Wild Horses & Bunny Rabbits

What's this got to do with my transition 

to becoming a vegetarian? 

Part 2 of my conversion story... 

myvegetarianstory.blogspot.com

Cutest Snow couple - ever!

Can you tell I miss Hawaii?

I'll admit - each winter as the cold weather approaches, 

I pause & think...

should I leave now?

But somehow I seem to endure with images of 

papayas, 

ocean breezes

 &

palm trees

 dancing in my mind.  

Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe - Ever!!

Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe - Ever!!!

This recipe will be found in The Vegan Table by author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

This is the 1st recipe we tried from this cookbook, but so far, so good - tis the best vegetarian lasagna recipe I've ever tasted & I'm not exaggerating!

My daughter who cooked this filling meal tweaked Colleen's recipe a titch. She used brown rice noodles instead of wheat - which I rather enjoyed - it lightened up the meal a bit. And she did add soy mozzarella grated cheese in the middle layer & on the top.

Definitely delicious! 

My Vegetarian Story is catching on. 

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, I'd love to read your conversion story. The most interesting ones will be posted at MyVegetarianStory.blogspot.com.

Please limit your personal stories to 1-3 pages. 

Also, a copyrighted book is in the works of the same name. If your story is chosen for the book & the book sales fly, then yes, you will receive a portion of the pie.

Please understand I am a natural editor, so your work may be edited, mostly grammar or spelling - & only if necessary.

I will accept only G-rated stories - as this will be a site for youth too. 

Please email me at myvegetarianstory@gmail.com.  

What's Christmas without -

The Best Gingerbread Cookies!

Here is the best gingerbread cookie recipe I've found. Originally found on the Williams-Sonoma site over a decade ago, I had to tweak it to make it my own. Preparing this holiday treat has definitely become one of our family traditions. I like to share the baked cookies with friends & family & let them do their own decorations.

Prep & Cook Time: About 1 ½ hours, plus 1 hour to chill (I prefer to chill in refrigerator overnight.)

Makes: About 2-3 dozen delicious 3-4 inch cookies.

¾ C molasses

½ C oil

1/3 C firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg (I use egg replacer)

2 ¾ whole wheat pastry flour

½ t sea salt

1 T baking powder

1 T cinnamon

½ t cloves

1 T ginger - I use finely grated fresh ginger root. Be careful not use the core, which is too fibrous.  Press ginger between toweling to remove excess moisture. I find using the real ginger root the cookie has more zing. You will have tiny fibers sticking out of the cookies, which doesn't bother me too much - I think it's a good trade-off for the flavor. If using the root, use 1 1/2 to 2 T

Beat w/mixer molasses, oil, brown sugar & egg (or egg replacer) until well blended. Add grated ginger if using root.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger (if using ground dry ginger) & cloves.  Stir into molasses mixture, then beat until well blended.

Divide dough in half, gather into a ball, then form into a disk.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap & freeze for 1 hour or chill in refrigerator overnight. 

Remove dough from bag.  On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each disk to about ¼ inch thick.  With lightly floured cookie cutters, cut out cookies.  Place about 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 min; if using parchment paper, cook for 10 min. 

Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. 

Enjoy & 5 more days to go...

What's better than a hot bowl of homemade soup with freshly baked cornbread 

& poached pears ala mode 

on a cold winter's night?

 I promise, the last piece is for you...

Our bodies seem to know exactly what it needs.

On a very snowy December day, I made some vegetable & barley soup - a very large pot so that I could enjoy the left-overs. 

The base was from Bob's Mills 

Vegetable & Alphabet Dry Soup Mix. 

(They have many varieties & I look forward to trying them all.)

I added 1/2 c of pearled barley, 4 sliced organic carrots, 2 medium organic onions (so nice to work with - a different texture indeed), 4 organic potatoes, with the peels left on, salt & pepper, 3 bay leaves & 2 boxes of Imagine's Organic Vegetable Broth - yummy! The soup cooked in about 1 1/2 hours on a slower simmering heat. 

And for de taste de la resistance, desert was poached pears with sliced almonds (omitted on this serving) with a generous serving of Soy Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream. 

I've included the basic corn bread & 
poached pears recipes for you.

BASIC CORNBREAD 
(tweaked from Williams Sonoma recipe)

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 c cornmeal (the finer the better)

1/4 c fructose

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 cup almond milk (you can use vanilla flavored if you like)

1 c Toffutti sour cream (tofu-based)

1/3 c corn or safflower oil

1 egg substitute, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray 9-inch glass pan.

Mix together dry ingredients

Mix together wet ingredients (in a different bowl)

Combine by gently folding in the wet ingredients - do not over-mix.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes. Remove for oven & let stand for 20 minutes. Remove from pan & cut into 9 squares.

This cornbread is delicious when topped with margarine & honey!

POACHED PEARS WITH SLICED ALMONDS
(This recipe was tweaked from the Natural Choices Magazine, December 2012 issue.)

If serving 8, use:

4 pears

2 cups pear juice (I use Hansen's Organic)

2 T honey

1/2 c toasted sliced almonds (optional - but festive!)

Slice pears in half length-wise. Carefully remove the core from each half with a small spoon - easy to do - only a small amount needs to be removed)

Mix pear juice & honey in large saute pan or pot - bring to boil. (You'll need 2 pans as the pears need to lay flat.)

Add pears cut-side down - reduce heat to simmer (cook uncovered).

Gently press on pears after 40 minutes to see if tender.

Carefully transfer to serving plates.

Top with scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of leftover poached pear juice & top with toasted almonds.

This is a delightful desert - light, yet rich. Right before I begin to serve dinner, I begin poaching these pears - that way desert is still hot & ready to be served following dinner, & we all get to enjoy the sweet aroma of the pears while we enjoy our dinner. 

My Conversion Story... (to vegetarianism) 
Part 1

Posted at:
myvegetarianstory.blogspot.com


This will be an ongoing story until I catch you up in time.

How about Homemade Applesauce?

It's simple - I promise!

I had 6 apples that were given to me by a neighbor - they weren't fresh off of the tree, 

but I still appreciated them & thought I would go ahead & juice them...

... that is until the temperatures dropped to 30 degrees - 

a perfect snowy wintry night here in northern Utah.  

So I decided to make good ol' applesauce - 

what a fragrant aroma & special sweetness brought to my kitchen. 

So, I peeled. 

Then sliced with my special apple slicer. 

Looking back to 7th grade home economics class - this was the 1st recipe we used & I've always been a fan ever since!

I asked my daughter what her 1st recipe was in her class - she told me No Bake Cookies. What do you remember making? 

There they are scrumptious-looking, right, you can just taste the sweetness or tartness.

At this point, you could change your mind & make an apple pie, but I prefer simple tonight.

If you like, you can add a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. (I usually don't)  

I could individually slice each segment, but that's lots of unnecessary work, so instead, I'll use my handy/dandy hand-chopper. 

This will provide small dices of apple that will cook down rather quickly. 

This is just a interior look at the diced apples for you. 

Place in pot (of course), & add a good sprinkling of cinnamon.

For 6 apples I use about 1/2 t. Also add about an 1/8 c of water. This will vary depending on the apples. Sometimes I just use a few tablespoons of water - sometimes, I'll use up to 1/2 c. 

The first time you make applesauce, you may want to go with 1/2 c water just to be sure. You can always strain off the excess, or uncover & let the extra evaporate. 

 Cover & cook at a slow simmer, about 20 minutes.

Of course you can leave the apples in larger chunks, but I like to use my smasher to break down the chunks even more. 

I do leave a variety of sizes though, just to make it a bit more appetizing & to give it a more home-cooked look. 

If you like, you can mush to a puree too, especially if you're serving a little one.

So, I hear you asking me, "What about sugar?" Well, I don't use any - I think the apples are plenty sweet for me. 

I remember once when I was making jam. At the beginning, I thought the jam was pretty tasty, but decided to add fructose for others. I seem to have just kept adding & adding & adding more fructose, not really knowing when enough was enough. Looking back I really believe less is more.

You can make applesauce with even one apple if you like - it's worth it even or especially if you're cooking for yourself! You're worth it!!!

A special side-note: Back in 2003 I attended the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. I stayed at a small bed & breakfast. The owner was this very special older woman who would fix breakfast for us. Every morning, before we rose, I could smell the apple aroma in her kitchen. She would simply slice up apples, blanch them in water & serve, slightly softened - delicious & one memory that will stay with me forever! 

Peace & Holiday Warmth,

Marcy Hope Williams

Just Like Mom Used to Make... Nah - Better! 

My mother used to make the most delicious Thanksgiving yams. I tried to duplicate them once when I had moved to Utah. Needless to say, they didn't taste like mom's. 

Did she leave out a secret ingredient? Was it the altitude difference? (she lived by the ocean) or was it just her expertise in cooking? 

I could never figure it out & finally gave up on most of mom's recipes. 

I can tell you though, mom's recipe for yams began with a can of yams.

Years later I found this recipe at Wild Oats, (now called Whole Foods) - 

a yam recipe from real yams! 

I've tweaked the recipe just a wee bit for my family's enjoyment. 

Just for variety & for the special holidays, I'll prepare these yams this way. 

My family is always excited to see them on the table. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

 You'll find the recipe at the end of the pictures. 

Can I tell the difference between canned yams & yams from the garden  - you bet I can!

Here's my ingredients. 

The peppermint tea & cookie on the right aren't really a part of this recipe, 

just inspiration to help me cook when I'm hungry.  

1st - preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. 

I like to prepare my 9 by 13" glass pan by first spraying it with a light mist of Pam - 

you can use any type of oil to accomplish this.  

Personally I would rather take this precaution than having to do the scrubbing or soaking later. 

Peel the yams - I really don't wash them as I think they're clean under the skin. 

Here are the 5 yams all peeled. 

Slice them up 1/8 to 1/4" thick. If they're really large I either half them or sometimes quarter them. I like them quartered the best because they seem to be able to absorb the juices better. 

Scatter in pan. 

You'll combine the margarine, sugar & spices in a small sauce pan. 

Bring to a small boil, & quickly reduce to simmer until sugar dissolves. (sorry, missed this pic).

Spoon over yams.

Mix a bit. 

Cover with foil & cook for 55 minutes at 375-400 degrees.

Uncover, then cook another 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with optional nuts & brown for 3 minutes at 500 degrees.   

Voila! A yummy entree!

                               Candied Yams                                

Serves 8

5 medium to large yams (preferably organic)

4 1/2 T magarine

2/3 C golden brown sugar packed (preferably organic)

1 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/8 t ground ginger

1/2 t salt

Optional Toppings

1/2 c chopped pecans, or 1/2 c sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. Place potatoes in 9x13x2 inch glass baking dish. Combine margarine, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil & stir until brown sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over yams & toss to coat. Cover dish well with foil.

Bake 50 minutes. Uncover & continue to bake until potatoes are tender & syrup thickens a bit (basting occasionally) about 20 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 500. Top yams with nuts & brown about 

3 minutes. 

Enjoy!

dōTERRA Essential Oils

Last night I was invited to a free class on essential oils - my daughter & I attended, 

& I'm so glad I did!

A few facts I learned from the class:

• Essential oils are really not oils, but extracts from plants.
• They are 50 to 70 times more powerful than herbs.
• They kill viruses & bacteria, whereas antibiotics cannot penetrate cell membranes where the virus hides, but the oils can. Bacteria lives outside the cell wall, so antibiotics can attack them, but essential oils can reach both.  

Personally, I've used essential oils for decades, but I believe dōTERRA is a superior product to what I had been using. 

I currently have 2 spray bottles, one holds lavender & water & the 2nd bottle holds lemongrass & water. The water creates the mist & diffuses the strength of the essential oils. 

How uplifting these natural fragrances are to me. I actually just spray a mist above my head & then allow it to settle on me rather than spraying it onto my body directly.

Lemongrass gives you a perk, smells so sweet & clean. Lavender soothes away all of that stress you've managed to bring home. So, I usually will use the lemongrass in the morning and the lavender in the eve, or sometimes on rainy days.

The company lists 10 oils that every family should have: lavender, lemon, peppermint, melaleuca, oregano, frankincense and then 4 other blends which can be used for medicinal purposes. 

After all, all & I'll repeat, all of our medicines are created from herbs or are created synthetically to resemble them - why not head straight to the source directly?

Essential oils can help us heal naturally. These gifts from nature boost us emotionally, help to strengthen our immune system and just keep us all around healthy.  

   So, I invite you to contact a rep today, take a class & broaden your horizons & knowledge. After all - isn't it really all about getting back to nature... back to Eden...? 

If you're in Northern Utah, contact caroline@livingdoterra.com

I leave you in peace,

Marcy Hope Willliams

Expecting? 

Baby Essentials 

&

Ruby Rose Comes to Town 

Here's a list Stork Landing helped me to put together for all your baby needs. 

Yes, this is quite the extended list, so feel free to pick & choose as you desire. 

You can view a closer version of this list directly at story-express.com. 

http://www.story-express.com/media/BabyEssentials.pdf

Look under My Books/Products, then under Ruby Rose Comes to Town. 

There's also a really cute video created by a group of children for you to watch too. 

I have a shortened version of Newborn Essentials as the last page of my newest book, Ruby Rose Comes to Town, which (cross our fingers) will be available really soon now. 

Ruby Rose Comes to Town is an endearing book perfect for the expectant new mother 

& the perfect book to gift at your next baby shower. 

I will be sure to let you know as soon as I can make it available.  In the meantime - here's a view of the front & back cover to wet your appetite!

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Welcome to the Riverwoods Christmas Faire

And here'ssssss Santa!

This was the 1st booth I visited - turned out that this gentleman's & my path have crossed many times before. Bill at 435-792-4380 is an authorized distributor for Berkey Water Filter Folks. 

These purifiers are different than anything I've personally used, and I have tried several unique filtering systems including even owning a water distiller in Hawaii - definitely on my Christmas list!

Berkey offers "Premium Stainless Steel Water Purifiers For Elegance and Lasting Quality. These Are Berkeys’ Finest Home, Group and Emergency Use Water Purifiers!" 
Please visit them at BerkeyWaterFilterFoks.com

These beautifully handmade baby booties come in 3 sizes. 

"The most popular size is the 6th month size," Sarah Natividad shares. 

The child will wear them the longest during this growing period. 

To check out many more colors & styles, please visit Sarah at curious-workmanship.com 

Megan Green at The Pampered Chef shared with us how to make this cute Christmas mouse.

The Bottom is an Oreo Cookie that has been iced.

The head is made from a chocolate dipped candy kiss.

Eyes are dots of frosting.
The tip of his nose is a dot of chocolate frosting. 

The ears are 2 sliced almonds. 

The back of the mouse is a chocolate dipped maraschino cherry - be careful to purchase the cherries with the stems attached. 

The red & green decorations on the base are just added frosting for a touch of holiday color & flair. 

Now, I know, there's not too much nutrition in this edible, but it sure is cute! 
One customer shared that she creates this mouse with her grandchildren 
and then reads them the story of the Christmas Mouse.

You can email Megan at chefmgn@gmail.com  

Dawna Zukirmi offered unique & beautifully-designed jewelry - my daughters & I couldn't resist!

Visit Dawna at:

ZukiImports.com & ZukiOutdoors.com 

These hand-made heating pads were filled either with lavender or rosemary - the vendor even offered one with corn. Some customers liked the way the corn held the heat in better. These pads can be placed in the microwave for brief periods of time.

Definitely a fun place for children to gather - face painting & balloon art.

Contact Melissa Halvorsen at ThePaintedOtter.com

And how about a vendor creating holiday magic by giving the gift of snow?

And finally, just what we all needed to sit & enjoy a free massage. I was actually surprised at these pillows. They reminded me more of the motion of the water-massage beds, pretty soothing.

**********

BEST WISHES & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

**********

FROM MARCY HOPE WILLIAMS

A Thing of Beauty

I get to pass this awesome small river going home. 

Here's an update on my book 

Ruby Rose Comes to Town

Here's the new Newborn Essentials list that will be included as the last page of 

Ruby Rose Comes to Town. 

The full list of Baby Essentials will be posted shortly on story-express.com and shopstorklanding.com. We're waiting for the final graphics.

Visit us at:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcyhopewilliams/ruby-rose-comes-to-town

SEEDS... the wonder of life!

My neighbor brought me over half of her home-grown banana squash - what a gift!

The seeds were plentiful - I pulled out about 100 from the caverns of this squash.  

Check this out though - I have never seen a seed like this one before. 

The other side looks identical with a slender beige middle on each. 

My daughter Eden had baked pumpkin bread the other day & saved me the seeds, again about 100 seeds from just one very small organic pumpkin. I give them a quick rinse to get most of the flesh off of the seed - they seem to dry better this way. 

Pumpkin seed on the left; banana squash on the right - awesome, right? 

*********************************************************************************

This is the cover of my new book - my project is posted on kickstarter so that I can raise funds to print this darling book. I have about 3 weeks left. Please share this link with others you may know who may be able to help me push on down the road.  

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcyhopewilliams/ruby-rose-comes-to-town

Thanks!

Marcy Hope Williams