stumbled across this article and thought it would be a great one to share.  Dr Mao also has some other interesting articles which you can find here… http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao  Stay tuned by the way… I have a recipe for homemade marshmallows coming up in the next few days!!!

By Dr. Maoshing Ni - Posted on Tue, Nov 24, 2009, 11:22 am PST
Stuffed with stuffing, filled with turkey, crammed with cookies, and saturated with alcohol. Now what? Holidays call for celebration, and many of us know the consequences that come from overindulging in alcohol and food. Sometimes, despite out best intentions, we overdo it. This holiday season, detoxify and recover naturally with the tips that follow.
FOOD OVERLOAD
Chinese medicine views proper digestion as the most essential component in living a long and healthy life. Your digestive function is made up of numerous organs all working together to break down, absorb, and process all of the nutrients in the food you eat. Without healthy digestion, you can become malnourished and toxins will build up in your body, leading to degenerative diseases and rapid aging down the road.
Indigestion is caused and made worse by overeating--especially rich, fatty, spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, and acidic foods. These remedies will get your digestion on the right track.

Vermont Oatmeal Maple Honey Bread

Adapted from King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion

So… I have been trying different everyday bread recipes for about a year and I have made some great bread and I am adding this one to the pantheon.  Keep in mind that this is certainly a sweeter bread and not what I want for sandwiches but it is a wonderful breakfast bread.  The smell of this bread as it bakes is amazing and it so super simple to make compared to a lot of the bread recipes I have been trying.  Plus you get two loaves, so I get twice the reward for the same amount of effort.  I baked this bread in two types of bread pans and the glass did a lot better than the metal, if you look at the finished product you will notice that the bread in the metal pan did not rise as much as the glass.  I really hope you try this bread, I think it is a great beginner bread.

Mmmm….. Chilli

My husband loves this chili!  I started off with a recipe and a crock pot and once I got the hang of it, I developed this recipe on my own.  This is a wonderful hearty chili for rainy days, it is even good for just cold days.  The poblanos for this recipe are still coming from the garden and the tomatoes are the ones we canned from the summer crop.  I like using a mix of beans, I think it makes the chili look more interesting.  The jalapeño adds some nice back heat to this recipe as it simmers.  Watch your salt, you would be amazed how a little will go along way.   The beer is a personal preference, if you don’t want to add beer (although I think you should) you can just add 1/2 cup of water.  There are few ways you can finish off your chili.  My husband likes homemade corn chips, sour cream, cilantro and sharp cheddar cheese – yummy!!!  I prefer maple cornbread – super simple and delicious.  I love leftovers, if I can keep hubby out of the pot, fingers crossed for chili cheese fries!!!

Apple Dumplings

I love Fall!! Does anyone else feel this way? The crispness in the air, the smells of pies baking in the oven. I just imagine walking down Main Street in Colonial Williamsburg with a hot cup of apple cider in my hand. There is just something about Apple Cider from Williamsburg, it just tastes better than any I have ever had. Well, unfortunately I am in the middle of exams so I settle for the next best thing… my apple dumplings!

What is so great about these is it is like eating your own little mini apple pie! I love apple pie but I just never get through an entire pie before it gets soggy… I hate soggy pie. These are little steamy pockets of apple goodness, add a little a la mode and you have a perfect fall desert.

With any great pie you have to start with a great crust. Keep in mind that you are using super cold butter and you don’t want the butter to melt. Cold butter is very important – once the hot oven interacts with the cold butter it creates a little pocket and this is where your flakey crust comes from. DO NOT OVERPROCESS!!!

Baked Ground Chicken Egg Rolls

Ah…. Asian food, we have a love hate relationship.  I just had to have a wok, and I am pretty sure it sat under my cabinet for a good 3 years before I so much as steamed vegetables in it.  One day I decided that it was time to show that wok what's what and I made a poor attempt at fried rice, yes, my poor wok is still stained from the burnt rice that managed to glue itself to the bottom of the pan.  So I have been playing around with Asian cooking for about a year now and I am telling you – this one is hard to get.  I just can’t get the flavors to come out right sometimes.

Then my husband and I came up with these… YUM!!!  These take about 30 – 40  minutes from start to finish but are well worth it.  They are crisp, healthy and amazingly delicious.  My favorite part is that you can freeze them for up to 3 months although ours have yet to make it past a few weeks.

Keep in mind, with all of my recipes (exception would be the baked goods) – you can add and subtract the flavorings that you love.  For example I adore garlic!!  I restrained myself and only used 5 cloves but I could have certainly had more.  Also, ginger is something that I have grown fond of so feel free to take this down to a single teaspoon instead of a full tablespoon if you prefer. 

These egg rolls would also be great with shrimp or you can omit the protein all together and have vegetarian eggrolls.  I haven't tried it yet, but I bet these would be precious as little appetizers in wonton wrappers for little mini eggrolls.  Sounds like I have my next appetizer!! 

Scrumptious Pumpkin and Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from Pumpkin Pie Muffins by Ellie Krieger

These are amazing!  They are healthy, moist and will keep in the freezer.  Who doesn’t crave pumpkin this time of year?  My husband even loved these and he doesn’t really like pumpkin.  These are super easy to make and even easier to eat.