Go Greek (Yogurt)

Everything around my house is perpetually covered in yogurt. Toys. Shoes. Walls. Floors. TV stand.  Banister. ME.  I find yogurt EVERYHWERE (even my bra, people.)

My two-year-old is not an adventurous eater but he does eat yogurt without a complaint.  Because he is so finicky when it comes to food that isn't in cookie form, I do what I can to sneak in extra nutrients and protein into foods he will actually eat.  We go through a lot of greek yogurt in our house.

Here's the thing about greek yogurt: you can go BROKE on it in a hurry especially when you have a voracious pregnant woman and a wild child wolfing it down every day.

I stumbled on a DIY greek yogurt recipe during one of my ins-MOM-nia episodes last week.  Having forgone a trip to Mc D's for a medium Coke and small fry earlier that day (still craving, BTW) because I had just restocked the yogurt supply and was feeling B-R-O-K-E, I was like, "Yeah, girl.  We pinning this recipe for sure."

This past Saturday I set out on my greek yogurt experiment, fully expecting it to be total failure because who makes yogurt at home that doesn't suck anyway?!  To my shock and delight, my forray into the world of yogurt making yielded ONE GALLON of edible if not incredible greek yogurt.  It was ridiculous easy and it cost under $6.00 to make.

I want to pass on this good thing to my fellow yogurt enthusiasts! 

I still kinda can't believe it worked.  I waited 3 days to try it because I was legitimately scared. Realness.

Because why wouldn't you SnapChat making yogurt?

The recipe I used was featured on this lovely little blog.  Jillee posted a recipe for "Foolproof Crockpot Greek Yogurt."  I was drawn to the recipe because it was simple, easy to follow, and though the process was time consuming, it requires so little hands-on effort.  Plus, I typically have all of the 3 ingredients (yes, only 3) this recipe calls for in my home on a regular basis.  So convenient.

To make Jillee's Foolproof Crockpot Greek Yogurt you will need the following things:

• Large crockpot
• Thermometer (I used a meat thermometer)
• 1 gallon of milk (I used whole milk)
• 2-3 cups powdered milk (I used 2)
• 1/2 cup of plain, greek yogurt (I used Chobani; once you make your own yogurt, you can use 1/2 of that for your active culture going forward)
• Storage containers for the yogurt

I followed Jillee's instructions exactly.  It took probably around 5-6 hours in the crockpot for my milk to reach 180 degrees and then about another, oh, 3 hours for it to cool down to about 115 degrees.  The longer the yogurt is in my fridge, the creamier it seems to get.  The consistency is thick and creamy.  It does get a tad runnier when you start stirring it and adding mix-ins.   I'd say at worst, the consistency breaks down to "regular" yogurt but it's certainly still satisfying.

I experimented with the yogurt this week to see how it stacks up to store bought by using it a few different ways in the kitchen.  It's AWESOME as a replacement for sour cream.  It's DELICIOUS as a veggie dip. It also performed ADMIRABLY in baking.

At left: Banana Chocolate Chip Greek Muffins; At right: Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip

My personal recommendations:

• Though I find this yogurt to be thick enough to pass as a greek, next time I make this I will up my powdered milk to 3 cups to fortify it further and make it even thicker.
  
• The next time I make this, I will attempt a half-batch.  The shelf-life of Jillee's recipe is approximately 10 days in the refrigerator.  Since my toddler is refusing this yogurt (such a bummer) I don't know that I can handle a solo gallon+ of greek in a week. I think I'll need to make and freeze more muffins as to not waste this batch. I'll let you know how my small batch turns out when I attempt!
  
• If you choose to use Mason jars to store your yogurt (like I did,) I recommend wide-mouth jars.  I used small-mouth jars and regret it.  It's just difficult to get the greek out...and frustrating.

Let me know how your yogurt turns out and if you like it, love it, or even loathe it.  I'm also looking for recommendations on how you jazz up your plain greek yogurt.  Share the goods, people!  Maybe we can all move to a hippie farm together and exchange ideas?  :)

Mani Monday

Even though the official start of fall isn't until tomorrow, I've been celebrating the season for weeks.  I switched out my summer wax warmer scents to decidedly more autumnal scents.  I hauled out my fall stash of decorative owl friends (which are different than my year-round decorative owl friends.)  I baked apple crisp (with bourbon) and had a Maple Spice Latte from Copper Rock Coffee. 

By the way, I really love Copper Rock's fall creations and if you like maple and you like coffee and you like warming your body from the inside out with tasty, delicious autumn in a mug, I recommend checking out their seasonal brews while they are still here. I suppose, also, "if you live in the Fox Valley."

Full-on immersing myself in fall is a head to toe process which, of course, involves autumnal manis and pedis.  I typically don't limit myself seasonally to mani/pedi colors.  I generally just go with what feels "right" at the time.  Sometimes that means brown in May and sometimes that means pink in December.  I mean, who cares?  There are no rules, really.  I do find myself gravitating towards darker, more brooding hues once the chilly air moves in.  Maybe subconsciously I think darker polish will keep me warmer?  

I was gifted the 2014 Essie Fall Collection Cube by a very sweet, very thoughtful, very wanting to be anonymous family member a few weeks ago.  A package arrived for me and I was worried my son had accidentally bought a Rolex or something when he last was screwing around on my Kindle.

I was very relieved and very, very genuinely surprised and touched when I opened it to find this little beauty!  

Still swooning.

I've always shyed away from getting the seasonal cubes from my favorite brands.  I always think, "Well, they are mini-sized so that's good for like, what, two applications?  I should just buy the big size in my favorite new color." I've been wrong, friends.  I've been very, very wrong.  In fact, cubes are now my new favorite thing.  You get to try four shades for the cost of two and honestly when is the last time you used an ENTIRE bottle of nail polish in a season or even used up half of it? I think these mini bottles will probably even get me through a year of use if not more.  I'm sold on these. 

Many brand make cubes and cube variations including OPI, Butter, and even Sally Hansen. 

However, we already know I'm partial to Essie.  I'm working on branching out.  Promise.

I couldn't pick what color to try first so I tried two!
Essie, Take it Outside/accent nail also Essie in Partners in Crime

Take it Outside is a warm neutral.  It's a taupe/grey polish with almost a hint of pewter to it.  It's a gorgeous neutral.  Partners in Crime is a rich espresso.  It may sound silly but I felt like my little accent nail was a friendly coffee bean and it made me smile. A lot.

I had an unfortunate run-in during work last week when a scissors razored off my mani on two nails so over the weekend I did a quick mani to get over my OCD about having chipped nails.

Essie, Sable Collar
This color is from a winter collection.
I was also gifted this rich, velvety crimson/blackberry hue (which just a hint of iridescence)

It's the Christmas 2013 gift that keeps on giving!

What nail statements are you making this fall?  Any recommendations? 

Chic Thrill: $5 2-for1 Infinity Scarves

People, fall is right around the corner.

I'll be real with you: I legit had a four-paragraph post drafted for this blog entry about how I love fall and how the weather in fall is hormonal in Wisconsin and how I hate summer and more about how I (again) love fall.  But, honestly, I don't want you to waste time reading when you could be using that time to GET IN YOUR CAR IMMEDIATELY, SUCK UP YOUR PRIDE, AND HEAD TO WAL*MART.  Because, girlfriend, where else can you find transitional, lightweight, fun and chic infinity scarves for FIVE DOLLARS.  FOR TWO SCARVES. WHERE?!?!  Apparently, Wal*Mart.

Infinity scarves have blown up over the past 4 years so much so that they aren't hard to find. What is hard to find is an attractive infinity scarf that costs you under $15 bucks.

So I was SUPER STOKED to find that Wal*Mart is selling 2-pack (YES, 2 PACK) infinity scarves for $4.96.  UNDER 5 BUCKS FOR TWO SCARVES. SHUT UP.

My current scarf arsenal.  Obsessed.

I'm obsessed with them and have already been asked by strangers a few times where I got my "great scarf."  It would be wrong not to share this find with my cyberspace friends!

Scarves are located by the accessories department.  I bought three packs (six scarves for the average cost of one) for the season.  I am thrilled with the selection and wear of these scarves by NoBoundaries.

These are so lightweight and breathable that they remain comfortable even on warm, humid days.  Yet, they still are able to keep the neck and chest chill away when the cool, evening air sets in.

Let's be honest, they probably aren't built to last.  I'd say they are on the same page as Forever 21 garment construction.  But for under $2.50 per scarf, WHO CARES?!  Life's short.  Have fun with it.

Check these chic (and cheap) little thrills out for yourself.  A fun, printed scarf is paired with a neutral which I feel makes your purchase even more versatile and conservatively cool. Buy a pack.  Buy more.  Keep one in your car for a last minute outfit "upgrade."

Chilly Packer game with my man

Hot day with my men at the Shawano County Fair.

Cute, right?!

Happy shopping, babes!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower pizza crust came into my life last summer.  I was fresh off reading the book, "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis.  I committed to removing most wheat and grain from my diet in hopes I would have more energy, less tummy troubles, and maybe even a smaller booty.  Cutting out wheat and grain wasn't as painful as I expected (really, it wasn't.)  However, I was jarred out of my "no-carb" cockiness when I had an overwhelming craving for pizza.  Crap.

I frantically flipped to the recipe section of the book and found one for pizza crust made out of cauliflower. CAULIFLOWER.  I ran out immediately to gather ingredients.  I was so excited!  Everything looked promising in the oven but all I was left with was glorious, saucey, cheesy, meaty pizza toppings laying on a bed of cauliflower goo.  FAIL.  Been there?

I didn't give up on cauliflower crust as I continued to eat limited wheat and grains but also continued to love pizza.  A few months ago I was referred to Danielle Walker and her cookbook, "Against All Grain."  Danielle believes in nutritional healing and creates DELICIOUS recipes that are Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, but never taste-free. Learn more about Danielle HERE

Danielle's cauliflower pizza crust is my favorite crust thus far.  It is like the Holy Grail of cauliflower pizza crusts because it does crisp!

Follow this link to Danielle's website for the full recipe: Danielle Walker's Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Having tried several recipes in the past, nearly all resulting in mush, I found a common denominator that doesn't exist in Danielle's recipe: mozzarella cheese (and sometimes cream cheese.)  I feel what really sets Walker's recipe apart and helps make it crispier than others is that she uses "hard" cheese in the crust instead of "ooey, gooey" cheese.  Using a grated cheese like parmesan helps to "dry out" the crust.  She also incorporates coconut flour which is gluten-free and won't add more moisture to the dough like a traditional wheat flour.

Here's how I go about my cauliflower crust-making business.  If you want to know my tips read on!

Alison's Steps for executing Danielle Walker's Cauliflower Pizza Crust:

1. Wash cauliflower.  Remove florets. 

2. I opt not to grate cauliflower as that sounds like a lot of Band-Aids to me. If you have a powerful blender or a food processor, I recommend throwing your cauliflower florets in one of those and pulse and pulverize until you are left with cauliflower that looks as though you have riced it.

3. Recipe calls to steam cauliflower over water.  I threw my processed cauliflower into a microwavable steamer (like this one from Pampered Chef) and popped that into the microwave for 3 minutes. No water required.  We are trying to eliminate moisture, not add to it.  Drain out excess water.  Works like a charm!

4. Line a baking sheet with paper towel.  Thinly spread steamed cauliflower on top of the paper towel. Let sit for as long as you can let it sit.  Getting the most moisture out of the cauliflower as possible while still retaining some moisture is key to getting your crust to crisp.  I typically let it rest on the paper towel in the kitchen for a minimum of 20 minutes, at most, an hour. 

5.  Transfer the strained and drained cauliflower into your mixing bowl and add the rest of your ingredients.  I mix with my hands.  Give that dough a hearty massage.  Treat it right.  It will still have a damp feel to it, kind of like fresh, homemade Play Dough before it cools. 

6.  I do not use parchment paper but that's just because I rarely have it in my house.  I do use an aerated pizza pan which helps crisp up the crust.  I lightly mist it with olive oil or cooking spray and then use my hands and a greased rolling pin to delicately roll out the crust.  I would say I roll it out to about a little less than a quarter of an inch.  The thinner, the crispier.  However, the thinner it is, the less stable it is.  It's a fine balance you just need to sort of play with.

My pizza pan of choice from Air Bake

7.  Brush top of crust with olive oil.  Bake the crust at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.  WATCH THE CRUST!  Depending on how thin you rolled it, the edges may start to burn and if the edges start to blacken, get that baby out of the oven stat.  There is such a thing as drying out the crust too much and it won't be able to bear the load of your toppings without breaking in half.  

 I've found that even when this crust doesn't get crisp-crisp (nothing is perfect,) it still has a nice, al-dente texture that you can cut with a fork which, in my book, is much preferred to spooning a pile of pizza mush into my mouth.  Gag.

8.  Let the crust cool about 10-15 minutes before loading up your toppings and finishing the pizza off under the broiler for a few.  

This crust has such a rich, cheesy flavor that I find the best toppings are classic like meat, tomato sauce, cheese, veggies, etc. I made one last night with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chicken, zucchini, kalamata olives, basil and feta and it was damn delicious.

I baked this batch in a traditional baking pan to see how that worked.  

The crust did not get as crisp but was more al-dente and akin to a flat bread.  Still not mushy!

Let me know if these tips end up helping make your cauliflower pizza successful! 

Happy S'morth of July!

It's the 4th of July tomorrow, 'Merica.  Do you have plans?  My family is going to my parents' house for an afternoon of BBQ and backyard games.  I'm bringing these s'mores bars to the party. TO DIE FOR.

 I found the recipe on Pinterest when I was pregnant and wanted s'mores ALL OF THE TIME.  You lose your center of gravity when hauling around a human child so it makes roasting mallows rather cumbersome and a little bit dangerous.

These bars are such a fun, sweet treat year-round! They are all the ooey, gooey goodness of traditional s'mores but a lot less messier and a lot more portable. Plus, you don't have to scramble for sticks in the dark or deal with stale graham crackers or hard mallows or even worry about forgetting your Hershey bars in your car trunk and then have to spend hours the next day cleaning it out of your upholstery (I've been there.)

 I've followed the recipe from Creations by Kara dozens of times and it has never let me or those I'm sharing the bars with down.  So, in case you're still scrambling for something to bring to your festivities this weekend, I advise you to exercise your freedom to indulge and make these bars!!!!

Bonus tip:

*The recipe makes enough graham mixture to save a little for the freezer. I like to leave lots of "cracks" for the marshmellow fluff to expand and toast through.  If you freeze about 1/4 cup, the frozen bites of graham dough are AWESOME in a homemade s'mores sundae.  Add a few frozen bits, some chocolate chips, and a drizzle of fudge. YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Quickie: Mac hack!

I'm a mom of a toddler.  I perpetually have microwaveable mac & cheese in my house.  Microwaveable mac isn't an everyday food in our house (no judgement if it is in yours...I'm contemplating a Pop Tart with Nutella for breakfast right now.)

I like having it around for a couple of reasons:

• It's a quick meal in a bind and fool-proof to make (ie: it makes life easier for daddies and babysitters)
• My kid is guaranteed to eat it so on days when he refuses to eat, at least I can get some mac in him.

Here's the thing about microwaveable mac: it is molten-lava hot.  My kid gets so excited when he sees me making it and then there's about 7 minutes of tantrum-throwing because "NO YOU CAN'T EAT THE HOT MAC!"  It's cruel, really.

I usually sneak veggies in mac & cheese.  The veggies aren't fooling anyone.  In no way do they make the meal healthy.  BUT, I loves me an opportunity to get some extra veggies in my kid's diet by flying them in under the radar.

Here's a Mac Hack I thought of that will cut cooling time in half AND get some fiber all up in your kiddos:

Toss frozen veggies in the mac, straight out of the microwave and after you mixed in the cheese. That's it! 

The heat of the mac thaws out the veggies and at the same time the cold of the frozen veggies cool down the mac. Give the mac and veggies a few stirs and take a bite yourself so you can be sure it's safe for the little in your life.  And let's be real, you don't have to have kids to love microwaveable mac.  Try this hack yourself!  It's delicious and slightly more nutritious:)

This hack also works well using microwaveable oatmeal and frozen fruit, by the way!

Homemade, fresh ginger cooler

I'm obsessed with ginger root.  I love the peppery, floral taste.  I love the fresh, clean, energizing scent.  I also love that as an added bonus, ginger root has a long list of health bennys.

If you do a quick search on "Health Benefits of Ginger," you'll get a host of websites from different resources detailing the power of ginger.

 The common denominators of ginger benefits (I find) are as follows:

• Promotes good digestive health (ie: helps induce appetite, reduces intestinal gas, alleviates nausea, rids body of bloat)
• Serves as an anti-inflammatory agent
• Aids in clearing sinuses
• Helps the body absorb nutrients

I can vouch for all the above.  I have IBS and fibromyalgia.  Since incorporating ginger into my diet, I have seen marked improvements in the severity and frequency of both my IBS and fibromyalgia flare ups.  When I have tummy troubles (especially when I was pregnant with my son) chewing fresh ginger totally helps reduce the intensity of those nasty, symptoms.

I brew a lot of tea-like drinks at home in an effort to thwart cravings for sodas (I miss you, Diet Coke!)  One day I decided to try and make a ginger drink with some of the extra root I had on hand in my freezer. The experiment was successful by my standards and now I regularly make this ginger cooler and personally find it to be incredibly refreshing and dare I say, spa-worthy.

Try it for yourself!  It's stupid-easy to make.

What you need:

• 7.5 - 8 cups of water
• Pot to boil water in
• Fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced*
• Honey, Stevia, Truvia, or Sugar in the Raw (or regular sugar, if you like) I use about 1.5 tablespoons of honey in my cooler for a very mild sweetness.  Play around with amounts of sweetener to please your pallet.  

*Use as much or as little as you'd like depending on how strong you want the ginger taste to be in your cooler.  I generally use a root as big as my hand and about as wide as but my thumbs pressed together.  That translates into about 1.5 cups sliced. The thinner you slice the ginger, the stronger the flavor will be as well. I generally slice mine about .25-.50 inches thick

How you make it:

Put ginger and water in a pot.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for about 5 minutes, full roar.  Turn down the heat and let simmer anywhere from 10-15 minutes.  Add your desired sweetener and mix with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.  Allow ginger to steep in the mixture as it cools.  The longer you simmer, the longer you steep, the stronger the ginger flavor will be.  

Hello, gorgeous.

Remove ginger from pot with a slotted spoon before allowing mixture to cool if you want a more subtle flavor.  I, personally, let the ginger slices steep upwards of 45 minutes sometimes as it cools.  Do remember, though, I'm a ginger freak.  The spicier the better!  

Once cool, transfer to a container that is easy to refrigerate.  I'm partial to large, Ball canning jars with their plastic, reusable caps.  Should yield about 5.5-6 cups of ginger cooler (depending on how long you boil.)

I mean, everyone will wonder what the big jar of
urine in your fridge is all about but that means
more ginger cooler for you, right?

One batch keeps about 2-5 days in the refrigerator.  Serve over ice.  Throw in some fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice and a few wedges of your desired citrus for an extra element of refreshment.

Cheers to good health and sunny, summer days!