Lentil Soup

This is another recipe from my grandma, and she always said that her best friend, Anita, taught her how to make this soup. Not only does it taste incredible, but it's very nutritious, easy to make, and freezes well. As such, this is a great soup to make on the weekend to have later in the week. If you've cooked the barley and bacon in advance, prep time is not long.

If you have not, simply cook while the soup is simmering to be added near the end of the process. I like to let my soup simmer on a very low heat for about two hours (maybe a little more, even) but you don't need to simmer that long. Also, if you do, you may need to add a little water as you'll certainly lose some during the process--depending on how thick of a soup you like. You can learn how to soak your lentils here.

Easy Cinnamon Cookies

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand." --popular diet joke 

 

Apple Nut Muffins

"Almost all wild apples are handsome. They cannot be too gnarly and crabbed and rusty to look at. The gnarliest will have some redeeming traits even to the eye." -- Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

How to Quickly Dice an Apple

In case you were thinking that you couldn't make one or another of a really delicious apple recipe because it was too much of a pain to dice the apple or it took too long or blah blah blah whatever... I am here to tell you that that is not the case! You can quickly and easily dice up apples for use in lots of recipes using this simple method.

"How long does this take", you ask? "Five minutes? More than five minutes??" No way! I timed myself leisurely chopping a 2nd apple after I took these photos on the first one, and it took 2 minutes and 5 seconds. No problem!

***Tools needed: A sharp knife and cutting board.

Italian Stuffed Fryer Peppers

This is a traditional Italian recipe (from my grandma!) for stuffed fryer peppers and is considered a treat for special occasions.

Test Kitchen: Lemony Creme

I saw this recipe for Italian Lemon Creme on Dimes2Vines and immediately thought I had to give it a try as a filling for my sweet crepes, a follow-up to savory crepes. If you have not checked out this website, I encourage you to do so as there are some really great posts. The following recipe is based on the recipe referenced above, with slight modifications.

Toothpaste & Mouthwash

"She laughs at everything you say. Why? Because she has fine teeth." --Benjamin Franklin

I know that homemade toothpastes and tooth powders are trending a lot online now, which is great, because I've been looking for a while for something to use myself and have just been unable to make a decision until recently. However, I finally decided to give something a try, described below, that I think uses the best of what I've seen and also is a flexible option in that you can use one or more of the ingredients below based on your preference. I have also included a few mouthwash formulas, the first being really more of an after brushing rinse and the others more of a traditional mouthwash intended to freshen breath.

Toothpaste:
2 parts coconut oil and/or
1 part clay and/or
1 part baking soda and/or
1/4 parts sea salt and/or
Lemon essential oil and/or
Peppermint essential oil and/or

Ham & Cheese Stuffed Crepes

This is a great way to bring crepes to the dinner table in a savory dish that will soon be one of your favorite "comfort food" meals!

 

Crepes (Savory)

Impress your family with these beautiful but easy crepes.

Fruit Pizza

I had a craving for fruit pizza and decided to try to make one that would be nutritious and still taste good. This worked out really well - it is a fun and delicious treat.