Monday, November 22, 2010

Hearth and Soul Hop - Volume 24

I loooove Thanksgiving!!!  As some of you have seen....I've clearly never missed a meal!  Spending time with family, friends and loved ones is a good enough reason to get together...not to mention the FOOD! 

Thanksgiving has always had a special place in my heart as it is also the beginning of my deer season.  Living and eating off the land has been a part of my life since the start and nothing is better in my mind than to enjoy nature in all of its wonder.

I hope this Thanksgiving finds you all in the company of good food, good people and happy times!!  Speaking of food, you'll find some of the most delicious creations ever to cross your plate in the Hearth and Sould hop below, so get clicking!!




The Hearth and Soul Hop is born as a continuation and expansion of the Two for Tuesday Recipe Blog Hop and we hope you will join with us in sharing our beliefs that food not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls! To really get clear on what we are talking about, please check out our nifty new mission statement!

Hearth and Soul Mission:

Food from your hearth, to feed your soul. Food that follows your intuition. Preparing food from scratch to nourish your family…body, mind AND soul! Food made with your own hands…infused with energy and passion and intent. Real food made by real people to feed real families (big and small, in blood or spirit). Ingredients from scratch, be it something grown in your garden or raised on your land…food foraged in the field or woods…food from local farms, farmers, or farmers markets…or even ingredients chosen by you from your local market that will be turned into something that feeds your soul. Tapping the food memory that each of us has stored inside; letting it guide and influence our own time in the kitchen.

We hope to embrace not only the “expected” areas of real food, but also those who want to incorporate healthier choices without sacrificing their love of food…how it tastes, the memories it conjures up, the comfort it brings. Yes, we’re trying to steer clear of packaged, processed, and boxed foods in favor of real foods….without absolutely excluding the sometimes frowned upon white sugar or flour (because the body craves what it craves…and sometimes things just don’t taste the same when you replace these). Making conscious choices and being present in the now with what your body needs…and taking steps towards exploring and enjoying healthier choices. If you take the time to listen, your body will tell you what it needs.

The warm comfort of the home hearth…stories, anecdotes, lessons, adventures, journeys, recipes, meals, beverages…we want to share the “why” of how food feeds more than just our bodies…how it also feeds our souls. After all, aren’t these the essential ingredients in defining real food? Please share links from your Hearth ‘n Soul with us each week.

Rules for linking:

Please use your best blog hop etiquette when linking. The rules are in place to help everyone have the best blog hop experience possible. Because of the overwhelming success of Two for Tuesday, a few changes have been made in the rules, so we kindly ask you to please review them so we can all be on the same page.

If you are new to a blog carnival, or blog hop, it is very easy to learn how to join in the fun! Simply go to the blog post for that carnival and scroll down to the bottom where you will see a small box that will say, Your Next or Your link here. When you click on that link, you will be asked to enter the URL of your recipe or article. Please link to your article only and not directly to your blog front page. The linky may ask you to upload a photograph from your computer, then you click next and leave a comment on the blog hosts post. You will also be asked to place a link back to the blog host, which means, adding in the URL of the blog hop post which you can copy from your browser address bar and insert at the bottom of your post. You could also choose to place a blog badge into your post, which was explained below. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

*A host will visit each link and read and comment on your post before the next linky period opens, because this is personal for us…we want you to know that we appreciate that you’ve taken the time to create a post, add a link back to the hop, and add your link! We’ll be sure to acknowledge this with a comment and a tweet on Twitter (using hashtag #hsoul).

-One link per week, please

-Must include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge) in individual post, not on sidebar…although we love having links on your page, as well (this benefits all of us). You will be sent a gentle reminder if no link is added to your post, we understand that sometimes people forget…but if it becomes a regular occurrence, (even though we don’t like to do it) your post may be removed. It’s just not fair to those who do take the time and show the grace to link back.

-Try to link a post that you think fits into the mission. You don’t have to link up every week…link up when you can. We welcome posts that are shared in other events. If you have an older, archived post that you want to add, we welcome that…as long as you go in and add a link back to Hearth ‘n Soul

-Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Let the fun begin!!!

Thanks! Alex@amoderatelife, Heather@girlichef, Christy@frugalcrunchychristy, Butterpoweredbike@HungerandThirst,  and Jason of Alternative Health and Nutrition

More Information for Those New to Blog Hopping!

...You veterans can just scroll down to the linky!

What is a blog hop you ask? Well, you can find out by visiting my Hearth and Soul Blog Hop page for a complete explanation, but basically, it is a way to link together various foodie love blogs so that you can enjoy many new healthy food recipes that you might not have been exposed to before!

Right now, A Moderate Life, Girlichef, Hunger and Thirst, Frugalcrunchychristy, and Alternative Health & Nutrition are teaming up to share the Blog Hop with their audiences. If you haven't been to their blogs before, then you certainly should, as they are tremendously creative cooks who are passionate about health and food and all are taking steps to cook more wholesome and soul nourishing food. This means you get exposure to four blog audiences for the price of one link, so we should really rename this 5 for Tuesday! :)

So, please link a recipe using the linky tools below and your link will be shared over 5 different blogs and with 5 different blog audiences. Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information is also welcome. Each participant's link will be tweeted and given a high quality feedback comment to increase your exposure.

Please use your best blog carnival etiquette and use the URL to your post, and not your blog landing page. Please post a link in your article back to the blog you are using the Linky Tools with and if you want to, please share the hearth and soul hop badge listed below to promote the Blog Hop. We would ask you to subscribe to our feed and Tweet the Blog Hop as well if you would be so kind!



This linky list is now closed.



Down Memory Lane

We had a great relaxing weekend just enjoying the weather and not doing much of anything except spending time together.  The boys and I took a long walk to a small nearby park that has one of those large pieces of equipment with slides, poles, ladders and everything in between. 

They are getting pretty big to be playing on that kind of stuff but I guess you're never too old to have fun.  They wore me out with all that running around and I was just watching them!!  When they were all played out we walked back and later went to my mom's for a visit as she loves any opportunity to spoil the kids.

I think all kids love going to grandma's house, playing outside, building forts, and in my boys case, swimming in granny's pool...

Several years ago when my mom bought her house, she and my stepdad made the outdoor pool, an indoor pool outfitted with solar heat and surrounded by a sort of tropical oasis.  Obviously the kids love to swim every second they get and swim they did.

They jumped in the water with great joy and immediately jumped out with chattering teeth!!  Because they soon found out that through a glitch in the solar panels, the water was a refreshing 65 - 70 degrees instead of the usual 85 plus.

They were nothing if not determined and swam until they could stand it no more and got into the hot tub to warm up.

When I was their age, my sister and I lived near the Illinois River and another little tributary called Spring Creek.  The river was a great place to float, swim and fish the days away and so many times we did just that.

The river was always warm in the summer months but Spring Creek was frigid no matter the season.  They say that the tempurature varies from 45 - 75 degrees throughout the year and I've never had a thermometer with me but I can tell you this...  In the summer it will absolutely take your breath away and in the winter....well I don't know anybody that has tried it..:-)

My sister and I used to take regular trips to the creek with our dad and splash around every chance we could.  Sometimes we were escaping the the OK temperatures but most of the time we were helping our dad catch bait.

You see Spring Creek was the go-to place for bait fishing....You could spend an hour at the creek with a cast net and have the most beautiful assortment of minnows, large and small, for fishing in the Illinois River.

Catching bait in river was usually not a problem but in Spring Creek, it was a certainty.  The minnows lived 3 times as long and the fish just couldn't resist them.  Along with the ice cold water and endless good times, it was a popular spot for kids of all ages....

What are some of your memories as a kid??  Did you have a lake or river that was your second home?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Feel Good Friday - What Would You Do?

I don't know about you guys but I'm a voracious reader. Magazines, books, articles, and especially news items consume a significant part of my life. I own a television but don't have satellite or cable and apart from watching a movie with my boys, rarely turn it on. I get fed up with the endless stories of tragedy, heartache, betrayal and "blood & guts" as I refer to it.

I have found that I am infinitely happier in my life when I don't listen to it. I stay very informed about the news of the day especially as it can affect my little corner of the world but apart from that I could care less.

I do however, love to hear real-life stories of triumph, perserverance and personal sacrifice for the greater good. Those stories that lift you up and make you proud to be in my case an American but in yours wherever you call home. The stories that renew your faith in your god, country and fellow man. The ones that bring a smile to your face later that day, week or month. Those are the ones that we don't hear enough about and this is my small effort to change that.......


Watch this video from Yahoo about a man that finds and returns $3,300.00 !!!

Tempe, AZ homeless man finds backpack.

Do you have a story of perserverance or triumph to share?  Tell us in the comments........

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Do You Dutch Oven?? Strawberry Cake!

I made this super easy dish a couple of weeks ago when I brought a dessert to our Fall Round-up.  I usually bring desserts or side dish of one kind or another to our events because we have a large family.  My dad is one of 6 kids so you can just imagine how many mouths there are to feed.  Just like many families around the world, when everyone chips in...things just take care of themselves.

I got the notice to bring something quite a bit ahead of time but my mind pulled a dirty trick on me and I didn't remember 'til the night before.  As luck would have it, Round-up was a two day event so Saturday was all covered.  We got done and back to the house that night and I made the cake for Sunday's festivities.

Of course I looked high and low and couldn't find a cake mix (that would be cheating anyway right?) and so made this one from scratch.  Let's get to the recipe!

Ingredients:

Dutch oven 10"

24 charcoal briquettes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup real butter

1 cup milk

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like a dash of almond extract thrown in)

3 eggs

1 - 15 oz. can of strawberry pie filling


 Directions:



Arrange charcoal in a pile and light allowing approx 10-12 minutes to get hot.   Grease one 10" dutch oven.   Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.


In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating just to combine, then stir in vanilla. Pour batter into the dutch oven.  Place strawberry filling on top of the cake batter all around the top.

This was before I arranged the coals.  I have a circular wire stand that I bought with my oven.

Place 12 coals around the outer top edge of the dutch oven lid and 8 on the bottom in a circle.  Take care and make certain to use a dutch oven with legs or use a raised grate to keep approx 1-1.5" of separation between the bottom coals and your oven.  The top coals will be placed right on the lid.  Bake at approx 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

The filling went straight to the bottom of the cake for the first time ever.  I've made this or a similar dish many times and it always goes through the cake.  Perhaps I over-mixed the batter and made it too fluffy?

Normally a cake takes no more than 30 minutes at 350 in a dutch oven.  The adddition of a pie filling added quite a bit of moisture to the cake and increased the cooking time.  Enjoy!!

This post is part of the following blog carnivals....Go check out these great sites!!


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Which is Healthier...The Chicken or The Egg??

I love eggs...scrambled, sunnyside up, poached, soft or hard boiled is all ok with me.  Let me add a caveat here....can't do raw, even a little bit.  I know people that do, it's just not for me.

I've always considered the egg one of the mysteries of the world.  Perhaps a great question never to be answered....you all know what I mean so I won't open that can today.

The egg has a myriad of uses as you all know, from endless baking recipes to soups, salads and everything in between.  Whether you prefer store bought or farm raised, they are a golden start to a nutritious day, packed with protein and choline they are classified in the meat group of the Food Guide Pyramid.

Where does all of this lead you ask??  A question that has been raised among scientists...is a fast food chicken sandwich (KFC DoubleDown) healthier than a single egg yolk?  I have my doubts.......

KFC Double Down
Click here for the rest of the story from AOLhealth(dot)com.......