Fave Five: Ideas for Instant Apple Cider

I'm starting a new series that I'm calling Fave Five.  I plan on intermittently sharing five ideas, facts, tips, etc. that haven't fit into another post.  I picked five because I like alliteration and because if I can think of five ideas that go together then I have enough material for a stand-alone post.

Sweet and spicy apple chai

I've been drinking a lot of hot beverages lately, and I started to feel creative with my instant apple cider.  Instant cider might not be the fanciest drink, but it is convenient.  I usually drink the sugar-free kind, so I can swill gallons of it without consuming a week's worth of calories.

• Add Mulling Spices: The quickest, easiest way to add flavor to instant apple cider is by adding mulling spices when you add water to the mix.  Fill a Tea Infuser Ball with mulling spices (my mix has cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, etc.), and allow it to steep in the cider for a few minutes before drinking.

• Then Add Spiced Rum:  You can make your cider a 21+ hot beverage with a splash of spiced rum.  I still recommend the mulling spices first.

Refreshing apple punch

• Add Ginger Ale: When you make your mulled instant cider, set some aside for later.  Once it is cool you can pour it over ice with some ginger ale for a cold, sparkling, spiced-apple punch.

• Then Add Spiced Rum: You saw this coming, right?  A splash of spiced rum is tasty addition whether the drink is hot or cold.

• Make a Spiced Apple Chai Tea (ish) Drink: Make a cup of chai tea.  (My favorite is Stash Premium Chai Spice Black Tea.)  You may also want to add mulling spices, depending on how much spice you would like.  Once the tea is brewed add the cider mix and milk.  I have an espresso machine, so I steam the milk.  

* This post contains affiliate links.

Poor Girl Eats Well

I love cooking.  I love eating.  I love planning.  I live on a budget.  That's why I enjoy Poor Girl Eats Well.  The blog's author Kimberly Morales is currently trying to fund a cookbook through Kickstarter, so I decided to pledge a little money to help a fellow creative woman pursue her dreams.  Check out the video below, her blog and her Kickstarter page.  If you decide to pledge, you can choose any amount $1 or more.

Please share this information with anyone who might appreciate eating well on a budget!





*I decided to write this post without any influence or permission from Kimberly at Poor Girl Eats Well.  Hopefully that's okay with her.

Weekend Recap: Wait, What Weekend?

 Well, it's Monday again and it seems like the weekend never happened.  Saturday I was up at 5, at work by 6, and worked until almost 4.  Sunday I didn't go to work but I was so run down from the week that it was all I could do to prep a little bit for the week to come.

 
Friday I wore jeans and a t-shirt to work.  I had a lot of running around to do, so I wanted to be practical and comfortable.  Hopefully I added enough polish to look semi-professional.  Can you see the abject exhaustion on my face in these photos?

 

New earrings.

Saturday I didn't bother photographing what I wore to work.  It was bland beyond bland.  The one highlight of my Saturday?  The earrings I ordered from So & So were ready.  I love that cobalt blue.






The highlight of Sunday was dinner.  I love falafel way more than anyone should, and I've been meaning to make some at home.  The America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2011 cookbook had a recipe for Chickpea Cakes that sounded like falafel by any other name to me.  They were delicious.  Even Stephen liked them.

America's Test Kitchen version.

My version.

Now I'm starting another week.  I suppose.  If I have to.

Leopard Lite

If you've ever read this blog before, you probably know that I love leopard print.  It is probably my favorite color.  (Yes, I think leopard print is a color.)  My first instinct was to go all-out today with a leopard print dress, but then I remembered that I have a donor event tonight.  I decided to keep it leopard lite.  (Yes, for me three leopard prints is leopard lite.)

Gadget is a master photo bomber.

 

Dress, George, Walmart; belt, Walmart; shoes, Mossimo, Target; bracelet, Claire's; earrings, gifted (thanks Mary Ann!); pendant, gifted (thanks Stephen!)

Pendant

Earrings

The pendant is made from a butterfly wing.  They are collected at a butterfly garden when the butterflies pass away.  When Stephen got this pendant, they asked what colors I wear so they could choose one that would go with those colors.  He told them I wear a lot of leopard print.  He knows me so well.  And he has eyes.  

 

This bracelet is another accessory that came my way for $1.  When I told my dad I got it for a dollar he said I had overpaid.  

Close-up of the pendant.

Last night I tried a new recipe for dinner.  It was a spaghetti pie from the America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2011 cookbook.  The America's Test Kitchen has never steered me wrong.  I started with The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and now I buy pretty much ever special edition they have.  My mom bought me a subscription to Cook's Illustrated Magazine for my birthday, and those recipes have been fool proof too.

The ATC version.

My version

If you love cooking delicious food, try some America's Test Kitchen recipes.  Yum!

Weekend Recap: Spinning & Pioneers

Yesterday I tried something new, something exciting, something scary.  I tried spinning.  I'd been wanting to get together with a friend, but our schedules didn't mesh well during the week.  She suggested that we meet at the Spinning Gallery for a morning class.  

When I told Stephen that I was going to a spinning class, he asked whether I needed a spinning wheel to do it.  He was thinking of this kind of spinning...  

A different kind of spinning.
Image Credit: Wikipedia

To his credit, his mom does that kind of spinning, so I understand where the communication breakdown happened.

Spinning: It didn't kill me!

I had never tried spinning, and it was pretty brutal.  It was simultaneously the quickest and longest 45 minute exercise class ever.  By 5 minutes in the end of class I was soaked in sweat and gasping for breath.  The music and the instructor's enthusiasm buoyed me through, even if I didn't adjust the resistance as much as he commanded.

Image Credit: Beth's Facebook

I've been struggling with insomnia, stress, illness and other non-fun things lately, so it has been hard to get the motivation to exercise.  I seriously considered backing out at the last minute, but then I saw this post on a friend's facebook page.  I want to be where the magic happens, and part of the purpose of this blog is to push me out of my comfort zone.   Thank you, Ashley, for helping give me a nudge.

Yesterday Stephen and I had some friends over and got in touch with our pioneer side.  I made fresh mozzarella cheese and pita bread, and the guys started a fresh batch of beer.  The cheese and bread were both delicious, and we shall see how the beer turns out in about six weeks.  I used this recipe for the cheese.  

Cheese: Started

Cheese: Finished

Beer on the boil.

 I hope you had a wonderful weekend, tried new things and stepped out of your comfort zone!

Goo Re-Do

This recipe is very similar to the Cranberry Raisin Goo recipe that I posted before, but it is even more delicious.  The kumquats give it a citrus-y, marmalade flavor, and the Raspberry Enlightenment really added depth of flavor and complexity.  I think I would eat this on oatmeal, oat groats, pancakes, waffles, toast, or ice cream.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag cranberries
• 8-10 kumquats, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 T. Raspberry Enlightenment
• 2 T. Splenda (or to taste)
• pinch Cake Spice

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.  Cook on medium-low until the cranberries begin to pop (about 10 minutes?).  You could eat this warm or cold.

Wholesome

Sometimes I have a problem with balance.  I tend to be either gung-ho or apathetic about most things in my life.  Lately I have been struggling a lot with balance in my eating.  This week I am counteracting that with greater mindfulness.  I am not going to say I am banned from eating XYZ, but I don't want to eat junk just because I am exhausted and miserable and I don't have a healthy, tasty option on hand.

Roasted turnips

Yesterday I did a massive grocery shop and spent some time cooking a bunch of wholesome, tasty foods to eat over the course of the week.  Among the tasty choices are roasted turnips, a version of my cranberry raisin goo without raisins and with kumquats, oat groats, beef stock and stew beef for soup, beef and bean enchiladas, and a whole heap of broccoli.

Cranberry kumquat goodness

It was very comforting to know that I had oat groats with cranberry goo, roasted turnips, broccoli, a small salad with Greek dressing, and a peanut butter sandwich packed to eat today, and I have enchiladas waiting to go in the over when I get home from work.

I am taking a brief break from counting Weight Watchers PointsPlus, and instead I am going to spend the next week being satisfied and mindful.

Wish me luck.

Mom Weekend Recap

I had a great time over the Christmas weekend with my mom.

   

We made Mexican wedding cookies and chocolate chip cookies.

 

We made Christmas ornaments.

We bedazzled a pair of shoes.

We painted our finger nails a sparkly pink color.

The dragon is eating Mom!

I love this thing.

We took pictures of each other with a dragon that showed up on my route to work recently.

I can't wait to see my mom again.

Ham and Broccoli Casserole

Last night I needed a lazy Sunday dinner to go with my lazy Sunday.  This recipe is fast, filling, and Stephen approved (except for the broccoli).

Combine in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray:

• 6 oz. ham with visible fat removed, cut into small cubes
• 1 can cheddar cheese concentrated soup
• 1 c. precooked rice
• 2 c. cooked broccoli (somewhat under-done so it doesn't get grey in the oven)
• Garlic, onion, cayenne, and any other spices you like to taste

Top with 2 oz. cheese.  I used a mix of cheddar and habanero pepper jack.  

Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. 

This recipes makes four generous servings.  Stephen went back for seconds.  Dinner success!

There are 8 PointsPlus per serving.

I served with adult beverages.
Land Shark Lager for Stephen
and Woodchuck Winter for me.

Delicious Goo

Cranberries and raisins in the pot

Every year my mom makes delicious cranberry raisin tarts.  They are a very necessary part of my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition, but there is a limit to how many times a year I need to eat tarts.

When I want a cranberry raisin fix at other times of the year this is how I get it.  I call it cranberry raisin goo.  Appetizing, no?

Mmmm, delicious goo

Put one bag of fresh cranberries and about 1/2 cup of raisins in a small sauce pan on medium low heat.  Add Splenda and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, whatever you like) to taste.  Cook until the cranberies have popped and the raisins have somewhat rehydrated.  Remove from heat and eat warm or cold.

Here is my mom's recipe.

Mix 2 cups cranberries, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup sugar , 1 1/2 Tbs flour, 1/2 cup orange juice, pinch of cinnamon (to taste,) a sprinkle of salt (1/8 tsp?) and a little bit of finely grated orange peel (maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp? (eyeball it) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring regularly, until the cranberries start to pop (5 minutes?) then remove from heat and stir in 1 TBS butter.  Taste and adjust spices if needed. Let cool while you form your tart shells, then fill the shells and bake @ 425 until the the piecrust is done (maybe 20 minutes?).  Fill tart shells with cranberry mixture.

My version has about 3 PointsPlus per serving, if you calculate the cranberries as 0 because they are a fresh fruit.  I won't calculate my mom's version.

Black Bean, Feta, and Rice Salad

I had leftover brown rice and black beans.  I mixed them and added a couple tablespoons of feta cheese, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

About 1/2 the amount I made should be about 4 PointsPlus.

Yum!

Roast Chicken Soup

I love eating.  I love cooking.  I love creating wholesome, flavorful foods for nightly dinners and decadent treats on special occasions, but cooking doesn't have to be a production.  This roast chicken soup recipe is a perfect low investment, high reward meal.

Start with a pre-roasted whole chicken from the supermarket. I usually eat it for dinner one night, and then put the leftovers into the fridge until I'm ready to make soup.  With only two of us, one chicken is plenty for a chicken meal plus a few soup meals.

You can also start with a raw chicken, but I like the roastiness of the pre-cooked ones.

This photo was taken after our first meal
As you can see, there is still plenty of meat
to make great soup.

Submerge the chicken in water in the crock pot.  
Season to taste.  I used onion, garlic, bay leaves,
pepper flakes and Penzey's Mural of
Flavor and Forward.

Cook in the crock pot until the meat is falling off the bones.  I cooked it overnight on low.  You don't need a crock pot for this recipe, but it adds to the convenience.  If you don't have a crock pot, simmer the chicken on the stove.
When the chicken is falling apart, remove it from the stock and strain the stock.  Straining the stock makes sure that you don't have anything in the broth that you don't want in the soup (such as bits of bone).

This is what my chicken looked like
after cooking overnight.

If you are making the soup ahead of when
you're planning on eating it, you can
chill the broth and skim the fat.

This is what the chicken looked like
after it was removed from the pot.

Chicken after it was deboned and shredded

Debone the chicken and add the meat to the de-fatted broth.  Bring the chicken and broth to a simmer on the stove.

From here on the variations are limited only by your tastes and imagination. Tonight I made plain chicken and noodles and a Mexican-inspired chicken noodle soup.

Plain chicken and noodles

For regular chicken noodle soup, add chopped vegetables if desired (such as carrots, celery, onion, or any others you like).  Simmer until veggies start to soften and then add noodles.  I use egg noodles or home-made noodles.

I added tomatoes, black beans, and rice
to my Mexican-style chicken soup.

For Mexican-inspired chicken soup, add a can of tomatoes, cayenne powder (or a milder pepper if you prefer), garlic, onion, rice, and whatever else you like (corn, canned black beans, summer squash, etc).



These soups are healthy and delicious.  I prepare everything to my tastes, so adjust my suggestions to your preference.

My total time investment was probably under 40 minutes.  Not bad for about five meals.

Bon appetit!

I'm estimating that each soup will yield about four servings and each serving of either kind of soup will be about 4 PointsPlus.