Aunt Sarah's Organic Sausage and Egg Casserole

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Company's coming to town for the holidays? Putting on a hot breakfast on Christmas morning, when you have house guests and a bunch of kids foaming at the mouth to open their gifts....well, let's just say this is no time to be cooking. You want to be in the mix, and not missing the fun. That's why I'm bringing you two of my favorite make-ahead recipes for breakfast. Today's recipe is a delicious, high-protein main dish. On Monday, December 15 I'll bring you a great accompaniment--French Toast-- which can also be made ahead. You can make them both the day before and just pop them in the oven while the festivities continue under the Christmas tree.

Of course, this recipe works for any breakfast gathering, holiday, or even just a Sunday morning. No special occasion is really needed to make a yummy breakfast for your family. Thanks to my old friend Pam and her Aunt Sarah for sharing it with us. Let's get started:

Aunt Sarah's Organic Sausage and Egg Casserole

• 8 Slices of Organic White Bread with crusts trimmed off
• 6 Organic Eggs, beaten
• 1 pound of organic pork, chicken or turkey sausage, skinless or skin removed
• 1-1/2 Cups Organic Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 Cups Organic Milk
• Organic Butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt, if desired

Instructions:

1. Spread bread slices with butter. Place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Set aside.
2. Cook sausage until brown, stirring to crumble.
3. Drain well and spoon over bread slices.
4. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Combine eggs, milk, salt. Mix well.
6. Pour egg mixture over bread and cheese. Cover and chill overnight.
7. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

This casserole will hold nicely in a warm oven, if waiting on guests to arrive. It serves about 8.

Tomorrow's post is a no-brainer, yet one which I just have to share. This year I have some fun wrapping ideas, and tomorrow is one of my favorites. Join me for a gift idea to spread the use of reusable shopping bags.

Creating Labels for Homemade Organic Food Gifts

© copyright Carrie Boyko

These are the gifts that work for everyone--children and adults alike. Give them a bag or box of cookies, fudge or other goodies and most anyone will be happy. The extra time and love you put into the packaging makes the gift look festive, as well as being tasty.

Labeling your gift should answer lots of questions:

• What is it?
  
• What's in it?
  
• Who made it?
  
• What can I do with it?
  
• How should I store it?

Obviously, all of these questions won't apply to every food gift, but some will need to be identified as "Please Refrigerate" or "Contains Nuts".

In addition to making Organic Kahlua this year, I'll be baking some of my favorites to give to friends and family. Kahlua is one that definitely needs a little extra info. Lots of people have never tried it and don't know how to serve it. Sure, you can drink it straight, but that's not the usual method, and could turn out badly. So, my label, shown above, gives a few tips on using Kahlua.

Most packages of sticker labels give instructions for formatting your labels, or if you have a graphics program, the formatting is built right in. Just select the sticker and manufacturer information and off you go. This label above took me about 5 minutes to create, for 20 bottles of Kahlua. Print and stick. It's done.

Sticker labels are great for hard surfaces like bottles, aluminum tins, boxes and paper bags. If you are using cotton bags to deliver your gifts, like I will be for my organic breads, try this. Leave your sticker label on the backing and cut it out. Using a hole puncher, put a hole in one corner and tie a ribbon to your cloth bag, attaching the label. Another option is to peel back the sticker enough to put the ribbon between the backing and the sticker, then re-stick them to hold onto the ribbon. Viola'!

Short on bows? Try curling ribbon, yarn or my personal favorite--2-3 leftover Halloween lollipops with their sticks crossed, taped together and then tied on with anything handly--even string looks cute with colorful lollipops in tow. This makes an adorable and eatable package decoration. Candy canes also work great. I was pleased to find an organic version of these traditional treats at Whole Foods last weekend. Use your imagination and have fun wrapping your creations.

Check back on Thursday, December 11, when I will be wrapping my wine and Kahlua gifts in an inexpensive new Dollar Store creation. $1 for a unique and reusable wrap that is also fun to WEAR! See you then.

Woofing Wednesday's Gifting Tips

© copyright Carrie Boyko

The Pack Leader at work...Watch Out Cesar Milan!

I'm busy planning my gift list, and thinking about my options. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. 
   
   Think socially responsible when buying gifts.


2. 
   
   Think local; what can I buy or make with local raw materials? This year I'll be doing a lot of baking. Perhaps you are artsy and can paint, sew or craft some clever gifts. These kinds of offerings have more personal appeal and gift the gift of your precious time--a meaningful gift to most.


3. 
   
   Think budget-minded. In these uneasy economic times, we are all considering our options for spending less this holiday season. Homemade gifts often can fill that bill, but watching the sales can also be a great way to save. Try my Organic Banana Bread recipe at Blake Bakes, where I am the organic baker.


4. 
   
   Purchase items from charity websites like Save the Children. Do your own search to find charities of your choice. In most cases, all of your money goes to a good cause and you get a creative gift. My husband loves the neckties from Save the Children. They have cute multi-cultural children on one style, that is his personal favorite.


5. 
   
   Try organizing a re-gifting trade (kind of like a cookie exchange) with your friends. Everyone brings an unwrapped gift that was received previously by any family member, and never used. Gifts are all displayed while refreshments are served, and then each guest chooses a gift to take home.


6. 
   
   Got a toddler on your gift list? A couple of times over the years, I've used this idea and found it to be loads of fun. I collected scraps of 2 x 4's in many shapes from building sites. These were the basis for little neighborhood blocks. I painted each block to look like a different object or building: trees, schools, houses, pets, stores, banks, etc. They make a nice setting for doll play and are loads of fun to stack and knock over--the favorite game of a toddler. One tip: Be sure to take pictures. You'll treasure these.


7. 
   
   Elementary and middle school aged kids love this idea, which we used a few times when my kids were growing up. Give 2 plain pillow cases or T-shirts, along with a few small tubes of fabric paint or permanent fabric markers. Your child and a friend can make their pillow cases together, helping each to decorate their creations with fun doodles, drawings and clever sayings.


8. 
   
   Smaller children will enjoy making a pillowcase or T-shirt with you as their assistant. One idea I've used is to write their name on the shirt in large block letters before giving it to them, and then allow them to decorate the rest with their own artwork.


9. 
   
   Now for my favorite. You can get hours of creative playtime for your kids with this free gift. Yes, you read that right. I did say it is free. Check it out: Start collecting boxes of all different sizes, concentrating on large ones. Tape them shut so you have cubes or rectangles. When you have enough to build a small fort, you're ready to give this gift that your young children will play with for years. I think my kids were still building sleepover forts in their early teens. Need help finding enough boxes? Check with all your friends who are buying electronics, stop by the grocer to ask for boxes, and don't miss your local U-Haul's box exchange. Leave a box (any size) and pick up one that you'd prefer. This is a great place to get some larger boxes in exchange for smaller ones you don't need for this project.


10. 
    
    Finally, think about ways your kids can decorate their fort-making boxes after you've given the boxes to them. The possibilities are endless, so use your imagination: contact paper, paint, construction paper, plain cardboard liners from packaging, magazine picture collages, markers, and the list goes on. This, too, will keep them busy for hours--much better than video games.

I hope I gave you each even just one idea that you can use. If you have an idea to share, please click the COMMENT button just below this post and let me hear about it. Maybe I'll share it with my readers. Thanks!

Great Gifts: Green and Organic Magazines

Organic Chef Monthly
Chef Al Rosas is Cordon D'Or Gold Ribbon Culinary Entrepreneur of the Year!
(888)353-9912

National Geographic Green Guide , 6 issues, $15.00

Organic Gardening, 2 years, 12 issues, $23.94

Natural Life Magazine; The original frugal, green living magazine, founded in 1976. Natural Life is trustedby readers around the world who want to learn how to create a greener,healthier, more sustainable lifestyle for themselves and for their families. 1 year, 6 issues, $30.00

Organic Shopper Magazine, Phone: (828)337-6114, 16 Lookout Dr. Asheville , NC 28804

National Green Pages, For a $20.00 minimum annual donation, you get:

A FREE copy of Co-op America's National Green Pages™
A FREE one-year subscription to Real Money, our popular green living newsletter
A FREE subscription to our award-winning magazine, the Co-op America Quarterly
A FREE copy of our Guide to Socially Responsible Investing
Regular email alert with news about our latest campaigns, special offers from green businesses, and discounts to events such as Green Festival
The satisfaction of knowing you are helping to create a more just and sustainable future for us all.

Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Mother Earth News, The original guide to living a healthier, better balanced, more meaningful life.

E: The Environmental Magazine, The leading resource for people concerned about the environment.

Earth Island Journal, Environmental storeis that mainstream media often fail to cover

Mother Jones, The best in independent, investigative reporting

Homemade Organic Kahlua

If you have hard to gift adults on your holiday shopping list, this may be your answer. Homemade liqueurs, such as Kahlua, are fun for the holidays and make thoughtful, personal gifts. They're also great when served at your holiday parties, and are a perfect hostess gift when you attend a party. I've been making this Kahlua for years, and it always gets rave reviews. First, here are a few tips, and then we'll move on to the recipe.

© copyright Carrie Boyko

• Save smaller, attractive bottles to use for Kahlua gift bottles, ones that hold about 8-12 ounces. Many salad dressings, cooking wines and other such small bottles make nice gift-sized bottles for co-workers, hairdressers, and others whom you would like to give a small gift that is special nonetheless.
  
• Larger bottles are fine if you're giving to special friends or family members, but keep in mind this is not one of the inexpensive holiday gifts which I will be talking about later. This one is pricey, but VERY special for those special people on your gift list. Here are a few more tips:
  
• Shop sales and watch the paper for coupons for the organic ingredients.
  
• Watch for my upcoming post on labeling your bottles attractively.
  
• Also, I'll be talking about reusable wrapping for your Kahlua gifts.
  
• If you like, you can include a card with the Kahlua beverage recipes I'm offering. After all, not everyone knows what to do with it when they get it. So help them out.
  
• Allow 3 weeks for the Kahlua to be ready, so get your engine rolling. We've got to get started!

Homemade Organic Kahlua (1 batch makes about 46 oz. of Kahlua)

• 4 Cups Filtered Water
• 4 Cups Organic Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Organic Instant Coffee ( I used Mount Hagen Organic-Cafe freeze dried instant)
• 23 Ounces of Organic Vodka, the cheapest is fine. I chose Rain, because the bottles were beautiful for gift giving, but there were cheaper options. Be careful not to purchase flavored Vodka.
• 1 long dry Organic Vanilla Bean, chopped

Instructions:

1. Boil water and sugar for 10 minutes.
2. Cool for about 10 minutes and stir in coffee until evenly blended.
3. Add Vodka and stir well.
4. Divide the chopped vanilla bean up among the bottles proportionately to the size of the bottles.
5. Pour liquid into bottles, leaving at least a couple of inches above the liquid.
6. Shake daily for 3 weeks before serving.
   

Kahlua is a delicious topping for your favorite organic ice cream or frozen yogurt, and a delightful addition to a cup of hot coffee or cocoa, topped with whipped cream. Of course, it is most notably the primary ingredient in a Kahlua and Creme after dinner beverage. Make this delicious drink by adding 1 oz. Kahlua to 3 oz. organic milk. Serve over ice.

Homemade labels, covering any non-removable labels on the bottles, will add a special touch and allow you to identify your special creation. I'll be posting on label ideas Friday, December 5, and on Thursday, December 11 I'll bring you some ideas for inexpensive, reusable gift packaging.

Tomorrow I'll have magazine subscription ideas for you to give to your green living friends. Come see the selection.

December Topics for Everyone!

© copyright Carrie Boyko

I hope that photo of leftover Halloween candy got your attention. December is a month of many holidays, both religious and celebratory. New Year's Eve is certainly a nice way to blow off some steam after the rush, rush, rush of preparation for the other holidays. December's posts will cover a variety of topics, hopefully giving each of you something to find useful. Here is a sampling, not necessarily in correct order, of what you will be seeing here on Organic Journey Online in December:

1. Making labels for homemade organic food gifts
2. Green and Organic Magazine subscriptions; pick one for your favorite readers
3. Green gift ideas, both homemade and purchased
4. Homemade Organic Kahlua, with recipes for yummy New Year's Eve beverages
5. Creative reusable wrapping ideas
6. Organic gift basket ideas
7. Traveling organic; help with finding restaurants to keep your healthy diet on track
8. Cookie recipes that make great gifts and good desserts for parties
9. Special-occasion, make-ahead breakfast recipes
10. A few good go green or organic books to read or give as gifts
11. My dog's favorite organic treat selections. Tanner fetched these himself!
12. Tight Budget? Check out my free and low-cost gift ideas for children
13. Stocking stuffer ideas that won't break the bank
14. Decorating green, recycling decorations
15. Organic appetizers
16. Christmas Dinner Organic Sweet Potatoes
17. Recipe links to my most popular Thanksgiving dinner recipes; they're just as good on Christmas.
18. Organic desserts and breads such as cherry tarts and pumpkin muffins
19. My Christmas Message to You: Live and Let Live
20. Considering your New Year's resolutions
21. Shopping sensibly
22. Feeding the homeless is not just for the holidays; give generously to your local food banks
23. Holiday wrapping: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
24. Green your New Year's party

That sounds like a lot of posts, doesn't it? Don't worry, one of my New Year's resolutions is to try to write more succinctly. I am a work in progress. Although I may still be a bit off-track on my original daily posting themes, I'll get back to that after the first of January. One exception, Woofing Wednesday is always my trademark post of the week. I consistently get more e-mails about my pups than my posts. Should I be getting a message from that? COMMENT!

Organic Turkey with Rice Soup

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Mmm, Mmm Good for the Cold Days of Winter!

I hope you all enjoyed your delicious Thanksgiving dinner and are now ready to make homemade Organic Turkey Soup. If you don't have time right now, package that carcass up and pop it into the freezer until you're ready. Then thaw it out and follow along. I am going to walk you through broth that is not only easy, but also very low in fat. This will only take a few minutes to start, and then it is mostly a waiting game. The wonderful thing about the time you put into soup is that it makes a lot. You can freeze the extra is containers that hold enough for another family meal. You should be able to enjoy several meals of soup throughout December.

Ingredients:

• Turkey carcass from your Organic Thanksgiving Turkey, cleaned of meat
• Turkey meat, cut or torn into small pieces
• Filtered water
• Organic Vegetable ends, especially: Onions, Carrots and Celery
• Sea Salt
• Organic Pepper
• Organic Poultry Seasoning
• Organic Rice
• Grated Organic Carrots
• Chopped Organic Green Beans
• Chopped or thinly sliced Organic Onions (I prefer yellow)
• Organic Celery, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Place the carcass in a large soup pot.
2. Add a couple of teaspoons of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of organic poultry seasoning, and 3/4 teaspoon organic pepper.
3. Add all the ends, leaves, stalks, and leftover vegetables from dinner and preparation. For the best flavor, include lots of onions, carrots, celery, and any other vegetable ends which you like to flavor your soup with. If you have nothing other than onions, carrots and celery, just use plenty of them. Cut the ends off of all of them that you have in your refrigerator or pantry.
4. Cover the turkey with plenty of filtered water and cover.
5. Bring to a boil on high. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about an hour and a half.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings after 1 hour and again at the end. If your broth isn't yet as flavorful as you'd like it to be, toss in a bit of the leftover turkey meat (dark meat will give the strongest flavor) and boil for another hour. That will usually do the trick.
7. When it is done, remove from the burner and cool, scooping out the larger pieces of carcass, bones, vegetables, etc. with a strainer spoon.
8. When cool enough to handle, place a strainer in a large storage container and pour the broth and remaining solids through the strainer. Lift the strainer out and discard the contents. If you are a really diligent composter, you may want to salvage the vegetables for your compost.
9. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for a few hours (or overnight), until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Now skim the fat off with a spatula and strain the broth several times through a fine strainer. This removes leftover small pieces of fat and gives you a clearer, low-fat broth.
10. While the broth is doing its thing, you can prepare the veggies for the soup. Depending on the size of your turkey, you could have varying amounts of broth, so judge accordingly. I like a very full-bodied soup, so I tend to go heavy with the veggies. Every spoonful is mostly veggies, and a little broth. You may prefer more broth, so use your own judgment.
11. My Turkey and Rice Soup will contain lots of onion, celery, carrots, and green beans.
12. You can prepare 1-3 cups of rice for your soup also, again choosing the amount based on how much broth you have.
13. When your broth is all strained and ready to make soup with, pour it back into your soup pot (now nice and clean).
14. Bring it to a boil, and add larger pieces of vegetables first, along with the small pieces of turkey prepared for the soup. Taste test the broth for seasoning now and make adjustments to your taste. Lower the heat to medium low.
15. After 5 minutes, add all the finer, quicker cooking vegetables and the rice.
16. Continue to simmer for another five minutes, and soup is on.
17. Warm turkey and rice soup is wonderful on a chilly day. Serve it with warm homemade bread for a wonderful comfort food kind of meal.

While you're enjoying your warm soup, you and your family can have a nice conversation about the upcoming holidays and your plans. Each of us may have different celebrations to prepare for. Although my December posts will revolve mostly around food preparations for the Christmas holidays, and creative and inexpensive gifts to make or buy, these posts may be useful for those of you who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or other holy days. I invite you to stop in and decide for yourself. Monday's post will give you a sneak peek into December's topics, so join me for a preview. See you then.

Giving Thanks...

© copyright 1994 Save The Children Federation, Inc.

(photocopied from gift wrap)

Thanksgiving in America is a day that is set aside especially for us to give thanks for all of our blessings. This is not simply a day to eat a fabulous meal. Taking the time to think about what you are grateful for is a soul-searching, therapeutic task, one which helps you to focus on what is truly important in your life.

My life has come full circle this year in many ways. I am once again an empty-nester, as all of my children are grown or away at college. I am grateful that they all have excelled in school and are furthering their education to help them have successful futures.

I am thankful for a supportive, loving husband of 30 years, who never ceases to amaze me with his patience in my unusual choices of hobbies, activities, obsessions and quirks.

I am grateful to have gotten back to writing again through this blog, and to have you—my readers—to share my passions of eating organic and living more green. Thanks to all of you who have shared in helping me attract nearly 1500 visitors and write about 130 posts in just 5 months since I began on July 4th. What a liberating Independence Day that was for me in so many ways.

I am thankful that I have been fortunate enough to raise three environmentally aware children, who will each, in their own way, help to support and further my goal of contributing to a healthier Earth. After all, if we are not part of the solution, then we are part of the problem.

I appreciate the blessings of my life in more ways than I ever share, which is why I chose to write this post as a Thanksgiving Essay. I am fortunate to have a budding business, a wonderful husband, 3 great kids, caring family and friends, and a terrific bunch of pets, all which bring me much joy.

Finally, I am grateful to have gotten through some tough times with my health, and now appear to be on the right road. Diet and lifestyle are playing a huge part in my healing process. With the support of friends and family, my positive attitude has grown, and I am optimistic that 2009 will be an even healthier year.

I encourage you to take time to count your blessings. It will open a window into your soul, and allow sunlight to filter in, cultivating your garden of appreciation. Happy Thanksgiving.

Let's Roast a Turkey

Oliver is swimming the day before Thanksgiving. He's giving thanks that we live in Florida and the water isn't too cold!

© copyright Carrie Boyko




© copyright Carrie Boyko

Wet doggy! He'll take a great nap now while I'm cooking. Good boy!

Got your bird? Hope so, because I'm about to start prepping mine and tomorrow's Thanksgiving. Get that bird out and let's get him ready. You're almost out of time. Here's how I prepare my traditional stuffing:

Old Fashioned Traditional Seasoned Stuffing

• Organic Bread Stuffing
• Turkey Giblets, if desired, boiled till done
• 1/2 bunch of Organic Celery Hearts
• 1/2 Organic Onion, minced
• 1/4 Cup chopped Organic Parsley
• Organic chicken broth
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Organic Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Organic Basil
• 3/4 Teaspoon Organic Poultry Seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon Organic Butter, Salted

Instructions:

1. Combine, celery, onions, parsley and seasonings in a microwavable bowl with 1-2 Teaspoons water. Cook on High 4-6 minutes, checking for tenderness each minute after 4.
2. Save all the ends, discards and unused leaves for the homemade broth. All these discarded vegetables will lend good flavor to your turkey broth on Friday.
3. Mix cooked vegetables into bread stuffing.
4. Boil chicken broth (use in place of water--amount according to directions on stuffing package) and butter.
5. Stir together until well mixed.
6. When you have your bird prepared, stuff the cavity of the turkey lightly with stuffing mixture, leaving some room for expansion.
7. Cook any remaining stuffing in a small casserole dish for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

No surprises there; I'm strictly traditional when it comes to stuffing. Now for a few tips on getting the bird ready:

1. In a clean sink, soak the bird for 10 minutes in cool water.
2. Empty the sink and rinse the bird, giving him a going over for any leftover feather roots.
3. Drain the body cavity well and place into your oiled roasting pan.
4. Dry the bird off well.
5. If you've got a broth injector (a giant hypodermic needle), you can add flavor and moisture by injecting some chicken broth into each area of thick meat (breasts, thighs, legs). Add some extra salt to the broth to help the meat hold the moisture.
6. Season with salt, pepper, basil and poultry seasoning to your taste, including the body cavity.
7. A little chicken broth in the bottom of the pan will help with drying skin.
8. After you've stuffed your bird, he can be covered and put back in storage until a couple of hours before you start to cook him.
9. Roasting times vary depending on temperature (325 or 350 degrees) and whether you stuff the turkey or cook him "empty". Stuffed turkeys cook a bit slower (5 minutes per pound) but the stuffing is SOOOO good, that it is worth the extra time. Use 15-20 minutes per pound as a guide and start testing the internal temperature of the thigh after the minimum time.

Before the stores close, make sure you have a baster or basting brush to keep him moist while he roasts tomorrow. The other item you should have on hand is some tin foil to wrap his wings. leg ends and tent his breast, if he begins to get too brown. Wrap the tin foil with the shiny side out, reflecting heat away from these areas.

I'll be making homemade Organic Turkey Broth and preparing Organic Turkey and Rice soup on Friday and Monday. Hope to see you then.

Tomorrow's post will be my personal Thanksgiving essay for this year. If you have time to read it, I'd love to hear from you. What are you feeling thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Carrie's Favorite Cranberry Gelatin

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Sometimes this works, and sometimes you just have to serve it soft. Cranberry juice can play havoc with gelatin, so I've learned to accept what I get. Just go easy on the water. Either way, it is worth the effort. The flavor is awesome, and the antioxidants cry out--no cancer here!

The recipe that follows is my version of one that has been handed down through my family. Who knows where it started. All I know is that it used to have celery and nuts and other surprises inside. Nix that stuff and here's what you get:

Carrie's Favorite Cranberry Gelatin

• 1-1/2 cups organic cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 9 oz. of organic crushed pineapple, fresh or canned
• 3 oz. package of organic cranberry or cherry gelatin
• OR 1 package unflavored gelatin AND undiluted organic cranberry or cherry juice
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
• 1 small organic orange

Instructions:

1. Crush and drain the pineapple, saving the syrup or juice.
2. Add enough water to the juice to make a little less than 1/2 cup.
3. Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in a little less than 1 cup (take out 1-2 tablespoons) boiling water.
4. Add the syrup mixture and lemon juice, stirring well.
5. Chill until partially set.

While the gelatin chills, prepare the cranberries and orange:

1. Wash cranberries and orange well.
2. Grate or coarsely grind slightly frozen cranberries.
3. Grind orange, peel included.
4. Stir cranberries, pineapple and orange together and return to refrigerator, while gelatin is setting.
5. When gelatin is ready, stir fruit into gelatin and pour into gelatin mold or bowl.
6. Cover and store overnight.
7. Remove from mold by running tepid water over sides of mold for a few seconds.
8. Place a serving plate upside down on top of mold and invert together, to remove from mold. Refrigerate until serving time.

I'll admit this recipe is, hands down, my favorite food in the whole Thanksgiving Day feast. Step aside folks; I'm having seconds!

Happy 21st Birthday, Brent!

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Caught Off Guard Snuggling Over a Football Game

Sorry, folks, but I couldn't resist. My son is 21 today and this blog was calling me to surprise him with an electronic announcement. This is a big day for him; today he is legal to do just about everything, except rent a car. That's okay though, since he would prefer not to own one at all. His plan is to dump his after college, and live in a city where public transportation is readily available. The green mom in me is really proud of his goal. His heart is in the right place.

Sometimes I wonder if he'll end up with an electric car, or perhaps a hybrid. The Europeans have it right with all the Smart Cars, but unfortunately they're not much protection when up against a head on collision with an Expedition or Suburban. That's part of the problem, you know. Getting Americans to change to smaller, more efficient automobiles is a safety issue--a big one. As much as I would love to own a Smart Car, I don't think I'd feel safe in my area. The ratio of SUV's and trucks to compact cars in this area is probably at least 6 to 1. Our Civic gets good gas mileage, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't like driving it on the interstate during rush hour. The risk is too high.

Enough on that tangent. Here's my Happy Birthday wish to Brent: The Caledonian Gold Organic Beer is in the refrigerator waiting on you. We'll see you at the airport. Happy Birthday!

My Most Popular Posts

A few people have asked me about my most popular topics. My blogging software provider, Google, has another program that keeps tabs on this for me, so today I'll answer that question. My analytics program is a wealth of information on the performance of my blog, including graphs and pie charts telling me about things like number of visitors and how they come upon my blog. It's helpful stuff, even if I'm still stumbling through using it. I can quickly check my list of most popular posts and tell you that these are the top ten:

More on Juicing: Organic Apple Juice and Apple Sauce

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons....and Raisin Bread

Organic Crabgrass Killer

Thursday's Green Tip Toe ( My personal favorite!)

Organic Math: 1 Hen=3 Family Meals

Tree Huggers Unite: Let's Save Paper

Composting 101: Part II (Locating and Setting up a Site for a Compost Pile)

Green and Organic Coupons for Everything You Can Think Of

Thursday's 10-Minute Green Tip Toe

Green Up Your Back to School Lunches with Creative Choices

Today I have a guest posting on another blog, Busy Moms Recipes, where I give the second of my top 5 reasons for eating organic. Besides reading my post, you'll find other interesting topics of use to all busy moms, and a wonderful recipe site that you can search. Have fun exploring this great site.

Next time I talk about favorites, I think I'll list my favorites and see what you have to say. For now, I've linked all the titles, so you can check out the ones that float your boat. After you do, I'd love to hear from you. Are there some topics that you'd like to hear more about? What are they? I'm all about green and organic, so you pick the subtopic and I'll try to learn something about it and pass it along. My COMMENT link follows each post. It is purple. Click. Talk to me.

Simple Organic Sweet Potatoes--Spicy for the Holidays

© copyright Carrie Boyko

I love sweet potatoes. Even more than that, I love organic sweet potatoes. Their flavor is ever so much better than their toxin-laden cousins. I often bake one for lunch, just to savor the flavor as a lunchtime meal.

Today I'll share with you one of the ways I like to prepare sweet potatoes for the holidays. Keep in mind, most of my recipes allow you to prepare foods ahead of time, giving you time to enjoy your guests on the big day. This recipe adheres to that personal guideline, and the spices make for a festive flavor.

Carrie's Spicy Sweet Potatoes

1. Wash enough medium sized sweet potatoes to allow 1/2 potato for each person.
   
2. Pierce each sweet potato with a fork on both ends.
   
3. Bake about 1 to 1-1/4 hours at 400 degrees.
   
4. Test for doneness with the squeeze test; the potato should feel soft inside.
   
5. Cool completely and remove peel.
   
6. Slice into 3/4-1 inch slabs.
   
7. Lay the slabs in an oiled or sprayed glass baking dish.
   
8. Drizzle honey over each potato.
   
9. Sprinkle each, to your taste, with cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves, going light on the cloves.
   
10. Dot with butter, cover and refrigerate overnight (even a couple of days) until a few hours before dinner.
    
11. When room temperature, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Tomorrow's recipe is my Organic Cranberry Gelatin mold. This recipe is my version of an old family favorite. There are never enough leftovers, so when in doubt, make a double recipe.

Busy Moms' Tips Helps You Hold It All Together

© copyright Carrie Boyko

That 2 mile morning run wore these guys out. But after their nap, they are ready:

© photo copyright Carrie Boyko

My live-at-home kids, two pictured here, are all furry. Despite my other kids all being grown, I still have 2 in college, whose lives almost daily require, um, I'll call it facilitation. Yeah, that's a pretty good word for it.

Now I've met my match, well sort of. A friend of a friend introduced me to another busy mom, and I've found that I'm not alone. Not only does this lady work as a freelance writer, she also maintains 3 sites that cater to busy moms. If you consider yourself part of that group, I'd love to steer you in her direction. Your choices are:

Busy Moms' Tips -- These are short daily e-mails with quick ideas, all geared to help moms.

Busy Moms' Recipes -- This website contains tons of recipes-- whatever your heart desires.

Busy Moms' Blog -- You can access the recipe blog via the recipe site, or through this link.

If you're on my site because you're dedicated to eating organic, well, you know as well as I do that conversion is not rocket science. You can take most any recipe and turn it into an organic one in a jiffy. I've found substitutions for most everything in a traditional grocery store--thank goodness! Join me tomorrow for spicy organic sweet potatoes and next Tuesday (11/25) for and organic cranberry gelatin mold. This is my absolute favorite Thanksgiving dish, so don't miss it.

Organic Mashed Potatoes Go Garlic

I've really become a fan of garlic mashed potatoes in the last couple of years. My husband, well, not so much. Oh well. I still enjoyed this recipe creation, which focused on an easy method to get the flavor I craved. Here goes:

Organic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 4 medium organic potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes


• 1 good sized head of organic garlic, peeled and chopped fine


• 3 quarts organic chicken broth


• 1 teaspoon sea salt


• 1/2 teaspoon organic pepper


• 1/4 cup organic milk

Instructions:

1. Place chicken broth in pot.


2. Add all ingredients.


3. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer.


4. The time will depend on the size of your cubes, so check them in 10 minutes and again every 5. Remove from heat when potatoes fall apart when stabbed with a fork.


5. Drain and return to pan.


6. Mash with 1/4 cup organic milk added to improve consistency.


7. Serves about 4 people. Double up for larger groups.

The secret seems to be the chicken broth. When I made them without it, the flavor was hardly noticeable, so don't shortchange on this ingredient.

I'll be making sweet potatoes on Thursday and Cranberry Gelatin mold on Tuesday the 25th, so I've got your Thanksgiving preparation all wrapped up. Turkey is next Wednesday. See you then.

Holiday Planning

It's not even Thanksgiving and I'm already sweating the Christmas holidays. The cooking, shopping, wrapping, writing, packing, labeling, cleaning, baking, polishing, decorating... I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Every year I make a "To Do" list and check it twice. It seems I'm both naughty and nice. I don't want to leave anyone out, yet I want to try to get it all done and still have time to enjoy the holidays myself. You know, the family being home, playing Jenga, timing to talk and kick back, and let's not forget the food. I like to eat; don't leave me out of the pies and cookies.

So all this brings me to the topic of today's post: Holiday planning. I'm not exactly a fly-by-the-seat kind of girl. I over plan. So much so that I probably stress myself out sometimes. Ask my kids and you'll get a big YES from that one. But I just about always make my deadlines, so I guess the result is good.

Some people I talk with are the opposite; they begin to stress on the 23rd or 24th of December. I know there are lots of websites and books that can help you with organizing your life, but today I'll give you my secret: my magic bullet, as Michael Connelly calls it in his Mickey Holler books. (My favorite is The Lincoln Lawyer) A former partner, Kim, liked this method so much she once asked me to write it up for her, and she was already an organized person. So maybe there's something to it, at least for those who are interested. Here goes:

The Magic Bullet Planning Method

My secret to making my deadline on any project is planning backward. Sounds crazy, huh? It's actually simple, and allows for things to go a bit awry at times. And it works for everything: deadlines for blog posts, manuscript due dates, Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthday parties, work assignments, major purchases--most anything that takes more than a couple of weeks to finish.

1. Start with your deadline and back up 3 days. This is your new deadline. It gives you some breathing room in case of a last minute crisis. You can decide if you need more or less.
2. Now comes the longest part of the planning process. Make a list of all the tasks involved in completing the project. Read and reread the list, adding things you missed.
3. Now put the list in the order that the tasks should be done, understanding that some tasks will overlap.
4. Reread the list again and you'll undoubtedly find more things you've left off the list. I always do. Add these in their appropriate places in the timeline.
5. Next comes the hardest part. Start at the beginning and think through each item, considering what might go wrong. With these possibilities in mind, estimate a reasonable time for completion of each task. Now add 15% to that time and call this your time estimate. I'm sure you think I'm being overcautious, but this is REALLY the way I do things, and trust me, it works. You'll make your deadline.
6. Get a calender page that has plenty of room for notes. Sometimes I scan my calendar before it is clogged up with daily duties, and use the scanned printout--enlarged--for my planning tool.
7. Block out all mandatory obligations: work, appointments, classes, etc. The leftover areas are now your target task times (TTT).
8. Add up the total estimated time for all your tasks on the list. Divide this by the number of days with significant amounts of TTT. This will help you estimate how many days you need to complete your deadline.
9. Starting with the last item (roasting the turkey?), place it on the appropriate day. Obviously you won't be roasting the turkey 3 days before Christmas, so put this task on the date the family celebrates.
10. Now you can count the days with lots of TTT and divide up the tasks, remembering to keep them in order. Some tasks may have their own deadline, such as mailing packages, so keep that in mind.
11. Spread out the tasks, putting the first task on tomorrow's calendar box, and the last near Christmas. This should allow plenty of time in between for all the other things that life throws at you. Don't forget your usual daily routine: work, walk the dog, homework with the kids, bedtime stories, cleaning, cooking, etc. By all means, don't leave out the bedtime stories.

I'm open to ideas and fielding them through the COMMENTS link that follows this post. Drop me a line. And good luck. Happy Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year. Enjoy your celebrations and your family time. This is the making of memories.

Holiday Apple and Pumpkin Tarts

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Thanksgiving Dinner desserts are always an interesting part of our family's meal. Most of us want more than one piece of dessert, but don't have room to eat that much. This year, I'm solving that problem. I've designed mini apple pies and pumpkin pies, made in muffin pans. You won't need anything special to make these cuties, and everyone can have both. I know my family will love this.

Of course, if you prefer pecan or cherry, you can fashion your own recipe using this same idea. After I make the pie crust, I use a 5-inch round container as a "cookie cutter" to create the mini pie crusts for each muffin container in the muffin pan. I am using the medium sized muffin pans.

Because of the waste, you have to do this much like making rolled cookies. Pull up the excess, knead it back into the larger portion of unrolled dough, and go at it again. It takes a couple of batches of pie dough to make one muffin pan (12 count) of tarts. If you have a smaller dinner group, you could make 1/2 apple and 1/2 pumpkin, or whatever type you like--just split it up.

You can make your tarts open-topped or add a few slivers of dough to create a decorative top crust. Either way, they're undeniably cute, and delicious.

For the pumpkin tarts, I'm using the recipe on the organic pumpkin can label. I never met a pumpkin pie recipe that I didn't like. As for the apple, here is mine:

Apple Tart Filling Recipe (for 12 muffin-sized tarts)

• 4-6 medium organic apples; I prefer Granny Smith
• 1/3 cup organic sugar
• 1/4 cup organic flour
• 1/8 cup organic butter
• 1/4 teaspoon organic cinnamon
• 1 egg white

I may not do this the way the TV cooking icons do it, but I do get lots of compliments on the pie:

1. Sift each muffin tin container with flour.
2. Roll out your mini tart bottom crusts and place inside the muffin containers. You can either press the excess crust along the sides, or flute it--make it wavy--around the sides.
3. Sift each crust lightly with flour on the inside.
   Using the leftover crust pieces, you can cut some slivers to create your own toppers.
4. Make sure you have all your supplies out before you begin peeling the apples. You know how brown they can get in a hurry.
5. I use an apple peeler from Williams Sonoma to speed up this process. This gadget is amazingly fast (3 seconds per apple) at coring, peeling and slicing. You'll be done in a jiffy!
   Either way you do it, cut up the apples small.
6. As each apple is peeled, cored and cut into small chunks, place them in a bowl and sprinkle with a mixture of the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir quickly and move on to the next apple.
7. When done, stir well and spoon generously into the muffin containers.
8. Top each with a dot of butter, and any slivers of extra crust, if you like.
9. Turn the edges of the crust out and brush with an egg wash of 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crust is starting to turn golden brown.

After they cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack, remove gently with fingertips to finish cooling. Enjoy!

© copyright Williams Sonoma, copied from their website

Dinnerware Goes Green on Thanksgiving

So, you are the host for this year's family Thanksgiving gathering and you're coming up short on dishes. It has happened to the best of us. When you have a large family, you have two options:

• Ask some guests to bring extra dishes
• Use paper/plastic disposables

I know the latter has been the bad boy of holiday shindigs, but it doesn't have to be anymore.

Pictured above, scanned from Eco Products site, are some of the more useful and popular items you might need. No, they're not plastic and they didn't cause irreparable harm to the environment in their manufacture. Their only downside is locating them locally. I haven't yet found the cups, utensils or plates in my area. The good news is I have found several local retailers who carry BioBag biodegradable bags (available in various sizes). These are a blessing when you have a lot of company and need waterproof waste bags. If you have 10 kids at your Thanksgiving day meal, you're bound to get at least one cup full of beverage dumped into the trash. Plastic is necessary on these occasions.

A little bit of info on these products is needed to understand just how green they really are. For starters, they are all made from renewable sources, and they are all compostable. If you are a composter, there will be no big bags of junk sent to the dump after this Thanksgiving. If, like many people, you haven't quite reached the stage of jumping into composting, not to worry. This stuff will biodegrade easily in the landfill, unlike its predecessors, the plastics.

According to Eco Products' site, the compostable "cold drink cups are made from PLA plastic derived from corn. PLA plastic is a compostable material that when placed in a commercial environment will naturally decompose back to organic elements. Unlike regular cold cups that are made using petroleum, PLA plastic products are made using US grown corn!"

The cutlery is made from corn, and the plates are made from sugarcane; both also compostable. These new creations are healthy for you and the environment. I hope you'll give them a try. No doubt they are available on other websites as well. You can search Google for them in the right sidebar, if you're looking for a closer supplier to reduce the shipping (Eco Products is in Boulder, Colorado), or just check out Eco Products for their extensive list of green products. Good luck.

Co-Op America Changing Name to Green America

Our Trick or Treat evening wore Oliver out. After a quick nap, we changed him out of his Halloween bandanna into his new Tree Hugger shirt, but he still wanted to sleep. So much excitement in one night is too much for the little guy.

© copyright Carrie Boyko

© copyright Carrie Boyko

This Wednesday's website offering is an old favorite of mine, which will soon be changing its name. I have a dog-eared (no pun intended) copy of the 2008 National Green Pages, published by Co-op America , which is a wonderful resource for finding green and organic products. The National Green Pages annual publication lists thousands of eco-friendly, socially responsible products and services, with contact information. I also enjoy their mini sidebars of green information. In 2009, Co-op America will be changing their name to Green America, a fitting tribute to a big trend. For now, use the Co-op America link to find them at their current web page address. Enjoy the tour; it is worth some time to check it out.

Tomorrow is Thursday's Green Tip Toe. I will be sharing information on some recycled tableware and dish options. Some are even compostable. If you are having a large group for Thanksgiving, and using your dishes is not an option, first consider having family members bring extras. If that too is a problem, please choose recycled or recyclable and compostable products. Check in tomorrow for some suggestions. Hope to see you then.

Something New: Here Comes Busy Mom's Tips

Here's a last minute surprise, a little bonus. I've put together five short essays on The Benefits of Eating Organic. Today, on Busy Mom's Tips, the first will appear for subscribers. If you are a busy mom, this is a great resource. Each day, you'll receive a tip or two (possibly more) in your e-mail, once you subscribe. It's free and the tips are a nice variety of all things relative to being a busy mom. I joined this group a while back and have been enjoying the daily quick tips that await me each morning. Click the link above to visit the home page and read about the group.

If you're not up to receiving daily tips, you can catch my Benefits of Eating Organic at the Busy Mom's Blog on Thursday, and anytime after that. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Menu Planning

My Thanksgiving Menu

Organic Turkey with Herb Stuffing
Spicy Organic Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Garlic Organic Potatoes
Organic Green Salad
Organic Cranberry Relish Gelatin Mold
Organic Banana Bread

Dessert: Miniature Fruit Tarts, Apple and Pumpkin
Beverages: Organic iced tea and lemonade
Organic beer and wine

My Ingredients List

1 Organic Turkey, ordered from natural foods market
Organic Bread Stuffing (your choice of flavor), packaged or homemade

Stuffing Ingredients:

Organic Chicken or Turkey Broth, (fresh, frozen or canned)
Turkey neck and organ meat, if desired
1 bunch Organic Celery Hearts
1 Organic Yellow Onion
Organic Basil
Organic Parsley
Organic Poultry Seasoning
Sea Salt
Organic Pepper

Vegetables and Fruit:

Organic Sweet Potatoes
Organic Brown Sugar
Organic Honey
Organic Cinnamon
Organic Nutmeg

Organic Cloves
Organic White Potatoes
Organic Garlic
Organic Milk
Organic Salted Butter

Salad:

Organic Romaine lettuce
Organic Assorted Baby Lettuces, bagged
Organic Carrots
Organic Cucumber
Organic Green Onions
Organic Tomatoes
Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Banana Bread/Muffins:

Organic Bananas, very ripe, fresh or frozen (5)
Organic Eggs
Organic Apple Sauce
Organic Canola Oil
Organic Sugar
Organic Whole Wheat Flour
Aluminum Free Baking Soda
Sea Salt
Baking Powder
Organic Honey

Cranberry Relish Mold:

Organic Cherry Gelatin, boxed
OR, unflavored gelatin and Organic Cherry Juice
Organic Crushed Pineapple, canned or fresh
1 Bag Organic Cranberries, fresh or frozen
Organic Sugar
Organic Lemon Juice
1 Small Organic Orange

Organic Apple Tarts:

Organic Flour
Organic Salted Butter
Granny Smith Apples
Organic Cinnamon
Organic Sugar
Organic Brown Sugar

Organic Pumpkin Tarts:

Organic Flour
Organic Salted Butter
Organic Pumpkin
Organic Canned Milk
Organic Nutmeg
Organic Cinnamon

Organic Ginger

Organic Cloves

Organic Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk
Organic Eggs


Organic Lemonade

Organic Lemon Juice, fresh
Organic Sugar
Filtered Water

Organic Iced Tea

Organic Tea Bags
Filtered Water
Organic Sugar, if desired

Organic Beer:

Caledonian Golden Promise

Organic Wine:

White: Any suggestions?
Red: Any suggestions?

No doubt this shopping trip will take all of my reusable shopping bags, but the feast will be worth the effort. Recipes will begin this Friday with the mini tarts. Hope to see you then.

Organic Banana Bread and Muffins

© copyright Carrie Boyko

Organic. Low Fat. Whole Wheat. Banana Bread doesn't get any better than this.

The season to share is almost upon us, and this recipe is made for sharing. You can make the batter into 2 dozen medium muffins, 2 loaves of bread, or mix it up and make 1 loaf, along with a dozen muffins. If you're looking for a homemade goodie to share with your Thanksgiving dinner guests, this is always a winner. You can even make it into 4 mini-loaves or 4 dozen mini-muffins. Who doesn't like banana bread?

Although, a bag of muffins makes a nice gift for that friend who has everything, I especially like this recipe for my own family. It makes great comfort food for a kid after a tough math test at school, and is a welcome addition to the lunchbox for the days to come. Lucky for me, my husband is only home in the evening, or he would eat them all. If you decide to keep, rather than share both halves of the recipe, I recommend you make a dozen muffins to freeze. You can thaw them one by one, or all at once; they are terrific as a snack, breakfast or dessert. If you come up short packing a school lunch, you can wrap a frozen one in a paper towel and allow it to thaw right in the lunch box. The paper towel will soak up any moisture and the muffin will taste freshly made.

Made with organic whole wheat flour, these muffins pack a good amount of protein and fiber into a small package, and to top that off they only have about 2-1/2 grams of fat per slice or medium sized muffin. You may have trouble giving them away when you smell your kitchen while they are baking. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned, Low Fat, Organic, Whole Wheat Banana Bread and Muffins

5 organic bananas, very ripe and mashed (thawed, frozen bananas work equally well)
4 organic eggs
1/3 cup organic apple sauce
1/3 cup organic canola oil
1-1/2 cups organic sugar
3 cups organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons aluminum free baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons organic honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pans with organic cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together mashed bananas, eggs, oil and apple sauce.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add to banana mixture, stirring until well-mixed.
4. Spoon mixture into muffin pans (about 2/3 full for each) and/or pour into loaf pan(s).
5. Bake the muffins first for 20-25 minutes.
6. Then bake the loave(s) for 50-60 minutes, checking with a toothpick to determine when done. 7. Baste the top of the bread with honey for an extra-special dessert that even us big kids can't resist.
8. After out of the oven for a few minutes, remove from pans to a cooling rack.
9. If you like the crust on the bread to remain somewhat crisp, like I do, don't wrap in plastic. Once you slice off one end, store in a flat-bottomed container or plate, setting it on the sliced end. This will do the trick.
10. For storing muffins, use paper bags, rather than plastic, to keep them from getting too soft and maintain that signature crispy top. Paper lunch bags can be placed inside of a gift bag for a festive holiday surprise.

Today's post is the first of my Thanksgiving menu recipes. It can easily be made ahead of time and frozen until the night before. On such a challenging cooking day as Thanksgiving, my goal is always to prepare as much as possible on the days before the big day.

Speaking of the big day, join me tomorrow when I will share my entire Thanksgiving Menu, along with an ingredients list for your shopping convenience. If you're the cook this year, it's time to start planning your big meal. In the days to come, I will bring you more recipes from this menu, and will even walk you through making homemade soup with your turkey carcass after your family polishes it off. I thank you for coming along for the ride.