Nifty Little Gadgets and Projects

This summer, as I was spending my last days in Asheville, I came to realize the joy of making things at home instead of having to go to the grocery store. Sure Pintrest could be blamed for some of this, but in reality, having seen Jeff and friends around the mountains make their own laundry detergent, bread, jams, biscuits, tomato sauce, stock, all-purpose cleaner and even crayons left me very enthusiastic about starting similar practices.  Not only are these methods more cost effective but provides a more natural/ homestead type touch.

For some time I have tried to make my own bread and I would usually have created something that looked like a crusty pancake. So one day on a whim, I mentioned to Jeff the idea of a bread maker. Yes, yes some of you might think that’s “cheating” or not the way it should be, but as I have come to find out it’s actually a very time effective tool. Back to the whim I got that one day in Durham, so with this thought, Jeff and I went to Goodwill.  After searching for less than 10 minutes Jeff yells from the other side of the store, “Hey hun!  Look what I found!” Jeff found a Black and Decker automatic bread maker for only $6.00!!!!!! Since purchasing this wonderful find, I have made many whole wheat loaves as well as dough for making rolls and pizza. Best purchase I have ever made.  For anyone who is interested in a bread maker, they are everywhere at Goodwill, for an affordable cost. I’ve had mine for over 6 months now and with no problems (knock on wood) to speak of.

Like many people, I do love a good scoop of ice cream. So 2 years ago while on a drive to the Cashiers area of the mountains, Jeff and I stumbled into a Habitat for Humanity store and found an old ice cream maker. I don’t remember the price but I will tell this, it was a delicious (pun) good deal.  Lately we’ve been using it more often. The key ingredient has been sour cream. Low-fat and about a pint each time we make it.  We use a little bit of sugar, about ½ cup or so, vanilla extract and whatever ingredient we have available. The other day Jeff picked up Rose Water from a European market. It tasted soooo good!! We have also made strawberry and vanilla as well. My hope is that we make a peanut butter and jelly or jam :) ice cream soon.

Before leaving Asheville, I took it upon myself to create my own version of one of my favorite food products…..NUTELLA. Yes folks, that’s right, Nutella, the sweet, creamy, hazelnutty goodness.  In order for this project to be made possible, a food processor is highly required. Also a warning, the hazelnuts used for this project are very expensive. I went to Earth Fare and only purchased 1 cup of the nuts for $8.00. The other ingredients were not as bad:

·         ¼ cup dark cocoa powder

·         ½ cup powdered sugar

·         ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         4 tablespoon canola oil

(When I make this again I will add some skim milk to the mix for creamier texture)

I have a confession to make, I am not the most patient person in the world. There were two aspects of this project that got the better of me. First was removing the skin from the outside of the nuts. Some were easy to get off and others… not so much. The other was straining the mixture after all ingredients were placed in the food processor. When the paste comes out it is still quite nutty and chunky. Straining the mixture took quite a bit of time. Again I think I will add some skim milk next time for a smoother consistency or use a medium sized food processor instead of a big one. The final project turned out better than I would have thought.

Another DIY project that struck my mind was the idea of canning strawberries to make jam. Since moving to Raleigh, Jeff and I have found many wonderful flea markets, one of which with affordable produce, say $1.00 for a pint of strawberries kind of good.  My mom would make strawberry jelly every summer while I was at home she would always be somewhat tightly wound up during this time honored tradition. Needless to say I picked up many strawberries, basic canning goods from Target, a container of sugar-free pectin, a recipe from Peas and Thank You and set up to make my own strawberry jam one afternoon. Honestly it was quite a stressful event. You have to sanitize oh and did I mention sanitize some more?  I was so worried about the jam not tasting right or creating some sort of food-borne illness. 4 hours of sanitizing, mixing jam and all while watching the Hunger Games and the bonus material, 4 jars of very tart and sugar-free jam were canned and displayed with joy in the cabinets and fridge of our apartment.

Overall, I do believe that I'm on my way to being a homesteader. Well, a homesteader of sorts. Today shall be a busy day of errands, home projects and studying.
"Jammin" -Bob Marley

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes (Part 2)

Yes, yes I know I haven’t posted in over a year. But in my defense so much has been going on. The biggest change of all is that Jeff and I have moved in together…… in Raleigh! This was probably one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make. I loved living in the mountains along with the people who I had met during my 7 year stay. But of course we can always visit.

I finished my internship in May. It was probably one of the most energy and mentally draining things I have ever done.  But the good news is that it’s over! Yet I shouldn’t say it was a completely draining experience, I did learn quite a bit about dietetics as well as my strengths and weaknesses in the field. For the longest time I would have thought that, given my food service experience, I would have liked my school nutrition administration rotation the most. While I did learn a lot about the School Nutrition Program, I realized I’m not the kind of person who can be stuck behind a desk all day crunching in numbers. Plus I learned it’s very difficult to get creative with the already set/strict menu in the school’s cafeterias. But then again this is the point of an internship, to experience what you never knew.

What I did find to be quite interesting was my clinical and community rotations. I completed my clinical with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville.  Having taken two semesters of clinical nutrition during undergrad, I thought it would be as grueling. Luckily I realized that while still being hard at times, I really enjoyed discussing nutrition with patients and their families. It’s even got me thinking about joining a branch of the military. Sounds crazy but it’s still an idea.

I wasn’t too sure about community either (I’m starting to sound like a Debbie Downer here), I’m not too crazy about kids but I really liked practicing my counseling skills at WIC in Buncombe County. For those who are unfamiliar with WIC (Women Infants and Children) it’s a supplemental program for pregnant, post-partum women, their babies and children up to five-years-old.  They provide nutrition education, grocery vouchers as well as promotion of breastfeeding. Yes I went to many, many breastfeeding classes. Lots of boobs and oddly enough many problems occur. For the most part I saw many caring and compassionate Mothers who wanted the best for their children who unfortunately are going through a rough patch in terms of finances.

After I was done with the internship, I did get to go to Bonnaroo again J I didn’t take as many pictures as I did last year but we still had a great time. This year my friend Crystal got to come with us! It wasn’t as hot as last year, it actually got cold at night…what???? This year we got to see Radiohead, the Avett Brothers, Dispatch, Phish, Mogwai, Ben Folds, Foster the People, Rubblebucket, etc. I truly loved the group of people we camped out with this year. We met up with some people my roommate Ashley worked with, along with some fresh faces, straight out of high school. I have to take a moment and reflect on one of our members of our “Bonnaroo Family,” Tyler. I found out a few weeks ago that Tyler had passed away. He was so young and so much fun to be around. Much love and support to his friends, family and reposed soul.

I moved from Asheville to Raleigh in July. I really like the apartment Jeff and I share. It just needs some more furniture and more stuff on the walls. We do have an awesome porch and yes we are starting a little garden. It might be a little out of season but hey when it gets colder we can figure out what to do.

Since moving in the job hunt is on. I’ve had a few interviews but so far no dice. To help with the bills I’m working, oh dare I say it, as a server again. Ughhh. More motivation to get a real job. Like I was saying earlier the possibility of looking into a branch of the military is actually not a bad idea at this point. It would at least give me something to do. Volunteer work is also a possible thought as well.

Well there we go, this is everything that has been going on thus far. If I can make this into a daily ritual we will be good to go J