Hello everyone!
‘Tis the season for colds, the flu, germs, coughs, and sore throats. We haven’t escaped them entirely, but I’m grateful to say that the colds in our home have been small and very short so far.

Here are two drinks that I have found both delicious and helpful for these nasty little ailments. Although I wouldn’t call them “cures” or “remedies”, they really do help to speed up your recovery.

So here’s the first drink: taken together, honey and lemon combat sore throats, coughs, and congestion, according to Mayo Clinic. Raw honey has antibacterial properties, and it tastes yummy as well!

Lemon-honey drink: put 2 tablespoons of raw honey and 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice in the bottom of a large mug. Slowly stir in hot (not boiling) water (about 1 1/2 – 2 cups) and stir well. Sip slowly, and enjoy!

And for the second drink…have you ever had a queasy, churning stomach? This soothing tea is just the thing to help relieve nausea and calm your tummy. Ginger calms nausea, and also helps with throat and nose congestion.

Ginger tea: put 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and a generous spoonful of raw honey in a mug. Add 1 cup of hot water and a splash of milk. Stir, and and enjoy! 

Those are only two of the many things you can do to combat colds. What have you found helpful when you have a cold? 

Hello everyone! Tonight is Friday night pizza night! :) Now pizza can be a tricky thing. It’s sometimes hard to make, or just plain time consuming. I have recently learned how to make a simple, yet delicious pizza from ingredients that we always have on hand.

Now our pizza journey has been an interesting one. We first started making homemade pizzas only a few years ago. Before that it was freezer pizza or Papa Murphy’s (and that was pretty rare, as we tried to eat healthier). Then we began by trying several homemade crust recipes. None of them turned out too well. Then I started using our bread dough for pizza. That was OK, but still not very good. Then I tried a half&half recipe (in our home, that means half white, half whole wheat flour). :) After tweaking the recipe a bit, this has become one of our favorite recipes! Here are some step-by-step photos on how to make it, and I’ll include a printer friendly version of the recipe at the end.

Please note that here I’m just making ONE kind of pizza – the possibilities for sauce, cheeses, toppings are endless. This is the basic structure – so go ahead and experiment to find out what your family likes! Here I’m just making the classic red sauce/mozzarella cheese/meat pizza. Simply adjust the topping amounts to what your family likes! I usually start the pizza around 3:45 or so in the afternoon to ensure that it’s done by dinnertime at 6:00. We like to serve this with mandarin orange salad or cauliflower salad (I will post this recipe soon!).

Start by getting out a medium bowl, and stir together white flour, freshly ground whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt.

Add in some oil and water (make sure water is lukewarm or room temp.)

Stir this together with a fork until it looks like this.

Turn out onto the counter and form the dough into a ball.

Knead with your hands for 7 – 10 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky, but elastic and smooth.

Plop it into an oiled bowl (I just use the same one to cut back on dishes! :D)

Cover with a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Then lightly spray a pizza stone and generously spread it with cornmeal.

Roll out the dough and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

Prick some holes in the top and bake it for 5 minutes at 475. The secret to a tender pizza crust is exposure to high heat for a small amount of time.

Then spread it with the pizza sauce….

…cheese…

…and your choice of toppings, along with some spices. I use basil, oregano, and red pepper. Topping your pizza with spices makes a huge difference!

Bake this for 15 more minutes at 475.

Cut into slices…

…and serve! So there you have it! :)

As I mentioned in the August Blessings post, I am *teaching* my younger brothers geography this semester, but I have actually learned a lot from it as well! So a few days ago, we tried foreign cooking, and made some dishes from the countries we’ve been studying about.

It turned out to be a success! We made Challah (a Jewish bread), Moroccan tea again, and Lo Mein – a Chinese noodle dish.

Challah

Lo Mein

The tea was yummy, and the Challah, although new and interesting, was not our favorite, so we probably won’t make it again. But the Lo Mein was delicious! In fact, I’d like to post the recipe here in case you’re looking for a new foreign dish to try. :)

I tweaked the recipe and made a larger amount of everything for our family, but here are the original measurements. You can simply increase or decrease the proportions to whatever your family will eat. It’s pretty much an all-inclusive meal with vegetables, noodles, and meat, so be sure to make plenty!

 Lo Mein (Chinese noodles)

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 pound chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces (I used more)

1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon oil (I used olive)
1 large carrot, sliced
3 sticks celery, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 oz thin egg noodles, cooked and drained

Mix together 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, the garlic, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Add the chicken and marinate in refrigerator for at least twenty minutes.

Whisk together the chicken broth, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, and 2 Tablespoons soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan on high. Add the chicken and carrots; stir fry for two minutes. Add the celery and mushrooms, and cook until the chicken is done, about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the amount and size of the pieces.

Stir chicken broth mixture into chicken; add the noodles, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened. Serve!