Sore tummy cure/cleanse

Almost all of my favorite things on earth to eat contains dairy, and lucky me I am lactose intolerant. Sigh!!

I had a delicious pasta yesterday that was 90% sour cream so you can only imagine the problems that happened after, I will leave the details out! Anyway, I always wanted to try some water infusion recipes so I ended up actually finding a really neat infusion pitcher for sale at Superstore on a whim. This thing is really cool!

For my sore tummy I decided to try cutting fresh slices of lemon and cucumber and putting it in my pitcher. Best to keep it in the fridge overnight. I wasn't planning on blogging this but as I am sipping it this morning and realizing how deliciously refreshing, healthy and calming to my stomach it is, I just HAD to share!

I am definitely going to try different infusion flavours as they all do different things for your body and health. I have a thyroid problem (hypothyroid) and I am definitely going to try a recipe that helps boost metabolism and energy and let you know my feedback. It is good to know your body and to be able to feel the difference when you ingest healthy and natural food choices!

Lets see how long I can keep this up for!

Delicious Soft Pretzels

I was playing around on Pinterest on one of my days off (as usual lol) and saw this really yummy and surprisingly easy recipe for soft pretzels. I wanted to make something with flour because I just bought a jumbo pack of it and needed to use it up!

Here is the recipe I found online. Like I mentioned, it was really easy and you'll be enjoying your delicious soft pretzels within 30 minutes. Yum!

You can top them with salt, cinnamon sugar, and dunk in your favorite pretzel dips.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (lukewarm, no need to take temperature)
1 packet active dry or instant yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon (8g) granulated sugar
3.75 - 4.25 cups (480-530g) all-purpose flour + more for work surface (or mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
1 large egg, beaten
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir with a spoon until fairly mixed, about 1 minute. Some clusters of yeast will remain. Add salt and sugar; stir until fairly combined. Slowly add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is thick. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/2 cup more. Poke the dough with your finger - if it bounces back, it is ready to knead.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes and shape into a ball. With a sharp knife, cut ball of dough into 1/3 cup sections. This measurement doesn't have to be exact - use as much or little dough for each pretzel as you wish, the size of the pretzel is completely up to you.

Roll the dough into a rope with an even diameter. Approximately 20 inches long. This measurement will depend how large you want the pretzels. Once you have your long rope, take the ends and draw them together so the dough forms a circle. Twist the ends, then bring them towards yourself and press them down into a pretzel shape.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and pour into a shallow bowl or pie dish. Dunk the shaped pretzel into the egg wash (both sides). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425F degrees. Turn the oven to broil and bake for 5 more minutes to brown the tops. Watch closely to avoid burning.

Allow to cool and enjoy. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pretzels may be stored in an airtight container or zipped top bag for up to 3 days (will lose softness).

For the cinnamon-sugar version, bake the pretzels as directed without an egg wash. Remove them from the oven after 10 minutes. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and brush the tops of the pretzels with it. Mix together 1/3 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle over each pretzels. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes at 425F. (do not broil).

So for my first time trying out this recipe, thank you Sally's baking addiction, I learnt my lesson on using longer ropes to shape the pretzels as they expanded so much in the oven. But who are we kidding, it was the taste that mattered anyway not the shape and they were so darn yummy and the dough was absolutely delicious! Must try people!

Try this recipe and let me know how you guys liked it also! Perfect cozy, warm snack for fall weather coming around.

Butternut squash soup recipe

I love butternut squash soup and now that the weather is starting to cool down and fall is approaching I got ambitious and decided to try to make it myself! Best part about this recipe is that it's fast, simple, and super delicious! Can't go wrong!

Soup: 

1 1/2 tbsp butter

3 1/2 cubed and peeled butternut squash

3/4 cups chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup half-&-half cream

1/8 salt (or to taste)

Garlic Cheese Bun on the side (Optional)

Bun of choice sliced in half

1 tbsp margarine

2 heads of garlic crushed

shredded cheese (amount optional. its cheese, duh!!)

Directions:

1) Place butter in pot and put squash, carrots, and onions in and sauté until slightly softened on med-high heat.

2) Pour in chicken base and bring to a boil and cover for approximately 10-15 minutes on lower heat. Check often to make sure veggies are not too soft, you don't want them to be too mushy.

3) Move from heat and pour in half-&-half cream and salt, stir.

4) Place mix into blender and blend until you have the consistency of your preference. I liked mine to be somewhat thicker.

5) Add salt and course ground pepper to taste (optional)

6) Add sour cream as garnish, it adds extra deliciousness to the mix!

7) For the garlic cheese bun as a side dish mix butter with crushed garlic and brush on buns, place shredded cheese over and broil for 5 minutes (or until cheese is melted)

8) Voila! Enjoy :)

I hope you guys like this recipe as much as I did. Like I mentioned it was very simple and quick to make and total comfort food! Try it out!