National Chocolate Mint Day

Oh my goodness, Chocolate Mint Day?!  Joy!  Time to break out the homemade chocolate mint coffee creamer in honor of the day. 

Below the article are 3 Chocolate Mint recipes I’ve collected that I thought you might enjoy.

February 19, 2015 – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MINT DAY

Recognized by the US National Confectioners Association, National Chocolate Mint Day is celebrated annually by thousands of people, across the nation, on February 19th. This holiday has been set aside for all the chocolate mint lovers to eat their favorite treats all day long.

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Below is a favorite frosting recipe for chocolate cake.  It looks great decorated with chocolate mint candies……Perfect to celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day!

Mint Frosting for Chocolate Cake

1 package  cream cheese (8 0z), softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon mint extract
Green food coloring

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in mint extract, 2 to 3 drops of green food coloring and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed –  beat on medium speed until fluffy. Store frosted cake in refrigerator.

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Following are some other “tried and true” chocolate mint recipes for you:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/layered-mint-chocolate-fudge/

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/chocolate-mint-brownies/39ae52eb-e13f-407c-aeda-6e234de14751

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/mint-chocolate-chip-cookies/22bebeda-ea36-441a-9909-ae78409d6da6

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-mint-pie/

And, for those who are thirsty:    http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink2861.html

via February 19, 2015 – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MINT DAY | National Day Calendar.

**********Mini Grasshopper Cheesecakes recipe from Pillsbury.com

 

 

 

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St. Patrick’s Day Mint Chocolate Cake | Created by Diane

 

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MINT OREO RICE KRISPIE TREATS RECIPE

The Love Bean | Joe Pastry

Funny how this stuff, that was all but scandalous once, has come to be regarded as “plain vanilla”.

via The Love Bean | Joe Pastry.

I loved this little story!  For years I’ve heard the expression, “plain vanilla.”  Who knew it was once considered so sexy?  Click the link to read the rest.  🙂

Corn Syrup’s Mercury Surprise

Not sure how I even came across this article.  Probably reading a recipe or something.  The headline caught my eye.  Mercury?  In corn syrup?  Seriously?  That makes HFCS even worse than it already is.  Did you know your body can’t metabolize fructose?  (The F in HFCS)  Your liver doesn’t know what to do with it, it can’t send it to your muscles for energy, so it just dumps it directly into your fat cells.  Scary, huh?  Who knew fruit was actually bad for you?

Corn Syrup’s Mercury Surprise

By Melinda Wenner

If the specter of obesity and diabetes wasn’t enough to turn you off high- fructose corn syrup (HFCS), try this: New research suggests that the sweetener could be tainted with mercury, putting millions of children at risk for developmental problems.

Dufault sent HFCS samples from three manufacturers that used lye to labs at the University of California-Davis and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The labs found mercury in most of the samples. In September 2005, Dufault presented her findings to the FDA’s center for food safety. She was surprised by what happened next. “I was instructed not to do any more investigation,” she recalls.

At first, Dufault was reluctant to pursue the matter. But eventually, she became frustrated enough to try to publish the findings herself. She had her 20 original samples retested; mercury was found in nearly half of them.

But the FDA and the Corn Refiners Association, an industry trade group, claim there’s nothing to worry about.

via Corn Syrup’s Mercury Surprise – Citizens For Health.

Bone Broth

Bone broth!  An elixir of savory goodness!  We’ve taken to drinking it like tea sometimes.  It feels almost like a meal because it’s so filling and good for you. 

I read a few articles before my first attempt at making it.  It turned out to be so much easier than I thought it would be!  I use bone broth now in anything I might have used store bought broth in before.  And I also use it to reheat leftover meats since simmering in broth for a bit makes them nice and tender. 

This stuff is truly a wonder. 

Recipes at the links: Dana Carpender’s is easiest I think. 

You have, no doubt, heard of the legendary healing powers of chicken soup. They’re for real. Why is Jewish Penicillin* good for nearly anything that ails you? Bone broth.

* Or WASPy Penicillin. Or Asian Penicillin. Or Latino Penicillin. Whatever. Bone broth is an Equal Opportunity Healer.

Clipped from Dana Carpender’s Bone Broth Recipe, aka Liquid Gold

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In short broth is one of the best foods you can feed your family. It is a multivitamin, a medicine for all kinds of sicknesses, and a delicious food wrapped up in one. It keeps you healthy, gets you even more healthy and helps you recover when sick. Since you control all of what is in your broth you don’t have to worry about allergies to hidden ingredients or cheap fillers.

Broth is economical and good for the earth. It uses foods that you would be throwing away anyhow and makes more food out of it.

via GAPS Basics: Basic Bone Broth Tutorial: Why and How. | Loving Our Guts.

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These are my beef bones after stewing for a couple days.

 

This is how the broth turned out, after a double straining.

 

All my little 1 cup containers, filled with brothy goodness and ready to be frozen for use at a moments notice.

 

This batch I portioned out with some leftover meat and veggies, so I had ready made meals for those nights when I just don’t feel like cooking.  I’ve found a dry erase marker works great on the plastic containers.

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Mini Frittatas

I found this recipe while I was browsing and I thought my husband might really like it.  He loves his eggs!  Omelets are like pizza – everyone seems to want something different on them.  This looks like it would be a fun way to get personalized eggs for everyone in the family, all at once, without having to wait your turn.  What a neat idea! 

~Ness

Mini Frittatas

For a fun and easy morning meal, try these small-scale egg dishes. Baked in individual muffin cups, they ensure that everyone gets the mix-ins they like.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs

• 1/4 cup half-and-half

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Assorted mix-ins (such as shredded cheese, diced vegetables, and cooked and chopped bacon, ham, or sausage)

• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 350º F and coat a 6-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

• 

• Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, and salt in a medium bowl, then evenly distribute the egg mixture among the muffin cups.

• 

• Add about 2 tablespoons of mix-ins to each cup, then sprinkle on a bit of Parmesan cheese, if you like.
• 

• Bake the frittatas until they are puffy and the edges are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. (If necessary, run a butter knife around the edge of each one to loosen them before removing them from the pan.) Makes 6 mini frittatas.

Recipe copied from: Mini Frittatas Recipes | Back to School Eggs & Omelets | FamilyFun | FamilyFun

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Loaded Baked Potato Salad (With Cauliflower) | Your Lighter Side

A good friend of mine this week tempted my taste buds with the most amazing, warm potato salad ever. Because of the high carbohydrate content (at roughly 33 carbs per serving), with a little ingenuity, you can enjoy this flavorful, cauliflower, lower carb version without the guilt.

via Loaded Baked Potato Salad (With Cauliflower) | Your Lighter Side.

Oh my it looks and sounds so delicious! I can almost smell it through the screen! Go check out the whole recipe and then hit the kitchen. I know what’s on my menu for next week!

~Ness

Carbs for Generations

The Carbiest Generation Paying the price for an ill-conceived experiment

until now, no human society has ever lived on a high carbohydrate diet.  We are paying the price for this ill-conceived experiment on humanity with higher and higher rates of obesity

This is something that is also becoming a growing interest for me as well.  When you discover all the truths about grains and sugar and what they do to humans, it can be pretty infuriating.  We’ve been told to eat the very things that are killing us. 

Makes you wonder why.  (not really)

~Ness