Natural Food Dyes

You will need a juicer for this recipe


Color and produce used:

Red- beets
Orange- carrots
Yellow- mango or yolk 
Green- spinach
Blue- red cabbage 
& baking soda*
Purple- red cabbage

Directions:

-For each color you will need to clean out your juicer each time
-I juiced about 1 cup of each fresh fruit or veggie and came up with a few tablespoons each of every color. Depending on what colors you want and how much you want, juice more or less.
-Dyes are only good for a few days so make new dye each time you need it
-Do not worry too much about the veggie flavors coming through in your food, they are very subtle and won't overpower your flavor and make it gross, promise!!
-* mix in a little bit of baking soda to change the color to blue! its magic, you will see!!
-Use your dyes for your baking recipes, enjoy!!!

Thanks for stopping by, come back soon to See the cute rainbow cake I made with my natural dyes when you check back, its coming soon!!

Mini Gingerbread Houses

 As you can see I made very tiny Gingerbread Houses from real Gingerbread cookie dough. I decided that a teeny house was just going to be ridiculously cute so I set to work. Hope you like it!
For toppings use mini M&M's, coconut flakes, frosting, cake glitter, and sour patch people.

For larger houses, I built the house on a small dessert plate.

For super mini houses I used the mason jar lids covered in foil. 

I frosted the approx size of the little houses to lay it out on.

 Seen here the mini being built on the canning jar lid, already looking pretty stinking cute!

I found mini candies, sour patch people and coconut flakes to decorate, add more ideas of course to make it your own. I used basic frosting from the store and used the smallest fitting on the piping bag keeping the frosting cold as possible when not in use. 

Here is the larger of the mini Gingerbread houses.

PS If you get real create make a hanger into the roof and frost over the wire and you can turn it into an ornament.

Real Ginger and Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

Late night craving of Gingerbread ice cream sandwiches, dream come true!
Using real ginger and molasses makes these cookies so tasty and makes your home smell like the holidays. 



Ingredients:

2 cups organic flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 cup peeled and grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamon (omit if you don't like the flavor)



2/3 cup organic brown sugar
2/3 cup organic sugar or honey
1/2 cup soft or melted butter
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Directions: (oven at 350 degrees)
1) Mix wet ingredients in one bowl with ginger and sugar as well

2) Mix dry ingredients (all except sugar, see #1)
3) Mix all ingredients together

4) Coat board with flour to roll out dough on

5) Use cookie cutters and cut out shapes you like

6) Bake at 350 degrees for soft cookies 8 minutes for hard cookies 13 minutes.
7) Let cool before decorating!
8) ENJOY!! or save in the fridge for up to 1 week!

Butternut Squash Tortelli con la Coda

Pasta ingredients:
1/2 cooked butter nut squash
3 room temp eggs
2 cups 00 flour
splash of olive oil

5 Cheese Filling Ingredients:
1 fresh mozzarella ball a splash of the water
1 slice provolone
1/8 cup ricotta
3 tbls goat cheese
1/8 cup parmesean

Variations:
Pesto
Fresh basil
Italian Sausage

Directions:

1) Cook butternut squash in oven at 250 for about an hour

2) In blender or food processor create filling
3) Once squash is done, cool and scoop out 1/2 of the squash (see this recipe for what you can make with your other half of your squash; Squashcakes)

4) Use squash to create your pasta, No bowl needed, Lay flour on cutting board, create a indent in center of flour to crack your eggs into, mix ingredients on board and mix in squash. Roll out with pasta press or to 1/8 inch thick with rolling pin.

5) Learn to make Tortelli con la Coda or use ravioli press if you choose ("Tortellini with a tail" see this video)

6) Make your little pasta's and boil for 5-7 mins

Top with your homemade marinara sauce and side with a salad and some good friends.

Bon Apitete

Homemade Apple Sauce

Time to make: 1 hr Makes: 4 small bowls of sauce or approx 3-4 cups

Ingredients:
8 c. peeled and cored apples
1/2 c. brown or turbiano sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
cinnamon stick
lemon zest
1 whole lemon juiced
2 tbls butter

Directions:
1) Peel and core apples, add to pot of cold water
2) When pot starts to become full you may turn it on
3) Cook apples 30 mins or until soft
4) Add seasonings and other ingredients now and start mashing
5) Enjoy warm or cold, either way its delicious!!!

You can also can your creations if you like! Make sure to follow all directions for canning.

Thai Curry (Chicken or Tempeh version)

Prep time: 20 mins Cook Time: Vegetarian Version 20-30 mins Chicken Version 30-45 mins
Meal for 4, Can be made indoors or outdoors. One thing I am known for is creating epic camp meals, I like to cook most over a fire, however this meal was created on a 1/2 grill and 1 burner coleman stove and rice was cooked over the campfire.

Ingredients:
2 cups Organic Brown Rice
 4 cups Water

Sauce:
Organic Coconut milk
2 cloves Minced Garlic
2 Medium potatoes diced
2 carrots diced
5 tbls curry powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp cardamom
pinch cinnamon
Splash fish oil
1/2 cup peanut butter

Protien:
Chicken for 4
or 1 pkg tempeh
Pre marinade however you like, tastes great in coconut sauce.

Directions:
1) Cut potatoes and carrots, start sauteing in small wok on medium heat. This is a good time to start chicken cooking and water for rice started.

2) Prep onions and garlic for stir fry. Add in to dish in about 10 mins. I sauteed some bell peppers too, however they were on the side and not in the dish.

3)  Start sauce, add all ingredients and taste . Start tempeh, add rice to water and reduce heat to low. 4) Add garlic and onion to stirfry. Once onions are clear, add coconut milk sauce over your stirfry.  

5) When all elements of meal are complete, it is ready to serve. Enjoy at home or at your picnic table! Thanks for stopping in, come back soon to see what we are up to next! And please subscribe or follow me  if you like this blog, thanks for your support!

Stacy's Famous Blackberry Pie

Prep Time: 30 mins Prep time: 40 mins

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh picked blackberries
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar or other sweetener of choice

Prepare crust, see my crust recipe here

Filling Directions:
1) Rinse berries and put into large bowl

2) Add flour and sugar and stir gently until all white color is gone

3) Pour mixture into pie tin lined with crust

4) To make the weave on the top you will need to cut long strips of crust

5) Lay layer down like so

6) Pick up parts to weave in layers going crossways, the less you make the easier it is to weave ;)



7) To finish off pinch bottom crust and layers together and form edges with fork or with thumb and forefinger in the traditional method.

 

Like so!!! Enjoy!!! And come back soon!