Wednesday, July 25, 2012

RECIPE FOR THE BEST AND EASIEST ICE CREAM I HAVE EVER MADE

RECIPE FOR THE BEST ICE CREAM I HAVE EVER TASTED

INDIAN KULFI

Raspberry Kulfi

Indian cuisine was the theme for our Little Supper Club the other night. It was over 100 degrees outside and I knew our hosts kitchen would be hot as well as the picnic area outside so I decided to try my hand at Kulfi ice cream. I found the blog of Reena at Coconut Raita and just knew this dish was going to be a winner. Reena experimented with her own style and even though it isn’t traditional Indian, it turned out to be the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. I made two of the recipes she included in her post. Pistachio and Raspberry.

The big bonus to this ice cream is that YOU DON’T NEED AN ICE CREAM MAKER to create this delicious treat.

Pistachio Kulfi

Reena only gave metric measurements, so I converted them in the recipes you find below. I also experimented a bit on my own. One thing I found out by experimentation and I want to pass along to you, this ice cream melts faster than the store bought variety. With that in mind, if you use fresh fruit, what happens is that when you thaw the ice cream, the fruit remains frozen. If you wait until the fruit thaws out, you have ice soup! I tried several different fruits with no luck. What I did have luck with though was any kind of nut like cashew and especially the pistachio. I loved the coconut ice cream that I made and will try some with chocolate in them as well. You can have a great time experimenting with this recipe. Have fun!

Pistachio Kulfi

½ cup. sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 oz. or more of pistachios
½ t. vanilla extract
½ t. almond extract

Place condensed milk, pistachios, vanilla and almond extract into a bowl.
In another bowl, whip cream and then fold into condensed milk. Freeze in a Cool Whip container or a special mold or small jars for about 6 hours. Loosen mold with warm water. That’s it!

Raspberry Kulfi

½ cup raspberries
½ condensed milk
1/3 c. whipped cream
½ t. vanilla extract

With a wooden spoon, mash raspberries through a sieve. Be sure to use all the pulp except the seeds.

Place mashed raspberries, condensed milk, and vanilla extract into a bowl. Whip the cream in another bowl and add to the condensed milk mixture. Freeze for at least 6 hours. To release mold, run warm water over or dip it into a bowl filled with warm water.

Coconut Kulfi

½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup whipped cream
½ t. vanilla extract
¼ t. coconut extract
½ cup or more of coconut

Procedure is the same. You get the idea, now you can add anything (except fruit) to your ice creams to personalize. Let me know what exotic and fun ingredients work for you!

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

HOW I MAKE MY OWN CANCER TEA AND OTHER EXOTIC TEAS

HOW I MAKE MY OWN CANCER TEA
AND OTHER EXOTIC TEAS

Pineapple Mint and Chocolate Mint-Freshly Harvested

I love making my own teas because it gives me the versatility of creating exotic herbal blends, not found anywhere else. I’ve even gone so far as to create my own teas for particular ailments or diseases. I bought a book years ago that has been my guideline for creating teas to help with cancer, intestinal tract problems, nervous system difficulties and a variety of other health problems. The book is called “Healing Teas from around the world” by Syliva Schneider.

Of course, I use the book only as a guideline. I prefer to study effects of different teas and create my own elixir.

When my daughter, Kelli, found out she had multiple myeloma cancer 8 years ago, and after the initial shock, we decided to follow conventional therapy as well as look into alternative methods. Kelli is thriving today and I believe that the teas could have played a roll in her recovery.

You may want to check out an earlier post on how I prepare my herbs. The post is titled “Now is the Thyme” found here

Dried Herbs After Removed From Brown Bags

Basically, I dry my herbs in brown sandwich bags, place them in my car and wait a few days to remove. They dry quickly and impart a wonderful aroma at the same time.

Tea Being Placed Into Small Tea Bags

After the herbs have dried, I scrunch up the brown bags until the leaves are thoroughly pulverized. I remove larger stems and then add them to purchased tea bags that can be found online or specialty herb shops.

I used spearmint, pineapple mint and peppermint tea leaves for my pictures for the post.

The tea bags are then ironed closed and are ready for brewing.
I then place tea bags into zip lock bags with my logo and list ingredients.

The bags Are Sealed Closed by Ironing Them.

Below is a bit about the ingredients and the recipes I used for Kelli’s cancer teas.

Lapacho tea is made by using the bark found on the lapacho tree found in South America. It is reputed to have great results when used for asthma, stomach complaints and cancer and impede the growth of tumors.

Eassiac Tea or Original Indian Essence. This tea was reportedly used by the Indians in southeast Canada and many claims are made touting it as a cure for cancer. The ingredients are, roots of burdock and Turkish rhubarb, sheep sorrel and slippery elm bark. These are herbs that help strengthen the immune system.

Bark and Root Cancer Tea:

1. 1 t. each of the burdock, Turkish Rhubard, sheep sorrel and slippery elm bark or you could buy a box of Eassiac tea with these ingredients sometimes found in health food stores.
2. 2 t. crushed lapacho bark

Mix together and add to tea bag. I use several of these bags in a pot of hot water-let them steep for about 10 minutes or so. Tea is a bit bitter so honey can be added to your cup if preferred. Alternately, if you want a stronger tea, let herbs steep for about an hour and reheat the tea before drinking.

In a later post, if there is interest from my readers, I’ll give more information on methods we used to help Kelli keep cancer at bay. She is and has been in guarded remission for several years now but we, and I say we because I am her coach, continue a strict regimen to insure her continued remission and phenomenally good health. Her oncologist has told us that he thinks Kelli is a miracle case.

Mint Tea All Ready for the Market~

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Monday, July 9, 2012

GYPSY MOON

GYPSY MOON

"Gypsy Moon"

GYPSY MOON

SOLD-THANK YOU ROSE AND JIM

A storm was brewing. The winds
of change were struggling to free
themselves once again. She knew
she had
been too long in one place. The roots
of that place were starting to wrap
themselves around her being, pulling
and tugging at her once more.
She knew it was time.
Moving on meant transformation. It meant
leaving possessions, friends and
sometimes family. She was no stranger
to farewells. And, with each move,she
knew she was leaving a part of
herself behind.
Even though painful, she knew that once
again she must pull back her shoulders,
as if she were an obedient soldier.
She then must wrap the blanket of
memories around her and begin her journey
as she had done so many times before.
She knew she was Gypsy Moon, strong,
vibrant, resilient and constant.
She must begin...again.


~Cheryl Dolby ~


Once in awhile, I get in the mood to create something extremely textural. When I started Gypsy Moon, I wasn’t sure of the direction I wanted to go but knew I wanted the end effect to be mosaic in feel.

I created a paper batik and then cut it up into uneven pieces and glued each small piece together on my design. I glued tissue paper onto her head piece and glued it onto the design. Then, I painted the background with several shades of blues and browns and then crackled the whole thing.

Close-up of mosaic design

Close-up of crackled background

Side View


Although this is a small painting of only 8x10”x1/2” deep, it was very time consuming. She is for sale for $125. You can e-mail me if you are interested in purchasing her. We can use Paypal. Even though I usually don’t use blues in my work, I love the way Gypsy Moon turned out. Hope you like her story as well. I think there is a bit of gypsy in all of us.


The Colors In This Photo are Truer to My Original Painting

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