Lima Beans, recipe from Spirit

If you are on my Instagram, you will have seen a few pics of food where I mention them coming from "my spirit". Meals that I put together by just listening to my gut, letting my body tell me what it wants to eat instead of following a recipe.

:)

My kids are both at camp, my husband works during the day, so I had free food range! No one to tell me "Ew, that looks gross!", or "Geesh, do we always have to eat healthy?", or "Does that have spirulina in it????".

Here is my combo du jour, made in the crock pot on the porch, since it is 104 outside, and my AC is pumping.


1lb lima beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 garlic cloves, I threw them in whole
1 can coconut milk, and a 1/2 can water that you swizzle to get the rest of the milk
Jalapenos. However many jalapenos you think you need to spice it up, chopped
Brown sugar, a good handful!
Coarse sea salt
Butter, about 5 large chunks :)......



Mix it all up, set the crock to high, 6-7 hours later you will have creamy, slight zippy and sweet at the same time, lima beans.

Serve over rice, sprinkled with parsley and ground pepper.

Yum.

If you ask me to bring dessert, it will be Rice Pudding.

If you ask me to bring dessert, it will be Rice Pudding, and you better not be dieting.

Rice Pudding is the combination of everything I love: BUTTER, WHOLE FAT, CREAMY MILK...EGGS...SUGAH!....VANILLA...and rice. I am not a fan of rice, but since rice pudding would be nill without it, I take it into my heart.

So, just make at least 3 extra cups of rice the next time you make dinner.

Here is the original recipe I used on allrecipes.com that serves 4. Below is my version, and it really only serves 4 of us, maybe 6 if you don't like big helpings :). The base recipe is really easy to double, and that is what I do when I take this to parties.

Ingredients

• 3  cups cooked white rice
• 3.5  cups milk, divided (keep out a 1.2 cup)
• 1/3 cup-ish white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 2 +  tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Fresh nutmeg

In a clean saucepan, combine 3 cups cooked rice, 3 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

If you can stand it, chill :). Sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice once cool.

Voila! Heaven in a pot!  

Rhubarb: A serenade & a muffin

Rhubarb cake & rhubarb compott, both bring instant happy childhood memories :).

Rhubarb is a pretty hardy plant that is easy to grow, and often grows in masses. You would not know it here in California, where Rhubarb is priced as if a truffle pig had to scout it out. Last year, I decided to plant my own in my front yard, where I am slowly removing the weeds lawn to make way for food. I do not water things I cannot eat. Even though rhubarb thrives in cooler climates, I decided that "I" am going to be a pioneer woman and grow rhubarb anyways....even if my summer average is a smoldering 100+ degrees. My plant actually grew, but my neighbor, whose over-sprinkling seemed like a blessing at first (I generally forget to water),  sprinkled too much and the plant literally drowned.  So in January I planted two new plants and a wall to safe guard them from the killer sprinkler, and by the end of January I saw the little heads of my old plants come back! EUREKA!!!

Rhubarb should not be harvested until the second year, so I am now harvesting my old plants :). I

have green rhubarb, just so you don't get think I am confused when you see the pictures! Today I got a big batch that looked like it wanted to get out of the heat.  You can store fresh rhubarb in a bucket with some water, just place it with the "root" side down in the water. I would not keep it this way for longer than a day. If you need longer, cut and put in the fridge in airtight containers (a few days), or freeze.

Since we are road tripping tomorrow, I made muffins. While looking for recipes, I found the coolest site, all about rhubarb and fittingly named Rhubarbinfo.com! I used their Rhubarb-Buttermilk recipe, but adapted it to fit my food:

WARNING: If you do not eat sugar, or butter, my recipes will offend you. I eat both. They make me happy.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salad oil coconut oil (I don't even know what that is.)

1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract (I used home made Bourbon Vanilla! Yum! Just soak 

pods in bourbon or rum!)
1 cup buttermilk kefir (I make kefir, always use it in lieu of buttermilk)
1 1/2 cups finely diced rhubarb
1/2 cups pecan pieces almond slivers. I did not put them in the mix, 

sprinkled them on top for crunch.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour white spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Topping: I completely omitted this. First, I only use butter. Second, I rather put the butter on my 

mmuffin :)

1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp melted margarine

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 18 medium-sized muffin cups.
• Combine in large bowl: brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Stir into mixture buttermilk, rhubarb, and pecans.
• In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add this mixture all at once to rhubarb mixture and stir until all ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
• Fill prepared muffin pan 3/4 full with batter.
• Quickly combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup.
• Bake in preheated oven on center shelf 15 to 20 minutes.

YUM!!!

I also chopped up some rhubarb for compott. Easiest thing in the world, and tastes great on joghurt, pancakes, oatmeal, etc.

Chop rhubarb in 1/2 inch pieces. Put in pot, cover the bottom with a bit of water. Add some brown
sugar (to taste!), a cinnamon stick, and some cloves. Simmer until the rhubard is soft. Do not overcook, or you will have jam! You can add strawberries to this, they work nice together!
Put it in a mason jar, and store in the fridge for easy access!

Rhubarb freezes well too! Just chop in small pieces, and freeze. I like to write how many cups are in the bag on the bag. This way I can use it to make rhubarb jam (delicious, and a family favorite) in
the winter. Or I will just heat it up for compott or pie filling. 

So here is my muffin, my wine, my computer :). The perfect late night study snack. Happy Solstice to you!

Much love, Heike

Anticipating this full moon, and the Gypsy Secret to beautiful hands.....

I was not surprised to find this old secret in one of my "gypsy" books :). I did laugh, because you can buy the preservative laden alternative in many cute little mall cosmetic stores.

The Gypsy women, and now us Garden Witches, are rough on their hands...and this little recipe will take out even the stubborn dirt, and make them smooth.

In a small bowl, put in some extra virgin olive oil. Now, either add some sugar or sea salt to make a thickish paste. Rub this all over your hands, massaging it in while you visualize taking care of the beautiful hands that sustain you :).

Rinse off. Voila!

The next full moon happens to fall on my birthday this year :). I am so excited, as I have some wonderful new things to unveil as the moon grows again.

Doing a full body salt scrub on a full moon night is an excellent way to honor your body, and "wash away" anything that may hinder you in fulfilling your goals.

I like to turn this into a relaxing ritual, in a bathroom lit by candles. If you don't live in suburbia, you could do this outside by the light of the moon :). Make a big bowl of olive oil and sea salt (use sea salt, a gift from the ocean rather than table salt). Start with your right foot, work up the leg, and just slowly massage in the scrub as you visualize the things/people that no longer serve you or make your life HAPPY. Then go right foot, leg, left arm, right arm, belly and chest (be gently around the breast area). If you are dexterous, massage your back too!

Then step into the shower, make the water warm and rinse away the salt, watching all that needs to go wash down the drain :). Turn the water as cool as you can stand, and rinse once more (I like to visualize myself standing under a waterfall!). This closes the pores, and "finalizes" the ritual.

Pat dry, put on some comfy clothes, or go to bed naked :)...

Much love,
Heike