House of Grace California Chicken Salad

Back in the 70's/80's, I loved going to House of Grace where Curtis Grace made the best food in a beautiful old house that was refurbished as a tea room.  He still has a House of Grace there, only now it's in a former Pizza Hut.  The last time I had this wonderful salad from him was on a visit with Nan.  Ellen picked up take out for us and we had a wonderful time visiting in their kitchen eating Curtis Grace's food one more time.

Nan threw Debbie a baby shower at House of Grace one time.  There were probably 8 of us and the meal was served in 5 courses.  We were fancy in those days!   Another one of his specialties was strawberry shortcake.  It was an old-fashioned shortcake even then--more like a cracker than a cake.  

Anyway, I found this recipe for his California Chicken Salad which was my favorite of his specialties.  As I was looking at it, I realized that it's pretty much low carb!  I just left off the grapes to make it keto.  And I used chopped pecans because I didn't have slivered almonds.  It's as good as I remember.

 Look at that typing!  I am thankful we don't have to use an old fashioned typewriter to copy recipes anymore :)

Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing-- a pinterest find this week.  I've already made two batches!

And to make it even better, be sure to make the mayo first:

1 whole large egg

2-3 Tbls fresh lime or lemon juice, or vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup extra light tasting olive oil

Place all in a quart jar and let the egg settle to the bottom.  Place stick blender at the bottom of the jar and blend without moving the stick for a couple of minutes until the mayonnaise emulsion forms. 

And if you're at Humphrey's, pick up a bag of their in-house pork rinds.  My grandma would have liked them.  Seems like a lot of the food we eat these days was her kind of food.

What's for Breakfast?

My hat is off to all those professional food bloggers out there.  Photographing food is much harder than flowers!

This was my breakfast today--cashew waffles with blueberries.  Does this look like a diet?  And if I had had some whipping cream made up, that would have been okay too!   Sunday mornings are  waffle mornings here.  Mark loves them and he takes the leftovers  to go with his first coffee when he gets to work.  They help him resist whatever sweet breakfast foods might be around.

As for an update on our journey, we both came back from vacation with weight loss!  Has happened never!  What's it like to go to Patti's 1800's settlement and not get the mile-high pie?  Well, in some ways it's tough.  There is a grief when you give up sugar, potatoes, and grains (GPS as Dr. Hallberg says).  It requires a willingness to embrace the positives.  Like not feeling sick to overflowing after you eat.  Like your pants fitting, even after a good meal.  Actually Patti's can actually be a pretty good place for low-carbers.  Their pork chop sauce is less than 1 carb per serving.

I'm so happy and grateful to have found this way of eating.  I'm thrilled when friends and family  express an interest in going along for a test-drive with us.  One of my friends just lost 12 pounds in her first week!  You go girl!  One of my family members just told me that her digestion has been so improved that she doesn't have to worry about staying close to the bathroom anymore.  Mark's diabetes & blood pressure meds have been halved.  Okay, well you get the picture :)

Are you sticking around for the waffle recipe?  It's adapted from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain,  I love her cookbook and her story.  She's not strictly low-carb, but her bread recipes are easily adaptable to LCHF/Keto.

Cashew Waffles:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or almond milk whichever you have on hand 
• 1 cup cashews raw & unsalted or roasted & salted whatever you can find for a good price.  I get ours in the bulk section of the grocery.
• 3 T coconut oil
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1/2 t baking power and 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt; if you're using salted nuts, may not need the extra salt
• 4 T flax seeds

Mix them up in a food processor and bake in the waffle maker.  Each waffle is 1 net carbs (as opposed to 30 for your general everyday waffle). Be sure to top with butter.  Butter is our friend even though we've been brainwashed for the last 40 years to believe otherwise. 

The blueberry topping is  frozen blueberries cooked in a saucepan with a little water until they're soft and the liquid is cooked down.  Blueberries are the lowest carb fruit out there.  Still they're 11 carbs for a half-cup with 2 fibers. Total carbs minus fiber equals net carbs, so that little half cup berries is 9 carbs.   But just a tablespoon or so of blueberries is a good way to use them.  It's just enough to light up the waffles and not so much that they spike your blood sugar or stall your weight loss. 

Okay, bye for now!  Thanks for stopping by and checking this little spot of the infinite world of blogs :)

 








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Paleo Breakfast Cookies from PJ

Paleo Breakfast Cookies                                                                        Makes One Dozen Cookies

Place in food processor and stir together:   1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/4 t salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 Tbls cinnamon.

Add in:  1/2 cup almond butter, unsweetened, 6 pitted dates, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes.
Process mixture in food processor til well combined and dates are fine.

Add in and process til wet dough forms: 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 medium eggs, 1 tsp vanilla.

Add in and pulse til all incorporated: 2 Tbls dried unsweetened cherries, 2 Tbls walnuts, 3 Tbls currants.

Use cookie scoop to drop cookies onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly as the cookies will not spread. (I've been flattening them with  the bottom of a glass dipped in coconut sugar.)  Bake 15 to 20 minutes.  Store in freezer.

 They have been mistaken for sausage patties a couple of times, but they really are delicious. Thanks to my sissy PJ for the recipe.  I think of her everytime I make them :) love love

No, It's Not Paleo

Judson made this fabulous spinach and mushroom risotto when he was here a couple of weeks ago.   It was awesome.  And even more so because he made it for me :)

Debating on buying a house on Lake Springfield. We've been back and forth at least a hundred times. Yes, let's do it. . .   No, we'd better not. . .   But I want to sit on the dock and drink coffee every morning  . . .   Okay, let's do it. . .  But wait, we'll be paying it off in our 80's. . . . Okay, we'd better not. . . . Go for it.  You work hard.  Do it!     (That's Warren's voice.)  . . . Be careful what you wish for, you're sure to get it. (That's from Mammy.)   No, definitely not.  Yes no yes no yes no yes no yes no. . . . Sheesh!  I need a glass of wine and some  more of Judson's risotto :)

Isaac & Kynda's Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

A long time ago, when Isaac was young, he and I made chocolate chip cookies together over and over--trying to get them to come out soft and chewy instead of hard as brick bats.  What's a brick bat?  I don't know, but I heard my great-grandmother use that saying when I was a little girl.  I assume they used to call bricks "brick bats".  But maybe there was such a thing as a bat made out of brick??  I will have to ask my mama to see if she remembers.

Anyway, the point is, Isaac and I came up with the best-ever recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  It's pretty simple.  Take the toll-house recipe off the bag of chocolate chips and make 3 changes.

1)  Half the butter.  One stick instead of two.
2)  Twice the chocolate chip cookies.  You knew this was going to be included, didn't you?
3)  Use at least two kinds of chocolate chips. We used to use one bag of milk chocolate chips and one bag of semi-sweet.  But now the grocery store also has dark chocolate chips.  So use some combination of dark&milk&semi or dark&milk or dark&semi or semi&milk, etc.  You get the idea.
4)  There is a fourth rule, but it's not really a change to the recipe.  It's just a cookie-baking rule--don't bake the cookies too long.  There's a fine fine line between underbaked, just right, and hard-as-brick-bats.  In my oven, it's 9-10 minutes at 350.  The edge of the cookie is just turning golden brown  and the middle still looks just a tad gooey.

These days I don't bake cookies very often.  Too many calories.  Despite watching our blood sugar, we're also watching the scale creep up in the wrong direction.

When I bake these best-ever cookies, I think about Judson and Isaac when they were little.  I am so proud of the grown men they have become.  And the sight of Betsy smiling with  chocolate smears on her face--well,  I am blessed beyond blessed.  

Hallelujah Sunday

It was an absolutely glorious Sunday.  An inch of rain last night.  An early morning bike ride.  A walk through the garden, which is breathing a sigh of relief. . .

I sat here reading on the kindle under the umbrella almost all day with afternoon temperatures in the 80s.

And this evening, blackberry peach crisp with Breyers vanilla.  It was a Hallelujah Sunday :)

Very simple recipe:  Toss fruit with lemon juice and a little almond flavoring.  Crisp topping:  1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup sugar & 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1 cup of light brown), 1 cup flour whisked together til crumbly.  Top the fruit with the crisp, bake 15 minutes at 350 covered with foil, then 20 minutes uncovered til browned & bubbly.  You know what to do next.

Darcy's Beet Salad

Mark took me to Darcy's last weekend and I had this fabulous beet salad.   Extra spectacular fantabulous yum--beets, pineapple, spinach, roasted red pepper, onions, candied pecans, blue cheese with a sweetened vinegarette.  It was a special for the evening, not an everyday menu item, so we'll have to look for it and hope it makes a repeat appearance.

Recipe Book

Yes, I know Pinterest has thousands of great recipes, but for Easter I wanted something from my church days.  This 1980s recipe book from Christ Methodist Church in Lexington  is falling apart and it makes me smile every time I use it. I remember my good friends Cindy and Linda and Nancy and Alan and Peggy and wonder where they are and what they are doing these days. 

 I believe there's a little piece of cake left that would make a good breakfast today.  Cake for breakfast should make for a happy Tuesday, don't you think?

Strawberry Jam

Yesterday Rachel posted on my facebook wall:   So how did you girls make that yummy strawberry jam?  Kyle LOVED it.  He licked it all off his toast :)

That's why I love facebook.  Made me so happy to hear that my little Kyle boy liked our jam!  It is special jam, for sure.  For starters, the berries came from Grandma Peggy's garden and they were beautiful! 

PJ got onto me because I ate so many while we were picking.  She still believes in keeping the rule about not eating any berries while you pick.  I used to get in trouble for breaking that rule when mama and I went to pick at Mr. Faith's just off highway 60 in Paducah.  I've just adapted the rule a little bit--  pick two for the box and eat the next one. 

John wasn't worried about any rules--he walked right through the middle of the patch and held the box for us.  Laughing and giggling the whole time.  He is so cute!

My sister PJ is one of the funniest people I know--love her hair here :)  She'll be mad at me for posting her picture.  I think she's beautiful! 

So the recipe for the jam can be found in the Sure-Jell box.   Mama's jam is always good, but this batch was an extra-special good one because we had so much fun making it together.   She'll be so happy to hear that Kyle liked her strawberry jam.  Now I'm inspired me to plant a little berry patch here at Canada Garden too!  Let's keep the tradition going :)

Food and Flowers for Life

It hasn't been flowers only here at Canada Garden.  I've been reading Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman.  At first I was buying into the idea that I should eat all beans, all salads, all fruit, everyday.  But then a few minutes went by and I realized that I'm not ready to give up dairy, not ready to give up meat (entirely),  not ready to give up dessert, not ready to give up. . . Well, you get the idea.    So, now I'm just trying to eat more beans,  salad, and fruit everyday.

We cooked a turkey breast in the crock pot with bouquet garni from The Farm.  That turned out really good.  Saved the seasoned stock to make vegetable soup.    Had black-eyed peas for New Year's Day 'cause in my family that's what you did to bring good luck for the coming year. 

I was talking to a friend yesterday who told me her aunt walked five miles on her 80th birthday. I hope I get to do that!  Maybe I should start a new tradition of a long walk on every birthday.  Right after a bowl of beans and a salad with a big bouquet of flowers on the table :)

Biscotti for Santa

 

Giada from the Food Network shared this recipe.  We made them while mama and PJ were here, with a few little changes,  and they turned out really good!

2 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder:  mix together in a bowl (Why do they always say to use another bowl?  I just use the measuring cup.)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 tsp lemon zest

(and I added a little almond flavoring too)

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries (I didn't have enough cranberries the first time, so I added some dried blueberries.  PJ says she's going to use cherries)
12 oz good quality white chocolate (The chocolate was a mess.  Almond bark worked/tasted much better.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together the sugar, butter, lemon zest, almond flavoring, salt.  Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add flour mixture and beat just til blended.  Stir in the nuts & berries.

Form the dough into a 13 inch long, 3 inch wide log on the baking sheet.  Bake til light golden, about 40 minutes.  Cool for 30 minutes.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.  Arrange slices on the baking sheet, and bake til pale golden, about 15 minutes.  I turned mine and baked a few more minutes on the other side.

Melt the chocolate (good luck)  or almond bark as directed.  Giada says to dip one end of the biscotti  and shake off any excess.  I dipped just the bottom side.  Mark likes them plain.  Let cool and store in airtight container for up to 4 days.  She says you can freeze for up to 3 weeks.  I'm going to try that. 

Okay, hope Santa likes biscotti & coffee!

Christmas Cookies

I found this recipe for cookies in last week's paper and they were really really good.  Cut them as small as you'd like--they're little crispy buttery almond bites. (PJ gave me the crocheted dish cloth when we were at the craft show.  Love it!)

Apple Dumplings

  I feel so thankful that we're all healthy here.  It was a nice day with my mom.   We made these apple dumplings--with two sticks of butter, so you know they're good! 

4 apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
8 oz. mountain dew

Peel and core apples and slice each apple into quarters.  Roll each apple quarter in a crescent roll and place in a 9 x 13 lightly greased baking dish.  Melt butter, add sugar, and stir slightly, leaving the mixture grainy.  Add vanilla, stir and pour over apple crescents.  Pour mountain dew around and down the center of rolls.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

We thought raisins would be a good addition too!

Thursday Night

Well, now I have flowers (thank goodness), but I'm still baking. This is "That Pound Cake" from Creating a Stir. Really good. This little grandma sign was from mama and pj.

Friday Night

The cake part is just a lemon cake mix. But the frostings are wonderful. Seven-minute from Mary Beth Roe's cookbook and the perfect chocolate frosting from Cook's Illustrated. Maybe next time I'll go for real cake too.

I am in serious flower withdrawal. Serious. Withdrawal. And I'm medicating with sugar. . .

BTW, don't you love the grandma's kitchen sign? Judson and Rachel gave it to me.

Frosting Shots

Our newspaper ran an article about frosting shots. Never heard of such a thing, but I was so impressed by this trend that I went right into the kitchen and made a batch of the chocolate frosting. Yum!
http://www.sj-r.com/features/x1768856360/Frosting-shots-are-a-little-cup-of-heaven

No Flowers to Post Today

so I'm going through withdrawal. In the meantime, here's a pie recipe that made a big hit here for the holiday.

Caramel Pecan Pie
Melt together: 36 unwrapped caramels, 1/2 stick butter, and 1/4 cup water.
(Be careful--this part is so good, you might just have to eat it with a spoon and forget the pie!)
Pour into an unbaked pie shell. I used the refrigerated Pillsbury dough and put it in a deep round baker so that there would be plenty of room.

The following is the pecan pie recipe from the old Kresge's in Paducah, per Cooking with Curtis Grace.
Beat: 3 eggs, 1/2 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup of white karo syrup.
Mix together: 1 heaping tblsp flour and 3/4 cup sugar and add to the beaten egg mixture.
Stir in 1/2 stick melted butter, 1 cup pecan halves, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour the pecan mixture over the melted caramel in the pie shell. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Everybody raved over this one. And Mark said it could use a few chocolate chips too, as if it weren't dangerous enough as is.

Calling All Chocolates

Melt in Your Mouth Mints took the blue ribbon in this Illinois State Fair's contest. They sound wonderful. Definitely one to try this fall, when I've got the two or three hours to make them. http://www.sj-r.com/sections/food/stories/94008.asp