Cooking at Home During Quarantine

I like cooking, but I can't wait to be able to go out, sit at a table in a restaurant, order, eat, and enjoy family and friends. The only thing I won't like is the bill, but it will be so worth it. During this quarantine, if you have the funds and can help out your favorite local eateries, do so. They are struggling and take-out orders can help keep them in business. 

Brown Sticky Rice

When I cook brown rice on the stovetop it is never sticky like the white sticky rice that I love so much! Tonight we cooked brown rice in our Instant Pot on the multigrain setting for 35 minutes instead of the standard 40 minutes - 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water - and it was sticky like the white rice and tasted so good! 

I was shocked to say the least because I didn't expect it!  If you love white rice and have an instant pot try it! You shouldn't be disappointed. I know I wasn't! 

Living with Reactive Hypoglycemia & High Cholesterol

Seasoned ground Turkey and vegetables

 The picture above is a mixture of ground Turkey, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and lots of spices! The spices are turmeric, garlic, pepper, fajita seasoning, pepper, basil, and ginger. My husband has reactive hypoglycemia and I have high cholesterol so trying to balance the two can be difficult. He can eat any type of meat but I need low fat so we have to compromise now when eating at home. 

Bell Peppers ready to go! 

This bell pepper dish is actually an old classic that we both enjoy so happy to make it for the first night that we have to throw out all of our junk and medium to high sugar food, and buy no refined sugar, potatoes, and to my husband's detriment white rice dishes! 

I studied everything I could on "Dr. Google" (as my physician would say), but next week we will be going in to see a dietician to answer all our questions to make sure we have it right.

This morning I went through our pantry and read every label on the jars, cans, and bags. It appears that most everything we have has tons of sugar (maybe not tons but he can't eat hardly any) in it and other things that we can't eat. I pulled out about 12 full bags and 6 Tupperware containers of food that we can no longer eat. I will be stopping by the local food bank with the unopened products for some people who can eat sugar with no problems.

Here is the dinner tonight and wish me luck to find something or anything my husband will like for tomorrow. I believe, unfortunately, or maybe, fortunately, I have a new calling!

Final Results!

Keeping Food Fresh

Strawberries are perfect for the FridgeSmart or Freeze-It containers

My food stays fresher when I use my Tupperware products, whether for freezing or in the refrigerator! I signed up originally to buy from Tupperware but ended up selling as well. Why? Simply because I LOVE their products!

Check out my Tupperware website to view all the new, updated and on sale products sold by Tupperware! Click here to view or order:  Earthsflowers

I love the FridgeSmart products because when I buy cilantro and/or other herbs/vegetables they stay fresh longer and I don't end up throwing them out if I haven't used them within a week. The Freeze-It ® Plus containers are one of my favorite because I can put leftovers in the individual containers and they are easy to remove the food, and re-heat even if they are frozen. The Zest 'N Press gadget is easy to use for squeezing lemons, limes and small oranges as well as zesting with the same tool. 

Homemade Vanilla Bean Extract

Ingredients:

10 Vanilla bean stalks
1 L. Bottle of Vodka

Have you ever tried to make vanilla bean extract homemade? I just did! I am so excited about the project and I'm hoping for a tasty outcome.

Here is a picture of my jar, along with 10 grade A Madagascar bourbon cured vanilla bean stalks sitting straight up and not bent. I ordered them from a company selling on Amazon. They are not cheap but in the long run, I believe they will be worth the money. The clear liquid is from a full bottle of vodka. I may have a lot of explaining to do when my husband finds the empty vodka bottle in our recycling bin.

Vanilla Bean Extract

I also ordered a glass leak-proof swing top cap jar that is slightly taller than the vanilla bean stalks so the liquid will fully cover them.

Now, I just need to place the jar in the pantry waiting for the vanilla beans to flavor the vodka and change it into vanilla bean extract.  This will take months, but I believe it is well worth the effort.  Once it has a nice dark color and you can smell the sweet vanilla, it is ready! As I use it I will keep adding more vodka to keep the vanilla beans covered with liquid and add additional vanilla beans as needed.

I will post an updated picture when ready. Stay tuned!

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Steak Seasoning Rub Recipe

Ingredients: 

½ cup black pepper
¾ cup dried minced onion
6 tbsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup coarse kosher salt

I love making this dry rub for my grilled steaks and red meats. Just mix it all up, and you have the best rub that can be used for up to 6 months in a Tupperware container! 

Check out my link for purchasing Tupperware containers to store your spices by Clicking here!

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New Book Release!