tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15175801379199909002011-11-13T23:07:58.052-06:00This blog is my venue for writing about whatever is on my mind. I chose to call it Formless Substance from one of my favorite books, The Science of Getting Rich.ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-28548983922637653572011-09-27T20:44:00.003-05:002011-09-27T20:52:23.710-05:00

I happened upon a fantastic thing today - Disappearing Zucchini Quiche. I had a baseball bat sized zucchini from my garden. I didn't know what I was going to do with it. To start, I peeled it, cut it in quarters lengthwise and seeded it. Then I sliced it vertically into spears and ran it through my food processor with the shredder blade. I mixed it with salt and sat it in a colander in the sink

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-84153262621786761272011-02-08T21:29:00.002-06:002011-02-08T21:33:50.391-06:00

I'm in favor of nose to tail eating. Organ meats are very nutritious. My mother served liver often. I don't remember there being a big deal about it. One time a neighbor girl was over for dinner. Her father was a grocery store manager. She said she only ate steak, so my mother called it "liver-steak". Tongue is also delicious. It is a very tender meat. I have tried cooking beef heart a few

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-68841413389733572042010-05-07T13:56:00.006-05:002010-05-07T14:23:13.167-05:00

I was about to post a comment on Kelly the Kitchen Kop's blog about frugal eating. I thought of cabbage. Cabbage is an incredibly inexpensive vegetable. You get a LOT of food for a little money. It is high in vitamins, fills you up and is low in calories. These are cool graphs describing its nutrition. My mother-in-law got ulcer relief by drinking cabbage juice made with a juicer.It has been a

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-25767616732900218172010-04-12T20:45:00.000-05:002010-04-12T20:45:52.098-05:00

Universal Life Church: ULC Minister Officiates Wedding inside Apple Store

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-76847685770305099122010-03-09T17:31:00.004-06:002010-03-09T22:20:01.467-06:00

Adventures in cheese makingIn a previous post, I mentioned that I had ½ gallon milk that I was turning into kefir in my warm closet. I didn’t like any of the batches made in the closet. There also seems to be an off flavor that reminds me of goat cheese. Although some people love that, it’s not for me. They taste fresher and less sour if I make them on the kitchen counter. I ended up draining

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-14687723537070033272010-03-01T08:32:00.004-06:002010-03-01T11:37:13.904-06:00

Day #22: Why you should eat red meat.Day #23: Pasture & Meadow. Eat your bacon, eggs and lard too.Day #24: Homemade broth and stock.Day #25: Not-so-awful Offal.Day #26: Fish and seafood.Day #27: Grow your foodshed.Day #28: Beyond the challenge.Why you should eat red meatFor many years I have been aware of the problems with our food supply, especially meat. If you are aware of it, you have to

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-50300517139457893012010-02-25T17:26:00.003-06:002010-02-25T21:33:01.579-06:00

Day #15: What's a SCOBY?Day #16: Get Cultured (Veggies)Day #17: Making Yogurt at HomeDay #18: Make Cheese at HomeDay #19: Preparing Nuts & SeedsDay #20: Maximizing the Nutrient Value of Beans & LegumesDay #21: Vegetables & SaladsWhat's a SCOBY?I really like the idea of replacing fruit juice and soda with some other tasty and beneficial beverage. We don't buy much juice or soda. One idea is fruity

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-51037940637138606672010-02-16T07:50:00.003-06:002010-02-16T08:26:51.542-06:00

I received 2 batches of kefir grains Saturday. That afternoon I placed one batch in a glass bottle with a little less than 1 quart of Farmer's Creamery whole milk. I have been shaking it and checking the smell for over 2 days. Finally it is kefir this morning. I think it took so long because it is only 62F in my kitchen. In the past I have made kefir from a powdered starter from Body Ecology.

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-84805573838887985892010-02-14T20:24:00.009-06:002010-02-14T21:28:13.301-06:00

This week we looked atDay #8: Fats for High HeatDay #9: Fight Against GMOsDay #10: Fats You Shouldn’t CookDay #11: Bake Some SourdoughDay #12: Find Real MilkDay #13: Get Your BacteriaDay #14: Happy Valentine’s DayFats for High HeatWe usually sauté with butter or olive oil mostly out of habit. According to Nourished Kitchen, neither of these are generally suited to high heat cooking. Our pantry/

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-62398114251557582842010-02-08T08:43:00.004-06:002010-02-08T11:00:44.242-06:00

I signed on to the 28 Day Real Food Challenge from Nourished Kitchen blog. Every day in February, she'll be sending out emails with "an assignment that will help you learn about the principles of a nourishing diet including the importance of grass-finished and pastured meats, wholesome fats, sprouted and soured grains and probiotic foods."Traditional Nutrition is explained best in the cookbook

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-26988495044200856272009-09-19T18:47:00.004-05:002010-02-08T10:35:27.721-06:00

Someone at church sent an email out whether a few people might like to make sauerkraut together. Home-fermented kraut is very healthy. The vitamin C level actually goes up. There are beneficial bacteria from the lacto-fermentation. None of us had ever done it before. Prior to meeting, we read lots of online recipes and watched a number of videos. From what we could tell, it's the kind of thing

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-25141882803960260132009-09-19T17:17:00.013-05:002009-09-19T18:27:52.725-05:00

The Unity Church of Crystal Lake has an annual Tie Dye Sunday. I first attended in 2007 and every year I have gotten more enthusiastic about it. Last year (2008) I borrowed Tie Dye 101 from the library. I made matching tiger stripe shirts for the whole family. I was taking the picture, so I am not in the shot ;).This is the family photo of the shirts I made at the 2009 Tie Dye Sunday. The kids

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-91562390240451895182009-09-19T17:12:00.000-05:002009-09-19T17:12:57.853-05:00

Below are two shopping bag patterns. The first is patriotic mostly because I have a LOT of red and blue newspaper bags. The difference with this one is I managed to continue the colors on the sides. It was kind of tricky. The second bag is made entirely of bread bags and other food bags. I used a few frozen vegetable bags as well. These two bags are the same size but photographed differently.

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-60317979342631819282009-07-01T23:32:00.003-05:002009-07-02T00:24:49.693-05:00

This is a tote bag with cosmetics case. The tote is made from St. Patrick's day grocery bags and unusual green newspaper bags. The cosmetics case is mostly produce bags and a few clear newspaper bags. I got a bunch of old buttons from Donna - how awesome! The buttons match on this set. I mailed it to someone I admire and I'm not sure she received it. I hope I'll find out some day.This is a purse

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-36000614369563994402009-07-01T23:02:00.006-05:002009-07-01T23:32:04.975-05:00

I finally wrote my plarn-making directions! I hope you pardon my messy closet. I have a wonderful workshop set up in the garage but the closet is in the living room. I can keep an eye on the kids or TV while cutting up bags.Step One: Prepare the bags Flatten bag and fold in half vertically.Cut off handles and bottom and cut bag in half horizontally.When I’m cutting up a lots of bags for a

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-48113330103498833682009-05-08T10:28:00.009-05:002009-05-08T10:51:54.246-05:00

I found this pattern and I was excited to try it out.The picture below is of a bag I made from grocery store bags that had green writing on them for St. Patrick's Day. Normally that store has red writing. I almost didn't have enough bags to make this and I had to ask everyone I know if they could check if they had some of these green ones. I sewed it together with green yarn.This one I gave to my

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517580137919990900.post-4942466421894807582009-04-05T17:35:00.000-05:002009-04-05T17:50:55.132-05:00

I have no idea how I found out about crocheting with cut up grocery bags. Once I found the idea I googled and read as much about it as I could before I attempted it. My first attempts ended up becoming lunch bags for my kids. They usually get school lunches but every now and then, they are very proud to bring a snack to school in those bags. I should take pictures of them. This purse and tote bag

ValerieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07068431664235276140noreply@blogger.com0