Bless My Heart I Married A Yankee

With winter always comes dry skin for me and for some reason along the way I forgot that a good toner for your face will help combat dry skin. I had a small bottle of toner that came with an IPSY bag which I started using.  It really is making a huge difference in my daily routine of taking care of my skin.  Since the toner is a sample I knew it would not last but a couple of weeks so I started doing research on which toner to purchase.  In doing so, I learned that I could make a much healthier version of toner for my face that would be natural.  Meaning no harsh chemicals on my already aging and dry skin.  This is so simple I am ashamed I never knew about it before. First, you need to use a good raw apple cider vinegar with a mother.  We make our own so I knew it was organic and healthy.  Second, you want to use distilled water so you know there are no chemicals.  Next, you need to work on the ratio for your skin.  The more ACV you use the m...

  You can use mushrooms in so many ways and I have made these many times over the years.  I normally use the big portabella caps but I recently purchased a couple of boxes of mushrooms from Sam's Club.  For some reason, I thought 2 boxes would be used quickly but they were not and well, I was hungry. I have been trying to watch what I eat.  And I do not mean as it goes in my mouth.  Scott and I both are attempting to be healthier. If you substitute mushrooms for meat it can really help your cholesterol levels.  Plus well, they are just downright good.  Of course, you need to like the earthiness taste to truly enjoy them but I have learned to enjoy food for what it tastes like.  To mean beets and mushrooms both have a very earthy quality taste to them. As I stated I was hungry.  My oatmeal did not last long and I thought why not cook up a bunch of these delicious pizzas.  They are so versatile.  You can add any topping you wish....

  CUCUMBER SALSA Yes, you read that correctly.  I am making salsa with cucumbers.  I have to admit I was leary at first but I had some extra cucumbers and I ran across a recipe and thought, mmm, let's try this.  We just might like it.  And boy, oh boy was I correct.  It is yummy gooooodddd.  I need to add I adapted the original recipe so I will not give a link to the recipe I found online. This is so easy to make and only takes like 5 minutes to put together.  Plus you only need a few ingredients.  English cucumber, sweet grape tomatoes, purple onion, jalapeno, lime juice, and a tiny bit of salt.  Gather all your ingredients and chop them up.  Toss the veggies together and sprinkle with fresh lime juice and salt. It is honestly that simple.  Today is Super Bowl Sunday, so I felt this would be a great snack for some football!!!   CUCUMBER SALSA Ingredients 1 English cucumber chopped 15 to 20 sweet grape tomatoes choppe...

I love stuffed peppers.  I have a really good recipe for  Mexican Stuffed Peppers .  However, growing up I could not stand them.  Mainly because I did not like bell peppers.  Maybe that is because we only used green ones and they can be bitter.  As an adult, I have come to really enjoy eating them.   I decided I wanted to make a healthy version of stuffed peppers.  I looked and researched then as usual came up with my own recipe.   These are loaded with veggies.  You can really use any that you want to but I used onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and tomatoes.  I sauteed everything but the tomatoes.  For my binder I used couscous.  I added everything together and cut up some sweet cherry tomatoes and tossed those into the mix.  I opted out of using cheese but feel free to add some cheese at the end as a topping.   I normally add tomato sauce or salsa in with the mix and also on top.  I chose not to ...

  The Best Ever Pound Cake     I have not made this recipe for at least 13 years but for some reason the cold, ice and snow have me wanting to make a pound cake.  I have to admit this recipe came from a church cookbook.  I have had the cookbook 25 years.  I am a huge fan of church or community cookbooks.  I love the feel of recipes from this type of book.  Kind of like someone is sharing a part of their family cooking traditions.  I love old family recipes.  Passing down your heritage from one generation to the next is something that has always got me. I have to tell you and come clean.  I remember the first time I made this recipe.  It was the first-pound cake recipe I have ever attempted to make.  I read all kinds of information about pound cakes because normally a pound cake is a very heavy dense cake but I had been told it did not have to be so.  I have to admit I think there are four reasons why this comes o...

 If you know anything about North Carolina, you know our weather is very unpredictable.  We can go from 70 to 30 in just a few hours.  As matter of a fact, this happened a couple of weeks ago and we got some snow which lasted until the sun came out around noon.  Yep, that is how it rolls here. Scott and I both enjoy the outdoors.  We enjoy fishing and hunting.  It is so rewarding to be able to provide for yourself with things you are able to hunt, forage or grow.  By the way, I will be starting my pepper seeds this weekend.   This weekend they are calling for a storm to hit us sometime Saturday night and go into Sunday.  If the cards stack just right we might have a fair amount of snow that will last more than a few hours.  As I was sitting here thinking about the cold weather we have been having it made me want something warm and filling in our tummies.  During cold spells, I normally crave soup and make all kinds to keep my b...

Several years ago Scott and I made some of these crunchy little chickpeas and really enjoyed them.  I had read about them and thought we love chickpeas and I have some canned in the basement, lets give it a try.  This was before anyone had ever heard of an air fryer.  The first ones we had to do in the oven but now that I have my air fried I love to use it for lots of stuff.   This is a really good and nutritious recipe.  It is a nice snack to have when you need something crunchy.  Chickpeas are a legume that is high in fiber which if you eat too much can cause a bit of stomach issues. So while they are really good I would not sit down and eat more than a nice handful.  They are low in fat and have a decent amount of protein which makes them a great snack.  I love to toss them in a salad.  It is a great alternative to croutons.   Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same.  The difference is the word Chickpea is from the La...