HFCS crazy propaganda.... sweet surprise my informed butt.

ok. seriously, first the republican party brings us sarah palin... yikes. (i will refrain from getting into that here as hard as it is.) and now the corn industry is trying to make people believe that high fructose corn syrups are ok with their crazy commercials making informed people look stupid... first her and now this... are we only shooting for the bottom of the barrel here?
we're smarter than this.... i hope! (edited today because apparently we are not!)

another great posting over at cleaner plate club (click on the title to take you right to her website to read) about this hfcs business... take a gander, read what's up, do your own research, get yourself informed and think about what we put into our bodies and our children's.. and realize how all these things factor into the global picture.

no hfcs in this house (and no sarah palin either!)

and here we go being treated like dummies:



and here we go treating us moms, who care like dummies:

cinnamon raisin swirlie bread

littefoodie has a major love for cinnamon raisin bread and around here its simply called swirlie bread. the kid adores it. i used to buy it at trader joes but when i realized how often i really did have to buy those yummy loaves i realized how much easier it would be just to bake some up ourselves.

the recipe is from another blog named pete-bakes.com. the recipe is perfect. the only change i made was using whole wheat flour instead of white as well as organic sugars, flours and butters. the title is a link to the amazingly yummy and wonderful website and i copied and pasted the recipe as well! thanks pete!

enjoy!

cinnamon raisin swirl bread
makes two loaves, but it’s easy enough to halve this one.

1 package dry instant yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
3 Tbsp and 1/4 cup sugar, separated
1 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp butter
6-7 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1 Tbsp cinnamon

1. dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of water and 1 Tbsp of sugar. let stand for five minutes.

2. stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water, 2 Tbsp sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 3 1/2 cups of the flour and all of the raisins. beat until smooth (either by hand or stand mixer), adding the remaining 3 or so cups of flour until the dough is easy to handle (not too sticky but still moist).

3. turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. place the dough in a greased bowl, roll it around so all the dough is coated, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

4. mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl.

5. punch down the dough, divide in half, and roll them out on a floured surface so they are both about 18 x 9 inches. you may need to roll, let the dough rest, and roll again so you get the right size.

6. sprinkle each rolled out loaf with 1 Tbsp of water and half of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

7. roll the dough from the short end and pinch the seams shut. you should have a 9 inch long rolled up piece of dough. place into a greased loaf pans. brush the tops of the loaves with 2 Tbsp melted butter and let them rise for 1 hour.

8. bake at 425 F for 30 minutes. the loaves should have a dark golden brown top. remove and place on a wire rack to cool. you can freeze the loaves, although i don’t know how long they’ll keep, since i usually finish both off within a week.

southwestern stuffed tomatoes straight from the farm

this was so good and comforting. i had just picked up my co-op box yesterday and had plenty of tomatoes to add to my fridge already bursting with heirlooms, Roma's and beefsteaks. after scouring the internet for recipes i decided on stuffed tomatoes. i admit that it took until this year to really love a farm fresh, blood red, sweet and juicy tomato. the key is to get them straight from the source and a natural source at that. the ones you pick up in the market, even my beloved trader joes and my least fav these days whole foods.. they are bland and un-appealing. never will i purchase supermarket tomatoes.. yuck!

the flavors can be totally interchangeable for whatever your feeling.. italian style, greek, indian, etc. we had a hankering for mexican last night. i paired it with a saute of mixed squash and a brown rice medley from tj's.

enjoy!

(because blogger SUCKS, i have not been able to post pics. keep up the good work blogger, ha!)

6 firm, juicy farm fresh tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 an onion, chopped. i used spring onions. the green tops and the bulb since i have so many on hand.
1 bell pepper (i did use one pepper, however i think it was a bell pepper. it had more heat than a regular one and was slender and a reddish orange color. the flavor was a cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno.)
1 lb fresh ground turkey
1 can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
generous seasonings of: ground cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
grated cheddar

preheat oven to 450F.

cut off tops of tomatoes. remove pulp and save in a bowl. i freeze mine for today's pasta sauce. sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit upside down to drain.

in a bowl mix garlic thru seasonings. scoop out enough to fill tomato. i toss the top and fill mine high as the sky. its like a self contained mini meatloaf!

place tomatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle tops with cheddar. bake about 40-45 min.

remove and enjoy!

cinnamon raisin swirlie bread

littefoodie has a major love for cinnamon raisin bread and around here its simply called swirlie bread. the kid adores it. i used to buy it at trader joes but when i realized how often i really did have to buy those yummy loaves i realized how much easier it would be just to bake some up ourselves.

the recipe is from another blog named pete-bakes.com. the recipe is perfect. the only change i made was using whole wheat flour instead of white as well as organic sugars, flours and butters. the title is a link to the amazingly yummy and wonderful website and i copied and pasted the recipe as well! thanks pete!

enjoy!

cinnamon raisin swirl bread
makes two loaves, but it’s easy enough to halve this one.

1 package dry instant yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
3 Tbsp and 1/4 cup sugar, separated
1 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp butter
6-7 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1 Tbsp cinnamon

1. dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of water and 1 Tbsp of sugar. let stand for five minutes.

2. stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water, 2 Tbsp sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 3 1/2 cups of the flour and all of the raisins. beat until smooth (either by hand or stand mixer), adding the remaining 3 or so cups of flour until the dough is easy to handle (not too sticky but still moist).

3. turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. place the dough in a greased bowl, roll it around so all the dough is coated, cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).

4. mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl.

5. punch down the dough, divide in half, and roll them out on a floured surface so they are both about 18 x 9 inches. you may need to roll, let the dough rest, and roll again so you get the right size.

6. sprinkle each rolled out loaf with 1 Tbsp of water and half of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

7. roll the dough from the short end and pinch the seams shut. you should have a 9 inch long rolled up piece of dough. place into a greased loaf pans. brush the tops of the loaves with 2 Tbsp melted butter and let them rise for 1 hour.

8. bake at 425 F for 30 minutes. the loaves should have a dark golden brown top. remove and place on a wire rack to cool. you can freeze the loaves, although i don’t know how long they’ll keep, since i usually finish both off within a week.

littlefoodies presents....Spicy Beef on Hummus on The Back Burner

littlefoodies was recently featured on a wonderful the backburner which, as they state is a companion blog to another amazing website called Key Ingredient. the link is on the title. key ingredient is a place where you can find gazillions of tried and true recipes by real cooks. the companion site that littlefoodies picked to feature, has new recipes up each day featuring fellow bloggers from everywhere. this place has a huge database and a great source if you're looking for that perfect meal!

check out Key Ingredient and wander on over to The Back Burner to see what is new today!

enjoy!