Recipes

The kitchen tools I can’t live without

Posted on December 15, 2021 Written by Serena Leave a Comment

I’ll admit it, I’m no Julia Childs. I have so many cookbooks and recipes torn out of magazines, but I stick with my handful of meals for the most part. That’s what happens when your husband would happily eat tacos every. single. day. It’s hard to change it up. When I do venture past tacos, I want the right tools for the job.

While some of these kitchen tools may not get used every day, they’re still my favorites!

Chainmail Pot Cleaner

This was a gift from my sister, and by far one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. It’s perfect for cleaning cast-iron pans (no soap) and baked-on food.

You can buy scrubbers with a sponge inside the chainmail, but I like this one because it’s much easier to keep clean.

Small whisk

Before you roll your eyes and ask what’s the big deal about a whisk, hear me out. I’m talking about a s-m-a-l-l whisk. One that fits inside a teacup small, not one that you need a gallon-sized bowl to use.

Small whisks are perfect for scrambled eggs, hot chocolate, or anytime you just need a little bit of something mixed up. I like this one because it fits just perfectly in your hand.

Rasp Grater (brand name Microplane)

We have 2 rasp graters–one for nutmeg and one for everything else.

A self container nutmeg grater keeps the nut and the tool ready to go. Fresh nutmeg is a must for any and all pork recipes. Buying whole nutmeg and grating as needed keeps the flavor strong and fresh.

The handheld rasp grater is for hard cheeses, zests, garlic, chocolate, and softening butter.

Ginger Grater

You can use a rasp grater for ginger, but it will dull it SUPER fast. That’s why having a ginger grater is the way to go. Those little bumps magically grate the ginger perfectly. Pro-Tip: use a spoon to scrape off the skin of the ginger. It comes off like a dream and no wasted ginger bits.

Danish Dough Whisk

Another whisk? Yes! But this one is for making bread. Its special design allows for easy mixing without overmixing and moves through the ingredients without getting bogged down by them. No more scraping down spoons.

But you can use it for more than just bread–muffin, cake, pancake, and crêpe batters, polenta, grits, oatmeal, and other porridges, as well as folding in whipped egg whites or cream.

Instant Pot 8-quart Multi Cooker

I loved my VitaClay Stock Pot, until it cracked. I was rendering lard, and the cold fat against the warming clay, and C-R-A-C-K! I knew if I replaced the insert, it would just happen again, so I switched to the Instant Pot.

My biggest complaint about the IP early on was the size–waaaaay too small. Then they came out with an 8 qt one, and I was sold!

I like that I can pressure cook something, then switch to slow cooker mode, and it will stay on warm for 10 hours after the programmed cook time.

Aluminum rimmed baking sheet

I don’t usually cook on aluminum, and when I do, I use a silicone mat, BUT, what I love these pans for is defrosting meat.

They are toaster oven size and perfect for a pack of steaks, ground beef, or even a roast. Just place the meat in the pan and place the pan on something so air will circulate under it. I use our gas range grates but you could use a cooling rack, bowl, or just on the counter works but will take a bit longer. Turn the meat every 30-60 minutes.

The aluminum pulls the cold out of the meat in no time, so don’t leave it like this while you are away at work all day. A pound of our ground beef will defrost in a couple of hours.

Cast Iron Anything

If you’ve asked me for a recipe, my answer will almost always involve using cast iron. That’s because it is, in my opinion, THE best thing to cook with.

We have a wall full of cast iron pans, pots, griddles, and molds of all sizes. Very rarely will I use a stainless steel pan, but we do have a few of those as well.

If you’ve tried cast iron cooking before and never got the non-stick quality, here are some tips.

1 – Make sure it’s been seasoned well and properly. Click here for instructions.

2 – Use high heat. If the pan is not hot enough to start, it will stick. You can turn down the heat once you start cooking.

3 – USE FAT!!! I cannot stress this enough. Butter or lard is the best, and really lay it in there!

Do you have a favorite kitchen tool to share with me? Let me know in the comments!

Oh My, Tomato Pie!

Posted on August 12, 2021 Written by Serena Leave a Comment

When I first heard of tomato pie, I was skeptical. Was it a dessert or a dinner? Well, we have an abundance of tomatoes, so I decided to find out.

It did not disappoint!!!!

Not quite a quiche, not quite a tart, but all delicious! Our tomatoes are so sweet right now, and mixed with our bacon, it was the perfect sweet-salty breakfast.

I used the Southern Living Heirloom Tomato Pie recipe with, of course, tweaks: I added about 1 cup of shredded zucchini, subbed an onion for shallots, and used mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar.

Southern Living Heirloom Tomato Pie

3 pounds assorted medium to large heirloom tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

6 thick-cut bacon slices, diced

2 large shallots, chopped (or 1 large onion)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tsp.)

6 ounces aged extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 ½ cups) or mozzarella

½ cup mayonnaise (I’d use 1/3 cup)

1 cup shredded zucchini, with excess water squeezed out

½ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (regular mustard is ok)

1 large egg

Fresh basil leaves

Minced fresh chives

1 pie crust (see notes below)

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tomatoes into ½-inch-thick slices. Place about 7 or 8 slices (enough to cover top of pie) on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cover with additional paper towels, and reserve.

Step 2

Arrange remaining tomatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased wire rack set on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bake in preheated oven until wilted and slightly dried out, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 3

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high until fat is beginning to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped shallots, and cook until bacon is crisp and shallots are caramelized 6 to 7 more minutes. Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon mixture to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Cool 20 minutes.

Step 4

Stir together cheese, mayonnaise, zucchini, basil, chives, Dijon, and egg until combined. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Fold in bacon mixture.

Step 5

Gently spread a third of the cheese mixture onto Parmesan-Buttermilk Crust; layer with half of the roasted tomato slices in a slightly overlapping pattern. Spread another third of the cheese mixture on top of tomato slices. Repeat with remaining roasted tomato slices and cheese mixture. Top with reserved sliced fresh tomatoes, pressing filling gently into crust. Shield edges of pie with aluminum foil.

Step 6

Bake in preheated oven until filling is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let stand 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle with basil and chives.

Notes

Store-bought crust is fine. But if you want an easy homemade crust you DO NOT need to roll out, try this one.

I will definitely make this again before tomato season is over and add more zucchini, onion, and garlic.

Did you try this recipe? Let me know in the comments how you liked it.

How to make THE best bone broth!

Posted on October 25, 2020 Written by Serena 1 Comment

The first time I made bone broth, I ended up throwing it out. After it cooled, it was like gelatin and I thought I ruined it. Oops! Little did I know, the best broth has a solid gel.

Since then, I’ve had different levels of gel in my broth and I’ve finally figured out how to always get the perfect gel.

I’ve helped a few people perfect their broth, so I wanted to share some tips and the one ingredient that will boost the gel factor.

I’m sure you’ve heard that bone broth is a superfood, right? Pound for pound, or cup for cup as it were, bone broth is a nutritious and versatile food you want to keep on hand.

Bone broth is a great source of gelatin protein aka broken down collagen (about 10 grams per 8 oz cup), glucosamine and chondroitin (joint health support), niacin, riboflavin, glycine, and proline. Despite popular belief, you don’t get a lot of minerals from bone broth, but that’s ok. It’s a super nutritious food that can help with gut health, healthy skin, and joint health to name a few.

Plus you can use it for more than just soup. It’s a great sauce base or try cooking rice or quinoa in it.

While you’re sipping on your broth, don’t forget your pets! Bone broth can help them in the same ways it helps you. Since our dogs are large breeds and prone to hip issues, they get bone broth regularly. I feed it cold so it’s gelled and less messy. I have another pet treat tip at the end.

“Regular” Bone Broth

When I cook any bone-in cut, I almost always save the bone (either raw or cooked) in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. Chicken, pork, beef, shrimp shells, doesn’t matter, it all goes in the bag. Once I have a full bag, I make a pot of broth.

BUT, when I want THE best broth, I use–feet!

Why feet? Because all the collagen containing connective tissue breaks down to create a super gel that bones alone don’t quite have. And that’s what you want–a good strong gel.

Chicken Feet

I just made a pot of all chicken feet broth and oh man, was that some serious gel! Even adding 4-6 feet to your regular broth will help increase the gel. I was reading up on it and one source said using all feet has more body than regular chicken broth. I wasn’t really sure what that meant until I tasted it. It was thicker than regular broth, more like a sauce.

For an all feet broth, you can either just put them as is in the pot and cover with water, or you can blanch them and remove the skin. The packs of feet we sell already have the nails removed, so no worry there.

To peel the skin: scald the feet in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Don’t boil too long or the skin will stick to the muscle. Dump them in a pan of ice-cold water. Peel. They peel best when still warm, so only do as many as you can keep warm while peeling; ~ 4-5 at a time.

Pig Feet

The first time I made pig feet broth I was amazed by the gel. Like chicken feet broth, it’s solid after cooled. I mean S-O-L-I-D. You can run a knife around the jar and ease it out in one piece like canned cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. PLOP!

Prep for pig feet broth is a bit different than chicken. Of course, you can just put them in a pot and cover with water, or you can roast them first. Roasting is said to make the flavor deeper. I’ve only ever made it after roasting, so not sure what the other way tastes like.

Pig feet broth is very different from chicken or beef broth in one way–taste. I don’t drink straight pork broth as I do with chicken or beef. It just isn’t that tasty to me. BUT, it’s the absolute best in any sauce or soup! It’s like something magical happens when you put something else in it. I save all my pork broth for sauce or soup bases.

Cooking Bone Broth

Add feet and/or bones to a crockpot with 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and cover with cold water. TIP: You want the bones just covered. If the bones/feet are a frozen mass, fill with water halfway, heat on high for 1 hour, and wait until you can break them apart to top it off. Cook on low.

There’s no hard and fast rule about cook time, anywhere between 6-18 hours is good. TIP: try not to cook over 24 hours. If you cook too long, the collagen will break down too much and the broth won’t gel. If any “scum” forms on top, skim it off.

If your crockpot has a warm setting, after 4-6 hours on low, you can switch it to warm overnight. That should keep it at 160F which is out of the food safety danger zone. TIP: cooking at too high of heat also breaks down the collagen and ruins the gel.

Since this is a base broth, I don’t add any veggies or herbs. You can, but I find it easier to strain the broth as is and add in later when I want to use it.

When your broth is ready, strain through a mesh sieve or cheesecloth into jars/containers and set solids aside. Chill in an ice bath until cooled down and place in the fridge for 12 hours.

TIP: leave the fat on top. 1–it’s a healthy fat that’s good for you and 2–it helps seal the broth and keep it fresher in the fridge and safe from freezer burn in the freezer.

It will last a week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

TIP: freeze with at least 2″ headspace for expansion. If you freeze in glass, put the jar in a bowl and defrost overnight in the fridge. Check for cracks before using.

Now you have a big bowl of bones. What do you do with that? Depending on what you used, there’s still plenty of meat leftover. Once everything cools enough to handle, pick out the meat. This is perfect to either add back into the broth or use in tacos.

You can set aside any of the fat, skin, or other “undesirable” soft parts and feed it to your dog or cat as a treat. Just MAKE SURE there are no cook bones in it. If the ends of the bigger bones disintegrate with mild pressure between your fingers into a meal like feel, you can feed that as well. This also opens up the shaft of the bone so you can dig out the marrow if you like.

That’s it! Now you have a health boost in a jar. At the first sign of feeling a bit under the weather or stressed more than usual, warm up a cup or two and enjoy.

Ready to start making your own broth?

Click to buy chicken feet, pig feet, or other cuts.

If you need more help or have questions, click here to email me!

Get Ready to Start Loving Lard!

Posted on August 19, 2020 Written by Serena 1 Comment

When we started with hogs, besides having super yummy pork, we were really excited about having lard. We LOVE cooking with lard.

I know what you’re thinking, lard is BAD for you…isn’t it? Boy, do I have some good news for you!

How can lard be good for you?

When you get lard from hogs raised on pasture with lots of room to roam, soaking in the sunshine, and fed at the very least a non-GMO feed, you’re on the right track to some health benefits. Yes, I said it–HEALTH BENEFITS FROM LARD!

Lard is 48% monounsaturated fat which may help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Lard from pasture-raised hogs is the second highest food source in vitamin D, after cod liver oil. How does lard have so much vitamin D? Hogs absorb it from the sun and store it in their fat, which is why you want lard from hogs that live outside. There’s a lot to sort out when it comes to fats and Sally Fallon and Mary Enig do a great job explaining it in “The Skinny on Fats”.

When is lard bad for you?

Pretty much anything you buy in the store is NOT what you want. It’s hydrogenated–processed and mixed with lots of junk to make it whiter and more shelf-stable. If the label says more than hog fat, don’t buy it. And just because it’s local doesn’t mean the hogs haven’t been in confinement which will affect the quality and benefits of lard (and pork for that matter).

What about cholesterol?

Cholesterol is good for you. Very, VERY good for you. It aids in cell regeneration, proper synthesis and production of some hormones, especially sex hormones, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, to name a few. Those are all really important functions!

The body produces 80% of our cholesterol for a good reason and inherited genetic high cholesterol occurs in only .5% of the population. So “genetic high cholesterol” is more a combination of learned eating habits and excellent marketing of not-so-good-for-you foodstuff.

So, if our bodies make most of our cholesterol and it performs major bodily functions, why do we keep hearing cholesterol is bad and will clog our arteries and kill us?

Where we get mixed up about cholesterol is WHY our arteries clog. Hint–it’s not because we eat too much cholesterol.

When there’s chronic inflammation in our body, our liver is signaled to produce cholesterol and sends it out to ease the inflammation. This is different from acute inflammation from an injury like a sprained ankle or cut where white blood cells are rallied to help.

You see, cholesterol has healing properties in normal amounts. BUT, when your system is chronically inflamed, the amount of cholesterol in your system goes bonkers and starts to build up, walling off the inflamed site, clogging arteries. Your body is trying to heal itself, but can’t because the inflammation is too great. It just sends out more and more cholesterol to fight and it can build up.

So the question comes down to who’s to blame–the cholesterol that’s trying to heal your body or the inflammation calling on the liver to produce more and more cholesterol? To have a normal healing amount of cholesterol in your system, you have to eliminate what’s causing the inflammation.

Chronic inflammation can be caused by toxins we breathe in, like form smoking, and what we eat. Inflammatory foods are sugars, refined carbs (breads, crackers, cereals-even healthy organic ones), aspartame, gluten, oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soy, peanut, and vegetable), and alcohol.

Low inflammation = low cholesterol. If you stop eating foods that cause inflammation, your LDL cholesterol can lower and change in type (more on types later) and HDL (the good stuff) increases on its own. No meds needed.

There have been several studies that show eating saturated fats do not increase your risk for heart disease, but eating sugary and starchy food can double your risk (Source). Cholesterol also has a crucial role in synthesizing Vitamin D. This article has great information about Vitamin D and cholesterol.

There’s still a lot of out of date info about cholesterol circulating and it’s hard to move past the idea of a low-fat diet being good for you. You can read this, this, and this article for more great information about why you should rethink the cholesterol myths. And this article is the latest on the myth of saturated fats and heart disease you really need to read.

And remember the fat-soluble vitamins I mentioned earlier? What that means is if you don’t have enough fat in your diet, you won’t be able to absorb those vitamins as easily. That means they won’t get stored in your fat and liver for later use. That expensive supplement pill or powder you take daily for your vitamin A, K, E, and D? If you don’t take them with a balanced meal including fats, you may not be getting your money’s worth.

My Story

When my cholesterol was at 200, my doctor at the time was hinting at meds. I had other plans. After some research, I decided we would eliminate all processed sugary treats, decrease our bread and boxed processed foods intake. If we wanted a sweet treat, we would have to make it and I’d usually cut the sugar amount in half.

At first, we went crazy making sweets and bread. Then it became quite a bit of work, so we slowed down and more often than not, just went without.

Some of the changes: Fred was eating 2 sandwiches a day for lunch and that dropped to one–taking out about 15 loaves of bread a year from his diet. We replaced store-bought bread with sourdough bread Fred made because it’s easier on your digestion and blood sugar (now I will buy store-bought sprouted bread). I slowly weaned us off chocolate chips-our throwdown sweet-from 52 bags to 26 to less than 12 a year. Switched from flour to corn tortillas and dropped the amount of sugar Fred put in his tea.

Within a year, both of our total cholesterol dropped 20 points and our HDL increased. Now, this whole time we ate a minimum of 3 eggs a day each and LOTS of meat. Most doctors would say to cut those things out because of the cholesterol. But since we cut down on sugar and flour, our liver was not sending out the signal to produce excess cholesterol and our bodies were able to utilize fat-soluble vitamins better. And remember, we only get 20% of our cholesterol from food.

What we were doing was eating healthy pasture-raised animal fats that were actually nourishing our bodies while removing/reducing sugar, grains, and chemicals that cause inflammation.

To be clear, we don’t always eat the best. If we are out and about, Fred may get a soda. We’ll have a slice of cake or pie at a family gathering. I’ll beg Fred to make kettle corn for movie night. Eating better is not an all or nothing thing. It’s just that, eating BETTER. I don’t beat myself up when I eat less than great, I just do better.

What do the numbers mean?

More important than total cholesterol is your cholesterol ratio and if you have a high LDL, what type of LDL.

Your ratio is your total cholesterol divided by your HDL level. The optimal ratio is between 1:1 and 3.5:1. A higher ratio increases the risk of heart disease.

Not all LDL is created equal and your run of the mill lipid test doesn’t give you the big picture. LDL can be tested to tell you if your LDL is large, medium, small, or very small. Large decreases your chance of heart disease and very small increases it.

Let’s look at my last Lipid panel with the normal range in ( ).

Total: 217 (<200)
Triglycerides: 51 (<150)
HDL: 86 (40-59)
LDL calculated: 121 (<100)
Non-HDL cholesterol: 131 (<130)

Ratio: 2.5:1 (217/86 = 2.52)

At first glance, you are probably freaking out, right? What’s low seems so low, and what’s high seems so high. My doctor was so happy with these results. Here’s why (and why I LOVE my Dr.).

While I didn’t have my LDL broken down to the type, which I will next time, my doctor knows my diet and exercise level and takes everything into account. Super low Triglycerides but high LDL, a diet full of good fat, and an active lifestyle means more than likely, my LDL is the large type and not the small stick to my artery wall type.

What about that low Triglyceride number? Very-low-density-lipoprotein, VLDL, the small LDL, is made up of triglycerides, cholesterol, and apolipoproteins. Not a lot of triglycerides, not a lot of VLDL.

See that HDL off the charts? That means I have a lot of “good” fluffy cholesterol keeping any “bad” small LDL cholesterol in check.

When you remove my good HDL from the equation, my Non-HDL cholesterol could still be seen as borderline. But again, looking at the big picture, my doctor sees an overall low risk of heart disease.

Are you thinking, “you didn’t mention your TOTAL cholesterol!” There’s a good reason for that. As my doctor says, it doesn’t really matter. It’s what the other numbers tell TOGETHER that gives you a more accurate picture of your health and heart disease risk. This is the thinking among doctors as they open up to the new research on cholesterol and heart health.

Want to learn more about cholesterol? Read The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D. You can listen to it for free on the Hoopla app.

What do I do with my lard?

Oh, good lard, I am so glad you asked! Yes, there has to be at least one lard joke.

My Mexican grandmother used lard generously. I have her HUGE cast iron pan she used to make fried rice and beans in. I can still smell the chili soaking into the hot lard and the amazing glistening that coated everything she cooked. You really can use lard for all your cooking needs.

Lard makes THE BEST biscuits and pie crusts. Lard gives baked goods light flakiness you just can’t get from other fats.

Now that we have lard, I use it for sauteing and roasting veggies or browning meats. You can use less lard and get better flavor and less oiliness. It also makes the best fried eggs.

Lard had a higher smoke point, so frying in lard makes the best fried chicken or fish. Did you know when you heat vegetable oils too high or reuse it, it oxidizes and releases free radicals that can cause inflammation? No thanks!

Lard is a great butter replacement on pasta and bread. Mix in some herbs and spices, let it set in the fridge overnight, and use it as you would butter.

Real pure lard is fine at room temperature and won’t go bad for months, but we store what we are using in the fridge and extra in the freezer.

If you are interested in how and why we stopped using lard and started eating things like margarine and Crisco, click here.

Ready to try some lard? Click here to order!

Want to make your own? Click here for leaf fat.

>>> I am Not A Physician <<<

**Disclaimer: I am not a physician and this is not medical advice. If you have concerns about your cholesterol level and health, please contact a physician you trust and is informed of the latest research. If you are currently taking a cholesterol-lowering medication, please contact your physician before decreasing or stopping any medication.**

This article is about my research and my health changes and is only serving as encouragement for you to continue researching your health and medical options. A physician who listens to your concerns and values your input is the best place to start taking control of your health.