Spice up your Hot Chocolate

This is a little post today, but by small and simple things are great things brought to pass...  At least that's what Alma says.  I agree.  Though, I digress.

I have a fun tip to make your hot chocolate even better than it already is!  Have you ever tried the hot chocolate that already comes flavored?  Like Raspberry or Amaretto, blah blah blah.  I think they're nast.  My dad says like he likes his hot chocolate "straight" and I guess I do too.  But on New Year's Eve, I discovered something wonderful!

Put a drop of one of the following doTERRA essential oils in...
Peppermint
Cinnamon
Wild Orange
Lavender

You will die from happiness.

You can also go gourmet and mix the oil into your whipped cream then add that in.  :)
OR you can go uber gourmet and do hot chocolate Italian-style with Ice Cream.  Add the oils on top of the ice cream, pour your coco on top and you've got heaven in a mug, people.

Happy and healthy eating!

P.S.  I do not ever recommend using ANY BRAND of essential oils internally or topically, EXCEPT doTERRA.  You can find out why here: http://www.everythingessential.me/AboutOils/CPTG.html

If you're interested in learning about self-healing with the things that God gave us, please contact me.  If you're interested specifically in doTERRA essential oils, you can contact me or visit this site.      http://www.mydoterra.com/alexandriarowley/

(If you live in Utah consider not ordering from the website, depending on where you live, I can give you wholesale price instead of retail! :)  You're welcome)

What oils are you buying?

This is another interesting article I thought I'd share because I love Olive Oil and use it every single day.  Thankfully, Kirkland Organic (Costco) is safe! 

Toxic rapeseed and other low-grade oils with additives are being passed off as olive oil. (Click here)

Safe and happy eating!

"The 15 Grossest Things You're Eating"

I saw this article while browsing the net this morning and found it important enough to share.  YIKES, PEOPLE!  Why aren't we doing anything about this?!

"The 15 Grossest Things You're Eating"

Happy puking!  Oh, uh, I mean eating...

Easy 5 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

One thing you need to know about me is that I'm not afraid of fat.  Well, I'm not afraid of fat in good things, like cream and butter,  but I AM afraid of fat from mutilated vegetables, like mono/poly-unsaturated fat, hydrogenated oils, etc.  YUCK.  Study them, man...  They can do gnarly stuff to the body.  I'm not saying I don't eat it, I'm just saying I avoid it as often as possible.  ANYWAY, this recipe probably has tons of fat (the good kind) but I don't really know how to count that or whatever.  Just eat it.  It's yummy. 

This recipe is very simple and tasty.  Take a looksie!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 2 cups (One Pint) of Heavy (whipping) Cream
• 1 clove fresh minced Garlic-- I always use the pre-minced bottled stuff.  It's so convenient!
• 2 TBSP. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (aka. REAL Parmesan Cheese.  Don't use that gross stuff in the shake-out green bottles...  Please.) 

1.  Bring the Butter, Cream, Garlic and Cream Cheese to a boil in a sauce pan.  Stir this constantly, because dairy tends to scald/burn quickly.

Don't add the cheese yet...  It's patiently waiting

 2.  Once it comes to a full boil, turn the heat to low and let it simmer, CONSTANTLY STIRRING, not only to prevent burning, but to also prevent curdling.  Do this for two minutes.

3.  After two minutes, add the Parm and stir until it's melted in.  If you want it thicker than it is, let it simmer on very low heat, stirring very often until it's reaches desired thickness.

That's it!  Now, just pour it over cooked noodles (fettuccine, of course!) and add salt & pepper to taste.  My favorite way to eat it is over pasta with breaded chicken.  I just cut small pieces of boneless chicken breast, breaded them in Italian-style Panko, "fried" them in Olive Oil and voila!  C'est magnifique!

 

Uh, YUM!

Oh, and did I mention that I made this at 9:30 in the morning in my adult footie pajamas?  Yeah, I know, I'm that cool.  Who says you can't eat alfredo for breakfast?  Not me...  

Be jealous

 Tell me what you think!  Also, any requests?

Happy eating!

Tutorial: How to peel a Pomegranate

If you've ever tried to eat a pomegranate without knowing how to get into it, your hands, face, kitchen and any other near-by objects probably looked something similar to this...

Thankfully, my oh-so clever sister Kasi showed me the tricks of the trade with these intense little fruits before I got any in my Bountiful Basket and wreaked havoc in my little apartment.  I'm here to pass on the knowledge and save your cupboards from being stained eternally.  Yes I know, you're welcome.  

We begin with the fruit:

Take a sharp knife and run slits through the tough skin.  If you see some of the dark red juice come out, that's okay.  You know you've gotten through the thick white pith.

Now, put cool water in a large mixing bowl so you can work on removing the peel under the water's surface.  This eliminates juice spraying everywhere.

This is where that bowl of water gets even more useful...  When you break into the segments of seeds stuck in the pith, you can gently ease the seeds out and let go of everything.  In your hands, at least.  The seeds sink and the peel and pith rise, so they're easy to separate later.

Skim off all of the unwanted peel and pith, and discard.

Strain the seeds and VOILA!  Eat up!  These things are tasty... They're supposedly packed with those famously healthy antioxidants and all that jazz.  The little white seeds inside each precious juicy jem are harmless and they give a pleasant crunch. 

Something fun to do is blend these up until it's liquid, strain the white seeds out, add sugar and reduce to a syrup on the stove.  I poured it over waffles.  YUM!

Happy eating, ya'll!