Every so often I share recipes like the Pink Miracle and last night I created a whole lot of Green Goodness and had to share.

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We had three avocados in perfect ripe condition that had to be eaten so three green wonders were created.

Avocado and Garlic

I recreated my favorite salad from my favorite Cuban Restaurant I used to go to almost every day for lunch in Atwater Village.

One Avocado Sliced

Half a sweet vidalia onion (they use red onions at the Cuban place)

4 Cloves of Garlic minced

Olive Oil

There you have it.  Poor a generous amount of olive oil over your minced garlic. Stir it all up and pour that “mojo de ajo” over your onion and avocado (add tomato slices if you have real tomatoes and not that awful store-bought ones).  You will smell and may get heartburn afterwards but WOW is that good going down.

Avocado and Crema

One Sliced Avocado

A dollop of Mexican crema

About a table spoon of sweetened condensed milk

a few slices of a  long green hot pepper

a pinch of habonero powder  (I got mine from Spice of Life and OMG YUM!)

This is so simple and if you like spicy, sweet, and sour all at once you will go bananas (or avocado-as).  Simply drizzle some sweetened condensed milk (or pour generously) over your sliced green beauty.  Add a dollop of Mexican crema (better than sour cream).  Place slices of hot green pepper over it to make it look pretty and sprinkle the habonero powder on top (use cayenne if you don’t have that lovely green powder).  Eat it and wait for the party in your mouth.

Avocado Ice Cream

Yes, you read that correctly and OMG WOW is it good.

One Avocado

1-2 scoops coconut ice cream

a long slow pour of sweetened condensed milk

a pinch of habonero powder if you like

Scoop out the insides of your avocado and drop it into a blender with the ice cream.  Pour in some sweetened condensed milk to your liking. If you’re really into exact measurements (you’re a baker!) I’d say about 3 tablespoons.  Okay, 4. Blend it until your concoction is a lovely light green.  Pour it into precious little bowls to match how adorable it looks.  It can serve 2-4 depending on how nuevo cuisine you make the portions.  I added a tiny pinch of habonero powder to each dish to add a little green spice to punch up that delicious avocado ice cream.

Use vanilla ice cream if you prefer, but that coconut adds another level of yum. All I can say is OMG OMG OMG please can I have more? I’d like to plant an avocado tree after eating these dishes.

In the New Year, I’ve committed to bringing lovely green dishes to the table every evening.  The night before I made brussel sprouts with balsamic reduction.  Holywow.

How Green is your New Year?

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I don’t exactly have a food blog, although I do share comedy cooking videos sometimes! But yesterday I spent most of the day processing six huge bags of kale from the garden. I wrote about downsizing and growing your own food, and must practice what I preach. I’m proud to say I didn’t kill it! Our kale grew huge and green and luscious. I feel sorry for the houseplants. Thank the lord I don’t have any. My mom has the green thumb. I’m working on it.

But look at our kale!!

So of course I had to process it to keep it for the winter. Huh? That’s what I said. But I did it and it was delicious! First of all I wanted to freeze some bags of it and found this great post on How to blanch and freeze kale!  Perfect. Did it! It was super easy and now I have kale in the freezer.

But I had a lot of kale!

This is only two bags worth:

I found 365 Days of Kale to also a great kale resource! I love greens, all greens from mustard greens to collards but this was the first time I had ever grown it. Sad, I know! I’m a Southern girl who ran for the city as fast as I could. But I was determined to learn to save in the garden – by gardening!!

Kale chips are genius. Genius I tell you!  Here is a Kale Chips Recipe

Here’s my preparation:

Here is another recipe for Kale Chips. My friend Marci Liroff who is an awesome cook (and also big fancy casting director who cast oh, ET and Footloose to name just some little ones- I’m bragging for her) warned me not to salt the chips too much. I used a tiny bit of salt and then instead added – hot pepper flakes. Genius!

Here’s one batch out of the oven:

The hot pepper flakes were the selling point. Now there is a huge bowl of chips (not tater chips, Kale Chips!) in the center of the bar. Yummy. You can’t overdo it with those.

After the stack of freezer bags and the trays of Kale Chips I made a spicy potato and kale soup to freeze too. I just had to share since I was all proud of myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fabulous cook (yes, I said that myself) but growing my own food (and preparing it from freezing to canning and the works) has made me slightly nervous. At this point, I know I’m not alone since some of you feel the same way so I thought I’d share. I processed my kale! So, so can you!

Get my Blog Yummy Blog to your inbox and let me know what else you’re hungry for. I take requests. Well, within reason!

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You know those times when you just want some comfort food? Maybe you’re depressed, upset, feeling blah, snowed in, rained in, got a muddy porch or a foul mood? You need some comfort food.  Plus, you requested a funny video from me and more recipes so here, you can have both!

This is a Pink Miracle recipe to create the perfect pink topping for your french toast or pancakes or really anything because it’s so tasty.  It has my secret ingredient in it that I never share.  Oops, I’m about to.  Watch the video and have a laugh.

The color matches the cover of my upcoming book Will Date 4 Food, and that makes me happy.

How To Make a Pink Miracle

Yummy! Try it and let me know how you love it. I’ll make a convert out of you! Don’t be afraid of the secret ingredient!

Do you like my Blog? Then get it into your Inbox and respond to the messages to let me know what more you want from me. I’m here, probably eating that pink miracle,

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Nothing like a day in the dirt.

Yum! Try making the old potato au Gratin recipe with turnips instead of potatoes. Just layer thin slices of turnips with grated gruyere and Parmesan cheeses like you would a lasagna. Pour a cup of heavy cream or half and half over it all, top with a layer of Parmesan, sprinkle with paprika and voila. Bake at 350 for an hour plus, or until it’s yummy.

Or just use your potato recipe and substitute turnips. Love the turnip! They don’t get enough love.

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After over a decade living in Southern California, I never thought I’d say I’m waiting for the snow to melt!  But I’m spending most of my time in the mountains on the east coast writing.  Nothing like being in the country to help spawn books and screenplays.  There is also something in the country I have always wanted – a barn house.  A barn house with gardens, goats, chickens, a view of the mountains and land to roam on.

Happily, that wish is being fulfilled.  But first things first!  I’d like to see if I can grow a green thumb!

Do you have a Green Thumb?

I am a city girl, although I have country in my  Southern blood.  I’ve lived in Paris, New York City and Los Angeles. I like subways and fast cars and doorman buildings.  Growing things? Ah, I have bought already grown veggies at the farmer’s market.  I’ve traveled so much that I tend to come home to wilted unhappy plants.  I’ll admit, though I can do a lot of things, I’m not that great in the dirt.  But I’m willing to learn!  Here’s the garden area:

I wrote this post on Saving in the Garden (even in the city) and now is the time to start planting for many regions.  But the snow is still covering the land here so we’re not able to break ground yet, but we are able to do starter seeds.  Starter seeds?  I wondered the same thing. It’s like putting the baby in the incubator.

Here is the starter kit my family made:

It is cleverly heated by LED rope lights. There are sites where you can learn to make them yourself or purchase starter kits:

How to Build and Inexpensive Grow Light and Garden

Indoor Plant Growing Racks

Jump Starter Kits

I’ll admit, I had nothing to do with building this ingenious contraption outside of insisting there be pictures taken.  It’s upstairs and I’m still on crutches.  So I don’t have a green thumb yet, not even close, but there are little green buds of broccoli popping out already – only after four days!

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I thought I had seen it all but now – I have been proven wrong. This takes the cake. I won’t be surprised if he starts baking cakes (or brownies… duh, winning)

Oh my, I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, cheer or go get beer.  Bear with me, it takes a minute to load. I’m having load issues.  I’m working on it, like Charlie Sheen is working on being seen by every possible avenue of eyeballs on the planet.

The question is:

Is it saving in the garden or saving the garden?

There certainly are a lot of life changes happening out in the world right now. I personally think chaos can bring clarity, although I do not buy into fear mongering.  I don’t think it’s time to go dig a hole and put your head in it. I think it’s time for us all to become more connected. (Yay Twitter!)  It’s time to be connected to the Earth, to your souls, to your creativity and to your colon (like I wrote in the last post).

On the fear and panic side, I was urged to watch this movie Collapse, which I did on Netflix.  Here’s the trailer:

Ages ago I would have been really freaked out and scared by that movie and wondering where in the world I was going to move to, and quickly.  But I have since witnessed people who are so convincing to others because of their emotional connection to what they think they know based on their own fears, that they freak people out when they actually don’t have the facts.  I’m not saying there isn’t valuable information in the film, and out in the world for that matter, my point is being clear about facts instead of fear.  There are so many who preach to you until they’re blue in the face, convinced they know all the answers and have “the truth.”  You have to follow your own heart and gather facts for yourself.  I bring that up because I’ve been witnessed it first hand, so I urge to you to take what works for you and leave the rest.  You know what’s best for you if you really listen to your heart and soul.  (maybe I should write about how to get better at that)

That said, the best message I got from the film above is to grow your own food.  For me, that was the best and most important part of the film and is really the only reason I’m bringing the film up!  I think we should learn how to garden for fun, not out of fear.  That is why I’ll be sharing my own process on here!

Grow Your Own Food

My mother and grandmother have the green thumbs. I on the other hand, can write about it.  I’ve rarely stayed in one place long enough to have a garden in my life.  But this year I will and I’ll blog about my trials and errors in an effort to help those of you who are like me, green thumb challenged.

First of all, I’ve written about getting over your fear of starting a garden even if you’re in the city in my Downsizing post.  There are some amazing garden packages on GroOrganic.   I know, some of you will suck in a breath of shock at some of the prices of staring a garden but believe me, it’s cheaper than buying your food in the long run.  Start paying attention to food prices when you visit your market.  They are going up up and away from many budgets, especially fresh produce.  The sad thing is that though fresh veggies and fruits are by far the best choice, yet sometimes the processed ones are simply cheaper.  For many families, the purse is the boss and many forfeit their health for the cheaper food.  But I’m telling you, it can make you sicker in the long run. Spending money on your food and food growth can be categorized under health, wellness and preventative medicine too.  It’s worth it, spend money on your food and wear your clothes another season or ride your bike more to save on gas.  Your food is important.

Savings Tip:

Even though I haven’t broken ground yet on my garden since it’s covered with snow at the moment, I’m paying attention and finding information on ways to save (and to share).

Say AHH: One fun way that all of my RN friends will love is buying a value pack of Tongue Depressors.  Yep, I said that. They are so cheap and you get tons of them. You can use them as markers for your various plant groups by writing on them with permanent market.

That way you don’t do what I have been guilty of and go buy all kinds of expensive fancy things just to make it look pretty.  It will already be pretty, it’s a garden.  Have your children color the wood to make it stand out among the plants.  There’s some good playtime that also helps the household, bonus!

Build it Yourself: If you don’t have the money to buy gardening packages from places like GroOrganic, build it yourself!  Become a little Martha Stewart and blog about how you’re kicking butts with your electric saw.  Or maybe you live where the soil is fantastic and you don’t need to have raised beds.  Start digging!  Well, when the time comes.

Plan Your Patch: Save by planning.   GroOrganic has a garden planner that I’m using that is very inexpensive compared to what you’ll save by planning out your patch.  I’m the first to admit that I’d go out and buy half the store like shopping when I’m hungry. I’d have seeds coming out of my ears, with high hopes and big plans of having the best most beautiful garden in town. Then reality would set in that I just planted enough for a small army and it’s overgrown and a mess.  If you’re like me with that old save-the-world complex, shhhh, be still for a minute.  Start small.  Feed yourself first before you take on feeding the village.  Planning out your patch before you even buy seeds or starter plants is super helpful and if I dare say - necessary.

Can’t wait to get my hands dirty!

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Are you Addicted to Meat, Sugar, Chocolate and Cheese?

I just saw this shared by my friend Carl Bressler on Facebook and had to share it.  This is a 40 min video but highly informative and amusing at times too.  I share my personal thoughts on it below.

In the above video Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food addictions. Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods. A plant-based diet is the solution to avoid many of these problems. Neal Barnard is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The above video is Dr. Barnard’s COMPLETE presentation from the VegSource HEALTHY LIFESTYLE EXPO 2003. To get a copy of this talk on DVD see https://secure2.vegsource.com/catalog/

What are your thoughts?

You can definitely trim down by cutting out meat and processed carbs, since that is also what collects in your colon and feeds parasites.  WHAT??  Yes, it’s true. It’s all in your poo. When you see those big bellied folks walking around America – they are actually full of —–.  Clean the colon, people, clean the colon.  Vegans have healthy colons I’ve heard.

Check out this video of me talking to Brenda Underwood about doing a colon cleanse:

I personally think the healthiest diet (for me) is farm raised and organically fed meat, fowl and fish (to avoid mercury), a clean colon, way more green foods than you think you can stand, and exercise – including a happy healthy committed sex life.   Yes, I said that.

Dairy?

My life and health is better after stepping away from most dairy products for sure. I drink Almond Milk, Coconut Milk and stay away from Soy since they way soy is processed in America creates allergens and every time I drink it I start to wheeze.  (more on that if you’re interested, post a comment) So, no more soy and no more milk.  Although I do eat cheese, but I try to use goat cheese products, which do better on my system.

Protein?

I am hooked on this Plant Fusion protein powder.  I drink the vanilla as happy as a baby. My nutritionist urges me to have four proteins at each meal including the meat, fowl or fish, nuts, cheese etc.

I’m not sure where I stand on the meat eating because so much of it is processed poorly and fed all kinds of hormones. I have O positive blood and I’m also Southern. I tried to be a vegetarian and at one point a vegan and even a macrobiotic at one point, but I got so sick.  I stopped eating meat for environmental reasons and I because I am an animal lover.  But when I eat meat and veggies I’m perfectly healthy with perfect colon activity.  TMI, but we already talked about that.  So what’s a girl to do?

Like I said, I’m Southern. I come from hunters with loads of guns and families who cut the heads off chickens in the yard to have dinner that night.  I am an animal lover too, but I will eat the edibles.  Sorry.  When I cut all meat out completely, I get sick. Maybe it has something to do with blood type, maybe not.  But I find it interesting that those I know who can exist well on vegan diets are not O positive, but A – or AB and so on. I’d like to see that study!

Say No to Processed Food

I think the meat industry is disgusting, especially after watching the documentaries on it.  I believe the health issues caused by meat come from all the processing of it.  I think organically fed meat and fowl are good for you, based on how I’ve seen my own body do.

I personally think the real issues are sugar and processed foods. The cancer happening to the meat eaters, I bet comes from those who eat fast food meats, not farm raised organically fed.  I would love to see the study showing those who got cancer who were meat eaters and show exactly where they were eating.

Food for Thought

What do you think?  What blood type are you? What do you eat? What makes you the healthiest and have the best poos?  Really – the answer is in the poo.  Is that to much information? Um, I just posted a video about parasites in your colon.

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Here’s some love from Stirring Up Trouble days! Back by popular demand (without the full info…)

I’ll slice up some more pieces for you if you want, including Chocolate Gravy Biscuits.

PS:  Cooking your bird upside down like that does cause it to fall apart, juicy and moist.  It tosses the traditional carving turkey out the window.  This one you can pull apart with tongs and place on a platter.  Put about 4 cups of chicken broth and another half a stick of butter along with a squirt of Braggs liquid aminos in the bottom.  Yummy.

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