TousCela.

Sep 1, 2015

Chicken in a crock pot

By sweetspot.ca | sweetspot.ca – Tue, 13 Sep, 2011 12:00 AM EDT

About a year or so ago, I had some friends over for a dinner party and decided to make a roast chicken. Sure, the whole thing sounded simple — overnight brining in salt water, a day of drying and dusting with herbs, a few hours in the oven and a couple of minutes to rest. Easy, right?

In actuality, it was exhausting! I was so pooped from the chicken prep that I could barely keep my eyes open through dessert. Sure, the chicken was really good, but the whole almost-24-hour process made it totally unrealistic for a Sunday dinner, let alone a weekday night.

And then I found this slow cooker chicken over at Weelicious. I tried the recipe and loved the super-moist texture of the chicken, but wasn't crazy about the zingy lemon flavour or the slightly anemic looking bird. So I came up with my own variation and haven't looked back since. Two and a half hours in the old crock pot followed by a 10-minute broil gives me perfectly roast chicken every time — without having to brine, baste or worry.

Raw chicken in the slow cooker, with celery, carrots, garlic, onion, wine and spices.

You need:

1/2 cup of red wine
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 small white onion
1 celery stalk, cut in half
1 carrot, cut in half
sprinkle of herbs de provence, thyme, or herb combination of your choice
tin foil

The slow cooked chicken right before broiling. It would still be tasty to eat it like this, but I like the crispy skin a bout in the oven gives me.

Directions:

Crumple three pieces of aluminum foil and place in the middle of your slow cooker.
Add wine, garlic, onion, celery and carrot
Place chicken on top of aluminum foil. (You may have to push the chicken down a bit so it'll all fit in there!)
Sprinkle chicken with herbs, salt and pepper.
Set slow cooker to high and cook for 1/2 hour per pound.
When ready, stick a meat thermometer into leg to ensure it is done. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and set oven to 500º Fahrenheit.
Broil for 8-10 minutes, or until skin is golden brown.
Serve with roast root vegetables, mashed potatoes, or anything else you'd like!

The best part of this recipe? After your done cooking everything, you'll have a considerable amount of jus left over from the chicken. Whisk it with some cornstarch for a truly delicious gravy, or save it in your fridge or freezer for at-the-ready soup stock when you need it in a pinch. (It's so much better than bouillon.)

Yup, chicken in a crock pot is the gift that keeps on giving.

Chicken in a crock pot

By sweetspot.ca | sweetspot.ca – Tue, 13 Sep, 2011 12:00 AM EDT

Raw chicken in the slow cooker, with celery, carrots, garlic, onion, wine and spices.

You need:

1/2 cup of red wine
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 small white onion
1 celery stalk, cut in half
1 carrot, cut in half
sprinkle of herbs de provence, thyme, or herb combination of your choice
tin foil

The slow cooked chicken right before broiling. It would still be tasty to eat it like this, but I like the crispy skin a bout in the oven gives me.

Directions:

Crumple three pieces of aluminum foil and place in the middle of your slow cooker.
Add wine, garlic, onion, celery and carrot
Place chicken on top of aluminum foil. (You may have to push the chicken down a bit so it'll all fit in there!)
Sprinkle chicken with herbs, salt and pepper.
Set slow cooker to high and cook for 1/2 hour per pound.
When ready, stick a meat thermometer into leg to ensure it is done. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan and set oven to 500º Fahrenheit.
Broil for 8-10 minutes, or until skin is golden brown.
Serve with roast root vegetables, mashed potatoes, or anything else you'd like!

Aug 26, 2015

Vitamin Water Infusions

Creating your own vitamin water is one of the simplest things to do! All you need is some fruit, herbs and water and you are set. Don't settle for the "vitamin waters" you might notice in grocery stores. Those waters are full of artificial chemical flavourings, plenty of refined sugar and bone dissolving acids all of which promote illness and disease.

Making your own vitamin water infusions is quick and easy! They are packed with natural vitamins and minerals (not synthetic alterations of them) and thus they are better recognized and utilized in the body. Make sure to create larger batches so that these waters will last you all throughout the week!

Directions:

1. Pick a non-citrus fruit - I like to pick things like berries, kiwi, mango or pineapple.

2. Pick a citrus fruit - you can choose from orange slices to lemon or lime slices!

3. Add herbs - choose things like mint, rosemary, basil or other favourite herbs

Once you have decided on the combination you want to use (and you may add as little or as much as you please of each - I like to add in about 1/2 cup of each fruit and 1/4 cup of herbs for 2 litres of water), put them into a large jug of water and let them soak in the water in a fridge overnight. In the morning you will have yourself a wonderful vitamin infused water that you can enjoy over the day!

Favourite combinations of mine:

1. Strawberry, lemon, mint

2. Lemon, lime, mint

3. Kiwi, lemon, lime, mint

4. Pineapple, lemon, basil

5. Mango, orange, rosemary

*You may also choose to add some ice to your water for an even cooler treat!

Vitamin Water Infusions

Directions:

1. Pick a non-citrus fruit - I like to pick things like berries, kiwi, mango or pineapple.

2. Pick a citrus fruit - you can choose from orange slices to lemon or lime slices!

3. Add herbs - choose things like mint, rosemary, basil or other favourite herbs

Favourite combinations of mine:

1. Strawberry, lemon, mint

2. Lemon, lime, mint

3. Kiwi, lemon, lime, mint

4. Pineapple, lemon, basil

5. Mango, orange, rosemary

*You may also choose to add some ice to your water for an even cooler treat!

Aug 2, 2015

10 Easy No-Bake Cookie Recipes

http://recipesprojectsandmore.com/cookies_private/10_easy_no-bake_cookie_recipes

I fond these recipes at the LINK above !

"Oh my goodness" kind of good, give these wonderful No-Bake cookies a try.
Coconut Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

This is a delicious treat any time of the day.
Rocky Road No Bake Cookies

Mock Moon Pie Cookies

Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal, what more could you want in an easy No-Bake cookie recipe?
No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

No-Bake Eskimo Snowballs

10 Easy No-Bake Cookie Recipes

Easy log bench

https://www.facebook.com/homesteading?fref=photo

Easy log bench

https://www.facebook.com/homesteading?fref=photo

Rosehips may reduce belly fat

May 18, 2015

Have a Great Day I know I will :)

Hi Everyone
I see over the years many people come here to see my Blog I am a little embarrassed to call it a Blog most of the time I just copy and paste ! I do want to change this I need to be more active on this blog be more personal . You see I have been through a few bad years lately Yes I know we all have those times. I just am not very good with coping at times . I do feel I am getting much better though. in past few months a major glitch happened that just was the last straw . And at the same time by this persons actions I finally got to look inside myself and see what I needed to heal and that is exactly what I am doing .

Have a Great Day I know I will :)

Apr 5, 2015

Dandelion Tea

Image via Wikipedia

Health Benefits of Dandelion TeaDandelions are believed to have evolved about 30 million years ago and have been used as a herbal remedy for much of recorded history.

The leaves and roots, fresh or dried, are used to make dandelion tea.

Dandelion tea contains substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, and E, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium. Dandelion leaves have more beta carotene than carrots.
Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea

• Dandelion tea is particularly helpful in treating liver problems (due largely to a substance known as taraxacin). It can improve liver function, reduce inflammation of the bile duct, and may help prevent gallstones. It has been used to treat disorders such as jaundice and hepatitis.

• Dandelion tea is one of the most effective herbal diuretics. It increases urine output and also replaces potassium lost in the urine.

• Dandelion tea contains antioxidants and can help boost the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses.

Other benefits of dandelion tea include helping with weight loss, improving blood circulation, reducing blood cholesterol, and decreasing inflammation related to rheumatism and arthritis. It is also thought to help bladder and kidney stones.
Preparing Dandelion Tea

Dandelion tea is strong and has a bitter taste. Leaves harvested in late fall (after a frost) are less bitter. Another good time to harvest is in the spring, before the flowers bloom.

Choose plants that are young, have broad leaves, and grown in moist and rich soil.

Preparing dandelion tea:

In a pot, boil 1 quart of water
reduce the heat
add 2 tablespoons of fresh dandelion roots (cleaned and chopped)
cover and simmer for a minute
remove the pot from the heat source
add 2 tablespoons of dandelion leaves (freshly picked and chopped)
steep for 40 minutes
strain.

Another way to prepare dandelion tea:

Add a handful of dandelion flowers (freshly picked) in a pint of hot water, cover, steep for 20 minutes, and strain.

To get the best health benefits of dandelion tea, store herbs in a cool, dry place.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/18699.aspx#ixzz1LCAs9xE6

Dandelion Tea

Plantain medicinal uses

http://buynongmoseeds.com/this-little-weed-is-one-of-the-most-useful-medicines-on-the-planet/

Plantain medicinal uses

http://buynongmoseeds.com/this-little-weed-is-one-of-the-most-useful-medicines-on-the-planet/

Mar 18, 2015

How To Build Dry Creek Beds for Landscape Drainage

Do you have a slope on your property down which excess water flows, causing erosion on the slope and/or a landscape drainage problem below? Homeowners often get rid of such puddling by building dry creek beds. Besides the practical aspect of improving landscape drainage, dry creek beds can also be attractive. In fact, some folks with absolutely no landscape drainage problems build dry creek beds just because they like the look of them!

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: 4 hours/10 feet

Here's How:

First plan the course that the dry creek bed will take down the slope. Mark the 2 edges of that course with landscaper's paint. A meandering course looks more natural than a straight course. How high up the slope should you start? In some cases, there's little choice. For instance, if a landscape drainage pipe that's already in place is dumping all that excess water onto your property, your decision is clear-cut: begin the dry creek bed by grading the land right under that pipe....
But in cases where you have more leeway (especially for dry creek beds that are purely decorative), attempt to disguise the "headwaters" of the dry creek bed by making it bend out from behind a large boulder or some plant material. When the source of a stream is mysterious, viewers have to use their imagination. And what we construct with our hands is rarely as pleasing as what we construct with our minds!
We've talked about how high up the slope to start. But what about where to finish down below? Some homeowners redirect excess water toward the street. But it's best to contemplate a worst-case scenario when dealing with public property, because that means dealing with the government -- which can be a real stickler when it comes to issues like redirecting excess water. So check with your local public works department first. If their response is positive, get something in writing that says so....
What if you're not allowed to redirect the water to the street? Unless you already have a landscape drainage system in place (allowing you to route the runoff into that system), you have 2 main options. You could channel the water to a location on your land (but make sure it's your land, not a neighbor's!) where it's less troublesome and where, if the soil is sandy enough, it can percolate harmlessly down into the ground. A second option is to build a pond and funnel the water into it.
So much for the course of a dry creek bed. What about its depth and width? These dimensions don't have to conform to any rule exactly. Look at dry creek beds in nature: they're obviously not all of the same depth and width. But there's a general rule you can follow: dry creek beds tend to be wider than they are deep, which is good news for you -- less digging! A 2:1 ratio is about right, meaning you could make the dry creek bed 3' wide x 1.5' deep, for example.
With the planning done, now it's time for the first real work in the project: the digging. It's easy to build dry creek beds for landscape drainage, provided that the soil you'll be excavating isn't strewn with roots and rocks. Those with difficult soil to excavate can take solace in the fact that excavating the dry creek bed will be the toughest part of the project!
Take the soil that you're excavating and mound it up along the sides of your dry creek bed, as you go. This will reduce the amount of digging that you have to do, since you'll be lowering the base and raising the sides in one motion. Tamp down this excavated soil with a tamping tool.
After the trench for the dry creek bed has been excavated, lay down landscape fabric along its whole length. You want the fabric to cover the mounds of earth on both sides, as well as the trench. Hold the fabric in place using fabric pins or garden staples. Now for the part of the project that will be visible to viewer's: the rock....
For projects intended to improve landscape drainage, all rocks need to be mortared into place to form a solid channel that will carry water away (for ornamental dry creek beds, this is optional -- and probably undesirable). Apply mortar only to short sections of the fabric at a time, since mortar dries quickly. Use at least 2" of mortar. Lay the rocks in the mortar, then repeat the process with the next short section. It's easier to work from the top of the slope, down.
You can use rock of various shapes and sizes, but many homeowners prefer to select more round rocks ("river rocks") than flat ones. Round rocks conjure up an image of the water that has been gushing over them, knocking them about and causing them to become round over time.
Place small river rocks in the center of the trench; the water will flow over these.
Place your larger rocks on the sides of the dry creek bed, where they'll help channel the water and where they'll have the most visual impact. Save any boulders for the biggest bends in your stream's course and to disguise the "headwaters" of the dry creek bed (as discussed in Step 2 above).

Tips:

After you build dry creek beds, you can dress them up a bit. Plants will soften the edges, for instance. If you're more ambitious, you can install a landscape bridge over the dry creek bed and plant tall ornamental grasses to serve as "bookends" at both entrances to the landscape bridge. Adorn the landscape bridge with hanging container gardens to create a knockout focal point for your yard.

What You Need:

Landscaper's paint
Landscape fabric
Fabric pins or garden staples
River rocks and boulders
Mortar
Wheelbarrow for mixing the mortar
Tamping tool
Shovel

Traducteur

Sep 1, 2015

Aug 26, 2015

Aug 2, 2015

Jun 24, 2015

May 21, 2015

May 18, 2015

May 6, 2015

Apr 24, 2015

Apr 5, 2015

Dandelion Tea

Dandelion Tea

Mar 24, 2015

Mar 18, 2015

How To Build Dry Creek Beds for Landscape Drainage

Here's How:

Tips:

What You Need:

Suggested Reading

Suggested Reading

Related Articles

Debbie Ladouceur Wilson Stampinup Demonstrator