Saturday afternoon, I volunteered to help in the kitchen at a fund-raiser event to benefit women who can’t afford mammograms and breast health care.  It was sponsored by a bevy of Red Hat Society ladies and held in a church with a kitchen.  I had heard about the High Tea at my Woman’s Resource Network meeting this month, so I volunteered to help.

I arrived a bit later than the rest of the kitchen volunteers due to a yoga class, so I just started right in without understanding where anything was in the kitchen.  My first task was to bake the savouries in the oven with one of the lovely ladies.  There were many boxes of Trader Joe’s little philo dough thingies and some little tarts to bake.  We preheated the oven to 400°F and started opening boxes.  The little philo dough thingies were presented in plastic trays that, the box said, were meant to go in the oven.  I cautioned that I thought it was a bad idea.  We were baking trays of these things at a time and plastic in ovens is a bad idea.  She assured me she’d done it before and we loaded two cookie sheets with these plastic trays and set the timer.  Fortunately, I was standing right there 10 minutes later when I saw open flame in the oven.  I opened the oven, pulled out the bottom cookie sheet, then set about looking for tongs to move the melting plastic off the element.  Suffice it to say, I managed, with help, to put out the fire and continue baking while the other ladies addressed the smoke alarm and the windows.  The event proceeded and I don’t even know if they knew there was ever a fire.

The point to my story is, it is ALWAYS a chancy thing to put plastic in high heat.  Plastics, generally speaking, are made from chemicals that often leach into whatever is in them when exposed to heat.  Then there is the potential fire hazard. In a perfect world, I’d have pulled out my Pampered Chef stuff and transferred everything out of the plastic before heating it. At home, you can bet that’s how I’d roll.

There are oodles of articles all over the Internet from highly reputable sources that warn about the dangers of BPAs and false estrogens that may leach into our food from plastics.  Just Google “plastic leaching into food” and take your pick.  Some are optimistic, others condemning, and not all of them state their sources and who pays their bills.  I’ve been following this issue for years and there’s no way to be sure, no matter what they say, that under every circumstance, they are NOT leaching into my food.  On that conclusion, I’ve taken action.

• I have very few plastics in my kitchen.  I’ve replaced almost everything that was plastic with bamboo, wood, glass, stainless steel, and stoneware.
• The plastics that remain never see anything hotter than room temperature.
• I’ve taken control of how my food is prepared by doing most of it myself.  I make most things from scratch in my own home – it’s very empowering.

I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Does this mean I refuse to eat at restaurants?  No.  I’m well aware that industrial cooking often takes shortcuts and heats plastics, yet I’ve made the conscious choice to reduce my daily exposure by changing the way I cook and eat 95% of the time.  There’s nothing I can do about years of my childhood and young adulthood.  All those microwaved plastic bowls for lunch, all that Teflon, and every plastic baby bottle of milk I consumed in ignorance can’t be changed.  I shudder to think, so I try not to dwell there.  Instead, I spent a couple of years replacing my kitchen tools – often one piece at a time – and making changes.  I focused on the forward.  While far from perfect, I’m on a happy path and I feel good about that.

Who’s with me?  If you’re in my local area and want to have a plastic kitchenware recycling party, let me know.  I’ll bake us some yummy treats and we can fill the recycle bin while we talk about the great new tools we’ve bought to make our cooking happier and healthier.
Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

I love rice porridge! It’s my favorite breakfast food… it’s warm, it’s tasty, and it’s a great way to start my day. On the weekends, I’ve been known to make fancier versions of my breakfast porridge that include marbled eggs. They are tasty and always pretty.  This, by the way, is not a traditional Chinese recipe, this is my own version.

Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs

6 – 8 eggs
½ c soy sauce or Braggs
zest from ½ an orange
1/8 c orange juice (freshly squeezed from the same orange, if possible)
2 star anise
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp ground peppercorns
½ tsp lapsang souchong tea leaves (for a smoky flavor)

Place the fresh eggs in the pan, add an inch of cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Cool the eggs under running water and rinse the pan.

When the eggs are cooled, gently tap the shells with the back of a metal teaspoon to make the webbing patterns. Keep the shell in tact so it holds its integrity in the next cooking cycle. Return the eggs to the pan and add the rest of the ingredients, and add enough water to cover the eggs completely. Bring it back to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

I leave my eggs to steep overnight. The longer they steep, the more flavor they have and the darker the marbled patterns will be. I’d say, steep at least 3-5 hours.

Options: Sometimes, I take out the anise and add cumin for a spicier taste. Many people add a cinnamon stick.

If you try it, let me know what you think!  And if you have a different recipe, I’d love to hear it.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

Our five-year-old friend, Skyleigh, has been spending a lot of time at our house. When it’s time for lunch, she begs for macaroni and cheese – and by begs, I mean she chants, sings, dances, and all-around celebrates the mere possibility that mac’n cheese might be a part of her day. On those occasions, the celebration is followed by her dragging the stepstool out so she can assist in the making of her lunch. It is, indeed, an event.

All this fanfare has reminded me of my own early forays into cooking. I was always the first one up on weekend mornings. The budding artist in me woke to watch a 6 a.m. Saturday morning show instructing me in the basics of sketching. After that show, there was another 30 minutes before the other heavy cartoons were broadcast, so I’d make myself breakfast. Sometimes, breakfast was breaking out a box of macaroni and cheese. I know, probably no my Mom’s first choice of morning cuisine, yet, I was just as excited then as Skyleigh is now by the creamy, cheesy goodness. I’m not sure what it is that really draws us to that particular comfort food, yet it is widespread, indeed.

This all leads to me standing in the bulk section of the grocery store yesterday. There was a 15% off sale, so I was happily refilling all my jars and bags to restock my pantry. I rarely buy any pasta save capellini, yet I found myself drawn to the tri-colored shells with images of cheese sauce filling their little bowls. Well, once the idea was planted, I began smelling butter and cheese melting around the pasta, so I grabbed a pound of pasta and headed home.

As a result, for the first time in years, I stood before the stove making cheese sauce and cooking shell macaroni. As I did so, I remembered all those times as a kid I grabbed for a pre-packaged box, ripped the powdered sauce bag, and poured it into the hot milk. I remembered, for a stretch of time, loving the addition of ketchup. I remember another period of my childhood where I used to chop a fresh tomato into the bowl. As an adult, I eschewed the pre-packaged varieties in favor of making it from scratch wherein I’d add fresh broccoli or spinach to the pot. Ahhh… flashbacks of youth. It’s amazing how the smell and taste of food brings such a flood of memories.

So what is it about a steaming bowl of creamy macaroni and cheese that makes it the American institution it is? My husband is Chinese and was raised in Australia, and he can’t wrap his head around why I’m so excited about it. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t like it at all. He opted for the pot of chicken noodle soup I’d made earlier in the day after two bites of my comforting pasta dish. Is it because he’s Asian and just wasn’t raised with much dairy? Is it because of my European genes and their strong desire for cheese? I don’t know. Do you? Please share your ideas and stories – oh – and include what you best like to eat with your macaroni and cheese! Bacon bits? Ketchup? Chocolate chips… just kidding!

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

It’s been a whirlwind month of learning and adventure. I have just passed my 30-day mark with Pampered Chef and I’ve successfully met my first goals:

• • Earn a 50% refund for my initial kit cost
  • Earn the Pampered Chef personal website free for 3 months

The refund for the kit cost was the biggie for me. The initial cost for becoming a consultant is $155 for a kit containing $550 worth of kitchen tools, marketing materials, and business supplies. It even comes with its own customer tracking management software. How cool is that? I thought I would have to go find my own and adapt it to my needs, yet that was taken care of for me – one of many unexpected pleasures. With the 50% refund, everything cost me $77.50. Outstanding, eh?

I also earned three free months of the Pampered Chef website so I can synchronize the cooking shows with an online version. That way, folks that can’t make the actual show can still place orders online. The site is not incredibly personalized, yet it’s very handy. If you want to check it out, go to http://www.pamperedchef.biz/carolanne

In summary, I’m proud to report that my first thirty days of Pampered Chef has paid for my initial investment, provided me with some added income, presented me with some really plush kitchen tools, and, most of all, been incredibly fun! I’d say I win! AND I’d highly recommend Pampered Chef as a great way to earn some extra cash and have oodles of FUN!

There are some open show dates for me in April if anyone is interested. There’s a great Mother’s Day special on the Trifle Bowl, plus a lot more.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

For my Saturday afternoon Pampered Chef party, I made orange-almond scones served with a fruity chocolate tea. And what goes better with scones than a bit of jam and some whipped cream? Why nothing, save the great company. A delicious time was had by all!

Afterward, I had half a pint of heavy whipping cream sitting in the fridge and probably a cup of cream whipped with stevia in a bowl. Save indulgence in a particularly favored aged cheddar cheese, I rarely have dairy in my world, so the cream sat there for two days before I decided something must be done. If there’s anything I abhor, it’s wasted food. I used the last of the cream I had whipped with a touch of stevia in George’s coffee, yet there was still that undulcified cream… so I thumbed through my recipe books and decided to attempt some mini quiche.

I can’t remember ever trying quiche before this. Since I already had a cauldron of chili simmering on the stove, I felt quite up to a culinary adventure. I rummaged through the fridge and brought out a couple of eggs, the last of a jar of artichoke hearts, a red pepper and I snipped some green onion fresh from the garden. The original recipe called for bacon, though I just added a bit of hickory smoke to the veggies and it tasted grand. I made a half batch of pie crust, chopped veggies and whisked eggs and cream, and 30 minutes later, I popped a tray of mini-quiche into the oven. I’d say I did well with the timing considering I made the crust from scratch, as well, and I had to cut and form it 24 times in the little mini-muffin pan instead of once in a great big pie pan – plus, it was the first time I’ve made this recipe.

After all that, I still have enough cream to make at least one more batch. I suppose this means I should arrange to host a tea party. The little quiche are very filling, so it’s probably a good idea to spread them around amongst friends. Anyone up for tea and quiche?

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

I simply have fallen off the Internet map this past week in a whirlwind of preparation and training to be a Pampered Chef consultant. I know… Pampered Chef!

I’m an artist/jeweler so I love tools. Check.

I’m French and Italian, so I’m genetically predisposed to cook and bake. Check.

I love teaching and interacting with people. Check.

Could this be a more perfect fit? I joined last week and my first show is tonight. I’m very excited! Wish me luck!

Anyway, I apologize for not making a really delicious post, I’ve simply run out of time. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I’ll be back next week with one of the recipes I cooked over the weekend. Stay tuned…

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

Yesterday, I posted on Facebook and Twitter that I was making a big cauldron of minestrone soup for dinner and last year, I blogged about making my minestrone soup with carrot flowers.

I developed my minestrone recipe after a dinner in an Italian restaurant where the chef recreated his Mother’s cooking for his patrons. It was an impressive soup. I found myself taking a sip then jotting down notes in my little notebook; taking another sip and making more notes. I went home that night and tried to reproduce the soup. It was good, though not great. A few weeks later, I returned to the restaurant and ordered the minestrone soup again and made yet more notes. The next pot of soup I made was perfectly delicious – though not quite the same as his. Everything I make is always different from the original because I usually make it vegan and with very little fat. Hey, I know how much oil and butter they use in restaurants. My conscience could never allow me to do that in my own kitchen. I feel that restaurant food is a delicious – and occasional – change from home cooking.

Since I posted a picture without the recipe, I now present my Minestrone Soup Recipe!

MiLady’s Minestrone Soup

This recipe serves 4-5. I usually double it so I have oodles of leftovers.

1 c dried beans — I tend to use a combination of white, kidney, red and black beans.  Since I soak and cook them myself (rather than canned), I have lots of options. Click here for my method of cooking beans from scratch.
1 T olive oil
¾ c chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
drop of liquid hickory smoke flavor
3 c water
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 c carrot, diced, shredded, or sliced into flowers or hearts
¾ c celery, sliced
¼ c fresh basil, chopped OR 1 tsp dried
¼ tsp dried oregano or 1T fresh chopped oregano
18 oz diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
¼ c uncooked ditalini macaroni*** (optional)

After I’ve cooked the beans from scratch, I drain them into a colander and rinse the pot. Then I put it back on the stove with the olive oil and heat it to sauté the onions and garlic until they are translucent. If I don’t have time to fire roast the tomatoes (and how many of us have that much time?), I add a drop of two of liquid hickory smoke for flavor.

I add the water and bring this all to a slow boil on medium heat.

Next I add the zucchini, carrots, celery, tomatoes (and pasta, if you plan to add it) and all my herbs and spices. When this returns to a low boil, I reduce the heat to low and allow it to sit for a few hours so the flavors really soak into each other. It should taste smooth and creamy with a bit of tomato tang. If it’s too tangy, add ½ tsp sugar and 1 T freshly squeezed lemon to even out the flavor.

*** I usually make my minestrone without pasta. I find it’s very hearty as it stands with all those beans in it. Plus, it’s gluten-free in case any of my celiac friends drop by for dinner. The other option (to prevent overcooking the ditalini) is to cook the macaroni separately and add it to the bowls before you ladle in the soup. This minestrone soup also works well served with garlic bread.

Any soup containing beans has a timeline, which looks something like this:

While making Supper on Day 1: Rinse beans, add to hot water.
While making Breakfast on Day 2: Cook the beans.
While making Lunch on Day 2: Strain the beans, make the soup, then allow it to slow cook.
Evening of Day 2: Soup should be ready to eat for dinner.

It sounds like a lot more work than it is. It really is fast and easy after the first time or two.

Anyway, have a try at it and let me know what you think.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

I have received a request for my Split Pea Soup recipe. Honestly, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m horrible at writing my recipes down for posterity. The baking ones I usually write and amend as I change things, yet most other dishes are floating through my head, made up on the spot, or a loose list of ingredients. My Split Pea recipe falls into the last category. So, here I will recreate – with measurements – my recipe. Please let me know how this works for you and tell me about your results.

Split Pea Soup
1 T Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
salt to taste
2 c dried split peas, rinsed and picked over
5-6 cups water (start with 5 cups and add more in part 2 if needed)
½ lemon, juiced
1 carrot
1-2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly
paprika, thyme, and ground pepper to taste

Part 1: I sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil in my big stock pot. I then add the water (usually I’ve already boiled it in my electric kettle to shorten the process), the salt, and bring this to almost a boil on medium heat. Now it’s time to add the split peas. Just as it hits the boiling point again, I reduce the heat to simmer and let it alone for at least 30 minutes. I come from the school of slow cooking, so I usually begin this process just after I’ve cleaned the breakfast dishes and leave it be until after lunch.

Part 2: You’ll know the peas are ready when they are a mushy kind of soft. At this point, pour half of the pot into a blender and purée it. Pour this back into the pot and stir it together. If it’s too thick, this is the time to add the 6th cup of water.

I usually add a little water into the blender container and swish it around to get all the good goop off the sides. This diluted pea water (gosh, that sounds gross, eh?) is the perfect time to add chunks of the carrot and grind to bits on a low speed. It saves me having to chop or slice them. My Vitamix makes nice small pebbles of carrot that are perfectly appropriate to the soup. Pour the carrots and water into the pot.

Add the chopped celery, lemon juice, and spices and allow it to simmer until you’re ready for dinner. I usually taste it along the way to see how I’m doing for flavor.

Almost everything I make is vegan, though I’ll not dissuade you from adding ham to this. I believe there are many very French recipes that include little cubes of ham or a ham bone. I’d say throw that into the pot with the water at the very beginning so the flavor really is a part of the soup from the first. I also believe the French use butter instead of olive oil to sauté the onions and garlic. It will add an additional layer of creaminess to the soup.

Remember, send me pictures and comments on how this recipe works for you!

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

Hope Springs Eternal - G is deboning a chicken and my two Maltese dogs are ready, just in case anything should happen to drop.

I think that’s what really matters in all these gatherings, the wonderful sense of being warm, happy, and secure, surrounded by friends and family. I grew up in a household of four: Mom, Dad, Grandma, and me. We didn’t always have much, yet we had each other. Now, there’s only Mom left, and I’ve spent a lifetime gathering some of the highest quality people in the Universe close to me and adopted them all as family. It is my great honor to be a part of so many Intentional Family celebrations this year…

… And all of them involve FOOD! Lots and lots of food! Tomorrow, I’ll spend much of the morning and into the afternoon cooking and baking. I’ve already got a cauldron of lentils on the stove slow cooking. I found a great deal on apples and there are several pies scheduled to be baked. Not to mention cranberries… oh, the cranberries. Cranberry sauce, cranberry walnut bread, cranberry chutney… cranberries for everyone!

What’s your favorite celebration food? Do you make it yourself? What do you cook or bake for the holidays?

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!

I hang my garden mint upside down in my closet and close the door to dry. In a warm, dry, dark environment, the mint will often keep it's perfect green color.

I finally finished the last of my garden harvesting last week. I put all my beds to bed for the winter and planted my garlic and other bulbs in preparation for next year. I’ve harvested some of my tomato seeds and brought a bunch of my potted herbs and plants inside for the winter. I had one stray tomato plant that volunteered itself in the herb part of my garden. Since it was just starting to produce little baby tomatoes, I decided there was no harm in digging it up, transplanting it in a pot, and bringing it inside. We’ll see how it goes. It would be wilted already if I had left it outside, so I figure I’m already ahead.

I also harvested the last bed of mint, washed it, and hung it to dry in the closet. I now have a great big bin of dried mint for the winter. When I make my own herbal teas, mint is always a major ingredient. Mint has so many wonderful, healing properties – not to mention it’s yummy!

Mint is rich in vitamins A and C with smaller amounts of vitamin B12. The vitamin C provides mint with antioxidant properties. The following minerals are also found in mint: manganese, copper, iron, potassium, and calcium.

In my house, I use mint in many ways. I often drink mint tea as a carminative to ease intestinal cramps after indulging in dairy. Mint tea is also relaxing, it increases stomach acidity to aid in digestion after meals, and breathing the steam stimulates the respiratory system during cold and asthma season.

In winter, I often make a big batch of what I call my All Purpose Tonic. I use this to ease undesirable symptoms and as a general health tonic. The recipe follows, along with the reason for including each item.

All Purpose Tonic

• 1 inch of ginger, sliced thinly (breaks down proteins to rid stomach and intestines of gas, eases nausea and sore throats, antibacterial)
• ¼ c mint leaves
• 1 T lemon juice (antibacterial, antitoxin, Vit C)
• Honey to taste (anti-microbial to coat irritated throats, antioxidant, antifungal)

In a saucepan, I bring 2 ½ c filtered water to boil. I then add the ginger and simmer this for 60 minutes (or longer) until the water is reduced and completely saturated with the ginger essence. Try a spoonful of it. It should be really spicy. Keep the heat on simmer, add the mint and cover it again to saturate the water with mint oils – this might take another 30-60 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, filter through a mesh strainer or tea strainer, then add the lemon juice and honey. This can be stored in the fridge for a day or two. It’s best to reheat it before drinking.

Sometimes, if I want to add some additional benefits, I’ll brew some green tea leaves into it for three minutes just before straining it.

Do you have a tonic you use? Please share! And if you try mine, please let me know how it works for you.

Breathe deeply,
Laugh with abandon,
Love wholly,
Eat well.

MiLady Carol
www.GreenTeaLady.com
http://miladycarol.com
Dazzling jewelry that reflects sparkling personalities!