Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Recipe :: Stroga-not (Dairy-Free Stroganoff)

I had some of the ingredients on hand for stroganoff (and they needed using before they went bad), but wanted to make a dairy-free version. (And from my limited knowledge of glutens, I believe this can also be gluten-free if you just substitute a gluten-free flour for the one I used.) Of course it is not as creamy as regular stroganoff that uses sour cream and milk, but I really liked how it turned out.
Here is the recipe:

Stroga-not

Grapeseed oil
1 pound ground turkey (I like the kosher kind from Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1-2 cups chopped mushrooms (I chop the mushrooms because my kids don't care for them and this keeps them at a similar size as the cooked ground turkey)
3 cups rice milk, almond milk, or a combination of the two (I used a combination)
8 tablespoons whole wheat flour (toasted*, if desired)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound Brown Rice Pasta Fusilli (from Trader Joe's), cooked and drained

1. Place dried minced garlic and dried minced onion in a small amount of water until it plumps up. (You can substitute with 1-2 cloves minced garlic and about 1/2 of an onion, chopped.)
2. Heat a skilllet and brown the ground turkey with the garlic, and onion. I cook in a cast iron skillet and use a very lean turkey, so I added some Grapeseed oil to my skillet to keep it from sticking.
3. When the turkey is almost browned, add the chopped mushrooms.
4. When the turkey is fully cooked, add the rice/almond milk to the pan, stirring occasionally.
5. When the "milk" is warmed, whisk in the flour. Stir often until sauce is thickened.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir.
7. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Serve warm.

*To toast the flour, place it in a dry skillet and heat until it is slightly darker than normal. This just intensifies the flavor a bit.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Book Review :: NIV Essentials Study Bible

The NIV Essentials Study Bible is a fantastic study Bible comprised of portions of six different popular study resources: The Essential Bible Companion, the NIV Study Bible, the NIV Archaeological Study Bible, the NIV Quest Study Bible, the NIV Student Bible, and The Great Rescue, NIV. The jacket is the colorful cover shown here, and underneath is a more subtle hardcover - gray/black speckled with the words "HOLY BIBLE" on the front. The interior is laid out with black text and various blue accents (headings, chapters numbers, timelines, etc.) - it is very easy on the eyes. The words of Jesus are in black text, the same as the rest of the Bible text.

Each book begins with an introduction that generally includes: background information about the book, key concepts, key verses, key teachings, key terms, people to know, timelines, and maps. Throughout each chapter/book there are study resources interspersed. Each section from a particular resource is marked to show which resource it originally came from (for example, portions from the NIV Archaeological Study Bible are marked with |ASB|). The exception to this is that the bottom-of-the-page study notes are not marked - they are all from the NIV Study Bible. Each of the resources are well placed and give the reader something additional to think about.

If I was going to suggest a Bible purely for reading Scripture, I would not suggest this version simply because there are so many resources that it can sometimes spread the Scripture out over many pages, when it might be able to be read more easily without the distraction of the extra resources. However, I think this is a fantastic all-in-one study Bible and would definitely suggest it for anyone who wants to dig deeper. It has a lot to offer without being overwhelming. I think this is a great choice for a study tool for any family.
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Blog Hop {My Craft Channel SuperFans}

The Introduction:
If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from My Craft Channel's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at My Craft Channel's blog.

The Hop Order:

Tifany's Project:
It's hard to believe that it's already been a year for us in the very first group of SuperFans! It's been a great year and we've seen so many great deals from My Craft Channel! There have been quite a few opportunities this year to grab some sets of washi tape - so I've decided to share this washi tape picture frame that I created:
I started by gathering three simple wood frames and I glued them together, collage style. Then, it was time to add some washi. I just started layering and wrapping the frame in various colors and styles of tapes...and that was it.
It was really quite easy (gluing the frames together was the hardest part) - and I love the finished effect!

Midge's Project:
Welcome to the final blog hop of the year with the My Craft Channel SuperFans! I’m Midge Hammon and I’d like to share a Christmas project with you.
Every weekday I’m excited to see what new product that MCC is featuring. One day they featured a Teresa Collins Christmas bundle. It included a red binder, beautiful Christmas papers, and fun embellishments. It’s been sitting on my shelf just waiting for me and the weekend before Thanksgiving was my ‘get ready for Christmas’ weekend with the girls. I worked on Christmas cards and this binder. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Not all the pages are included in the pictures, but enough to give you a feel for it. Now I just have to be patient and wait for Christmas…and for the pictures to be developed! I hope it inspires you to scrapbook your memories, too. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:
Abigail Stoops' blog

Friday, December 13, 2013

Something GOOD in every day.

This may be my last card for awhile using this sentiment from the Lasting Thoughts kit. I won't stop using it...just thought you all may want to see that I can use something else. :o)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream);
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper (On Trend 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (
Lasting Thoughts); 
Markers: Copic (R27, YG17);
Ribbon: May Arts (1/4" Silk Ribbon - Black);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Book Review :: Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton


Inflammation Nation by Floyd Chilton - Find it on Amazon

I was able to read/skim this book in about an hour. While there is some helpful information in it, the end result of the actual "diet" portion of the plan was nothing groundbreaking, in my opinion. I have been having autoimmune/inflammatory issues for over a year now and have done quite a bit of research and although his initial approach from the scientific side is different, the end result was really nothing new. I was all excited to see his amazing diet tips after reading about his research (which was interesting)...only to find out that I already eat within the parameters of his "breakthrough diet" and still have inflammatory issues.

Yes, more people need to watch what they eat. Yes, eat more healthy veggies. Yes, stay away from foods not made from whole grains. Yes, we need to stay away from high sugar foods. Unless you eat things like chitterlings, pork liver, beef brain, fried everything, white flour everything, cakes, cookies, and no veggies...and if you watch at all what you eat, you may be pretty close to his "breakthough diet" already.

I felt more like the book should have been about wild salmon versus farmed salmon since that seems to be the bulk of his main argument. I do think it is important to note the difference, but again...you can find that out on the internet.

There are a few important pieces of information I believe were pointed out in this book:
-All fish is not created equal. Some fish can cause serious pain and inflammation and some will help you. (You can see his findings about specific fish in a concise list in Chapter 15...pages 172-175.)
-Egg yolk can pose a serious inflammation risk.
-Do not take a GLA supplement without having EPA (in supplement or food form)...it can cause serious harm.

I did find it interesting that he includes some of the major inflammatory foods (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and citrus) on his "foods to eat often" lists. Personally, I have seen a direct link between these foods and my pain levels and therefore have decided to avoid them, as much as I love them. I would be curious to see more information on why he does not see these as inflammatory foods when they are some of the most common that will pop up in a Google search about inflammatory foods.

I recommend borrowing this book from your library. First, look at the indexes (unless you are very curious about scientific things) from page 165 through 175, maybe make a few lists of what to buy or avoid, and then take it right back to the library for someone else to borrow.


{Review originally published on 12/12/2008.}

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Good in every day.

Yep - I am back with another card using the sentiment I designed for the Unity Artista Kit: Lasting Thoughts.
There truly is something good in every day.
Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - 5th & Frolic 6x6);

Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts); 
Markers: Copic (0, C0, YG01, BG000, BG11, BG15);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Miracles Happen

This is another card that I created using the new Lasting Thoughts kit from Unity Stamp Company. I didn't design this stamp, but I did enjoy using it to create this bright card.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Lasting Thoughts);
Markers: Copic (YG03, Y38, Y08, YR68);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Mandarin);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);