Make your own Almond Extract (lemon, orange, vanilla, coconut, mint too)

I was so disappointed that my store stopped carrying the big size almond extract, because I use it more than vanilla extract and I use it A LOT!
Here is a recipe to make your own. These are great gifts for friends too.  You can put them into a cute jar and label them up for gift giving.

Almond Extract
Add 1 cup of chopped raw almonds to a half-pint size canning jar.  Cover with Vodka and put the lid on tightly.  Store it in a cool dry place for a month, swishing it around every day. strain the almonds and store. Storing 2-3 months will make for a stronger extract, but if you can't wait, one month is fine.

You can also make mint, lemon, orange, coconut and vanilla extracts.

Vanilla Extract
2 oz vanilla beans for every pint of vodka

Lemon or Orange Extract
zest from one lemon or orange per 1/2 cup vodka

Mint Extract
add 1/2 c mint to 1 c vodka

Coconut Extract
1/3 C freshly grated coconut (or unsweetened grated from a bag)
1 C vodka

Fresh Spinach and Cheese Ravioli w Garlic Parmesan Lemon Sauce

You can buy fresh spinach ravioli, or make your own, its pretty easy.  You can either make the noodles w spinach in them or put them in with the cheese or both.

Here is my pasta and ricotta recipes from previous posts if you want to venture total homemade from scratch.  I also have a basil pasta recipe if you want to play with your homemade pasta recipes. I promise your family will love you for it.

This lemon sauce recipe was adopted from a coworker who is a fellow "real food" foodie.  I changed it up slightly. He makes a pasta w asparagus lemon sauce.  I was out of asparagus and happened to have some fresh spinach ravioli from the market.  I am making this today again but with homemade ravioli, because my family loved  it so much!

(this is for one pound of pasta, I double it, it goes fast)

Make and boil your pasta..meanwhile...

In a sauce pan that is large enough for that pasta you are cooking..

1/4 C coconut oil (he uses olive, I really don't care for olive, use what you like)
heat and add
2 T fresh lemon zest and  5 cloves of fresh garlic, right before you are going to put the pasta in..heat a min or two, but don't burn the garlic (duh, stating the obvious for the oblivious lol)
Pour in the pasta and toss.
Add the parmesan cheese and any herb you might want..don't over power the lemon, its a fresh light recipe.  I like a little parsley.

Serve

Today I am making basil linguine and putting the lemon sauce over it w asparagus and chicken.  It was requested by my husband.  He is off at work and I am making linguine from scratch. Some Italians make Italian cuisine out to be rocket science, but Italian food one of the easiest cuisines to make.

Chili

Everyone has their own version, here is mine..basic, but adaptable to your own liking. Omit the hot peppers if you don't like it hot. Remember, I do not measure, so this is estimates of what I add...go more or less of anything you like, add what you like, omit what you don't.
This recipe makes a lot so I make  it in a big stock pot.

Chili 

5 jalapeno and hot peppers (I mixed varieties from my garden), chopped

4 green peppers chopped 

3-4 onions chopped 

3 lbs beef (I use organic)

4 slices bacon, diced (I use organic)
handful of Oregano
Cinnamon (pinch or two or three)

1 bulb garlic (yes, I used thew whole bulb), rough chopped

Fry this up in the stock pot, no need to dirty a fry pan. No oil, your beef will create its own.

When the beef is browned, add...

Approximately 20 tomatoes, seeded and skins removed (or use canned, diced and stewed, I do in the winter time, about 2 cans stewed tomatoes and 2 Large cans diced, with juices)

2 mugs water (i'm too lazy to grab my measuring cups)

3/4 C chili powder

1/4 c minced garlic (the dried type, we love garlic)

2 T celery seed

4 T paprika

1 T cumin

2 T cayenne pepper (more or less)

salt and fresh cracked pepper

simmer about two hours (more or less)

Add

2 cans black beans (normal size)

2 big cans kidney beans 

the amount doesn't matter, how many do you like, we like a lot you can use any type of beans you like

Cook another half hour

Serve with diced raw onions and cheese and Tabasco 

CREAMY CLAM CHOWDER ♥ I LOVE ROUX

Let's talk about measuring one more time...I don't do it. I add more of what I love and less of what I don't.  There is my cooking lesson for today.

I made a big batch of this, because my sister in law had surgery and I wanted to take her some and food doesn't leave my house easily unless there is plenty for everyone. You can half this batch if you have a four pack.

For the bacon, I just judge a cup, you all know I don't measure.  I just slice a quarter of the pack, while frozen, and put the whole pack back in the freezer for the next recipe)

bacon 

1 whole celery, diced (pack of celery, whatever ya wanna call it, 6-7 stalks))

2 onion, diced

8 cloves garlic 

6 fresh sprigs Thyme (about 1 T fresh  or 1 tsp dry)

2 ~ 51 oz cans clams

12 potatoes diced

1 T Old Bay

1 stick butter 

½ C flour (really I don't measure, who am I kidding, its a roux)

2 C milk 

bacon 

1 whole celery, diced (pack of celery, whatever ya wanna call it, 6-7 stalks))

2 onion, diced

 Saute bacon, celery and onion  in a soup pan (this is where you are making the soup, so make sure its big enough) until cooked, add garlic and thyme and cook another minute. Remove half and put into a frying pan. 

Add all of the juice from the cans of clams and 1 T old Bay. Add diced potatoes and bring to a boil, until potatoes are cooked. Add clams and cook another minute.

Make a roux...take the other half of the celery mixture that is sitting in a fry pan waiting...add butter and begin to saute.  When its melted and hot enough, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, scraping the pan or use a whisk, until the flour is cooked,   You will want to do this on lower heat so you don't burn the butter.  Add 1 C of the milk or cream or creamy milk..whatever ya got, we got raw thick full fat milk. whisk like crazy until thickened (okay, not really fast, just constant, but its a good arm workout if you wanna whisk like crazy. Add roux mixture to soup, add another cup milk and heat.  

 Salt and pepper to taste

Dammit, I failed to take a pic of the beautiful roux. I am no photographer..I just cook. If I think of a pic, I get one. 

Creamy Butternut Squash Bisque w Crab and Shiitake Mushrooms (vitamix)

Creamy Butternut Squash Bisque w Crab and Shiitake Mushrooms (vitamix)

This is fast and simple to make..you use your vitamix for most of it, with the exception of using the fry pan for the mushrooms.

Into the vitamix:

Half of a butternut squash, cut up (not cooked)
2 stalks celery
2 large carrots (or three smaller ones)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup milk (you will stir in another cup of milk at the end, it would fill the vitamix too full if you do it now)
1 hot pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 red onion
1 whole avocado (of course scoop it out of the shell)
1/4 c hemp seeds
Turn on high speed for about 5-7 mins or until hot. If there is room, you can add more milk.



In a cast iron fry pan, melt 2 T of butter and add a little coconut oil to prevent it from burning. Toss in the shiitake mushrooms, fry up and break up with a wooden spoon.

Pour the soup base out of the vitamix into a pot or serving dish..you may want to heat it hotter, but it was heated just right in the viatmix for us.  Stir in another cup or so of milk to thin it out a bit. (we use raw milk, you can use rice milk or whatever milk sub you like)  In my other recipe I use water, you can do that also, but this makes it nice and creamy.

Stir in cooked mushrooms and 16 oz crabmeat (any, claw, lump etc) and roasted red pepper strips.

Sweet and Sultry Habanero Pickles/Pickled Vegetables (jalapeno works too)

Sweet and Sultry Habanero Pickles/Pickled Vegetables
Super Easy, no cook. 

\

Vegetables of your choice:  I like cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, celery, cauliflower, greenbeans, onions, garlic, etc.
1 C distilled white vinegar
2 T sugar
2 T kosher salt
2 tsp dried minced garlic
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns (whole)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp celery seed
2 habaneros or jalapenos (one if you can't handle the heat)

Put the veggies in a quart canning jar, add sugar and spices.  Pour vinegar over it and fill jar w water. I use a quart jar. (wide mouth is all I use..you can get the stuff out easier) Let refrigerate two weeks to come to flavor.
These will last three months in your fridge.

Vitamix Orange Energizer

The drinks in this pic were made w/ice.  If you want it thinner, use water instead.

This is one of my favorite grab and go health kick drinks.

 It takes no time to make and if you are strapped for time, make it the night before, put it in a canning jar in the fridge and take it along with you the next day..it lasts at least 24 hours (more really).

 It won't change color, this really travels well. Give it a slight shake before opening the lid, it really doesn't need it, but I do anyway.

Vitamix Orange Energizer

1 sweet potato (raw, cut into cubes)
2 carrots, top cut off (raw cut into chunks)
1/2 pineapple (no skin, cut into chunks)
1 banana (optional, you can make it without this w no change of taste)
1 C water or ice

Drink some now and put what you can't drink in a canning jar in the fridge for later.  (or share it w your family).

I find that adding a pineapple, or apple to anything in my vitamix makes it so delicious.  You don't even know you are having a healthy snack.