Monthly Archives: March 2013

Coconut Bread

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  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. table salt
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or melted and browned, if desired
  • Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.

Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Pizza Dough

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Makes enough for one small, thin crust pizza. Double it if you like your pizza thick and bready.

  • 1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can. Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it, dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

Dump it back on the floured counter, and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. (I always err on the side of skimpy with toppings so to not weight down the dough too much, or if I have multiple toppings, to keep them very thinly sliced.)

Bake it for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly blistered.

Mouthwash

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1 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
3 drops peppermint essential oils

Mix all ingredients in a glass jar and shake well. Swish in mouth, then spit out. Store on bathroom counter.

Meatloaf

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Preheat oven to 375.

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin (beef, bison or buffalo)
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • A splash of milk
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup plain bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (steak spice)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin (optional)
  • 3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup (or salsa)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • jalapenos (optional)

Mix together the onion, pepper and jalapenos.  Beat the egg with the milk, and add to bowl. Add the bread crumbs, the grill seasoning, cumin and the meat; mix all together with your hands.

Mix the BBQ sauce, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together; pour 3/4 of the mixture into the meat and blend in with your hands.

Oil a bread pan, put in the meat.  Brush the remaining BBQ mixture on top of the meat.

Bake until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Body Wash

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  • Take your bar of castile soap, and shred it using the vegetable grater (such as Dr. Bronner’s soaps).
  • Heat up 6 cups of water on the stove until it’s almost boiling. Add two cups of soap flakes.  Keep the soap to water as a 1:3 ratio.
  • Stir the mixture, and the soap flakes should start melting. Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit there for an hour or so. By this time, all the flakes should be melted.
  • Now you’re done. Just let it cool, and then pour it into containers. This amount filled up one large 32-ounce bottle and still had two more cups of bodywash left over.

Face Wash

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Facial Wash

Step 1:Mix 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of warm water in a small bowl. Use a clean finger to stir the ingredients until a soft paste forms.

Step 2:Splash your face thoroughly with warm water. Dip your fingers into the baking soda paste. Apply the paste to your wet face using a gentle circular motion. Cover your entire face with the paste.

Step 3:Rinse your face thoroughly with warm water, splashing the water over the skin repeatedly until your face rinses clean. Pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Facial Exfoliator

Step 1:Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of warm water and 2 teaspoons of oat flour in a small bowl to create a natural facial cleanser that also exfoliates.

Step 2:Rinse your face with warm water. Dip your fingers into the cleanser and apply it to your face and neck using a gentle circular motion. Let the paste dry on your skin for 5 minutes.

Step 3:Buff away the dried cleanser by moving your fingers in a gentle circular motion. The dried paste exfoliates your skin as you buff it away.

Step 4:Splash your face thoroughly with warm water to remove any remaining cleanser. Pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Toothpaste

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To make your own toothpaste, just use a fifty/fifty ratio of coconut oil to baking soda. Start with a small batch and use a few tablespoons of each. If you like, add a few drops of an essential oil, like peppermint or spearmint, for flavor and a bit of stevia for sugar-free sweetness. After mixing your toothpaste, keep it in a glass container with a lid. Then, just spoon some out for use or just dip your dry toothbrush into it. The mixture doesn’t need to be refrigerated and because coconutoil is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, it’ll help keep your toothbrush clean and sanitary too.

Oven-Fried Chicken

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  • 2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don’t crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.

Ginger Ale

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  • Combine 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup sliced peeled ginger, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavours meld, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

  • Strain syrup into a large pitcher. Add 4 cups club soda, fresh mint, and ice. Stir gently and divide among 8-ounce glasses.

Scottish Oatcakes

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  • 1/4 tsp (0 ml) baking powder
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
  • 3/4 cup (190 ml) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) fine granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup (380 ml) quick-cooking oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup (130 ml) whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) walnuts, finely minced
  • 1/4 tsp (0 ml) salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat with electric mixer until creamy. In a small bowl, dissolve baking powder in milk and add to butter mixture along with oatmeal, whole wheat flour and walnuts. Stir together with a wooden spoon to make stiff dough. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about ½-in (1 cm) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut into 2-in (5 cm) circles and place on prepared baking sheet ½-in (1 cm) apart.
  2. Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until pale golden. Remove from oven and rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely. Gather up remaining scraps of dough and repeat rolling, cutting and baking. Store baked oatcakes in a tightly covered container at room temperature up to a few days.