Natural Cold Remedy

My favorite go to when natural isn't cutting it!

Immune booster!

Oh No!!!

I'm Sick with a cold!

DH came home with a stuffy nose from work the other day, by the time he woke up from a nap, it had entered his chest and he was sick sick sick. And also very contagious unfortunately.  I came down with chest cold two days ago (please stay out of my sinuses).

I hate taking cold medicine, I am sensitive to them and usually have to take a child's dose so I don't crawl out of my skin.  I equally hate being sick though, so I will usually back my natural remedies with medicine if I'm not feeling better in a timely manner (like yesterday!).  I also regularly take L-Lysine to boost my immune system, I'm not working full time right now and I'm a little stressed so the Lysine helps keep mouth sores at bay and hopefully either keep myself from getting sick and/or help not get as sick and get well quicker.

A couple of good friends lent me recipes for a natural cold remedies that I'd like to share with you all for making hot toddies and a cough and cold remedy. 

For cold remedy:

3 c Pineapple juice (has 3x's the vitamin C than most other juices)

1  c Lemon juice or   6 lemons juiced

2 Tbl honey

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1 whole garlic bulb, peeled

Put all of the above in a blender and blend for 1 minute to chop the garlic fine.  Drink one cup every 4 hours.  It burns going down and you may not smell too good.  But I can tell that I am not as sick as DH was and I hope to mend quicker.  The cold remedy can be taken as a preventive measure if you have other sickos in the home.  

For hot toddy:

3Tbl boiling water

1.5 Tbl Whiskey

2 Tbl honey

1.5 Tbl lemon

Put all ingredients in tea or coffee cup.  Drink while hot as needed for cough, you'll either stop coughing or go to sleep, either way its good lol.

I hope everyone stays as well as possible during this cold season, don't forget your flu shot this year!

For more information about Thyme For Tobe' and our services, please go to www.thymefortobe.com

Irish Breakfast Sausage Rolls

Irish Breakfast Sausages Rolls

My daughter Katie’s and her husband’s anniversary was coming up last June and I wanted to make a special brunch for them.  Katie is an amazing cook herself, so I always have to step up my game a notch when it comes to impressing her.  I went to one of her favorite treasure sources for good ideas and recipes, Pinterest and came upon Irish Breakfast Sausage Rolls.  There are plenty of recipes online for sausage rolls and I decided that I wanted something simple and organic like I would imagine a sausage roll made in a traditional Irish farm home would be.  So here is what I came up with:

My father is a butcher, so I love to make sausage at home.  You can ask your grocery store butcher to grind a pork roast for you, and add your own ingredients, buy it over the counter or buy a chub of breakfast sausage where they keep the bacon and sausage.  I boiled a couple of potatoes and eggs and chopped them well when they cooled.  I finely diced onions and mixed the sausage, potatoes and eggs with a raw egg added as a binder.  For the puff pastry, you can make your own from scratch or buy frozen puff pastry in the frozen section of the grocery store where frozen pie shells are kept. I have made puff pastry before and its really the best, but for time sake, and lets be honest, I was preparing a huge meal for quite a few people, I used store bought puff pastry this time and it worked fabulous! I cut strips of puff pastry approximately 4 x 4, rolled about 2 tablespoons of sausage mixture and placed it in the center of the pastry dough, rolling it up and used melted butter to seal the pastry closed.  Place the sausage rolls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 325 until sausage ends are browned and pastry is golden.  

I made three sheets of Irish breakfast sausage rolls and there was not a crumb left, totally hit!

Thyme For Tobe' has menus available for special occasions like brunches, lunches and teas.  Give me a call at 909/272-5047 or email me at thymefortobe@gmail.com

Come visit us at http://thymefortobe.com

Zuccini Noodles with Chicken and Sausages in Olive Oil

Gluten Free Chicken and Sausages with Zucchini Noodles

My diabetic Italian husband's favorite vegetables are candy corn.....I know!  Its frustrating at times to try to find a vegetable he will eat without giving me a hard time.  But then I found, if I prepare some vegetables the way I know he'll like them, he will at least try them and most of the time he even likes them.

I am experimenting with different recipes for my blog and while thinking of a way to serve leftover roasted chicken and sausages, I decided to try making zucchini noodles.  I don't have a proper julienne tool at the time, I usually do this by hand, so I decided to use vegetable peeler and make long thin slices.  I Placed them on a dish towel inside a bowl in the refrigerator to let them dry a little (about an hour).  I heated 1 tsp of olive oil and melted 1.5 tsps of butter in a large saute' pan with two sliced gloves of garlic, tossed in zucchini mixing well and cooked on med high, stirring twice (I didn't want zucchini to lose texture and become mushy)  then I added the chopped leftover sausages and chicken and served with fresh shredded Parmesan.  My husband ate his entire plate!  Probably won't get away with serving this too often to him but I'm sure I'll find something equally as good ;)

Chicken and Sausages

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGES

     Chicken and sausages is one of my husband's mother's signature dishes.  It is the perfect Sunday meal, everything slow roasting in the oven at the lowest setting (240 in my oven) until its browned and cooked through.  When I tell people how simple this meal is, they rarely believe me.  Our family loves dark meat so I use the drumstick and thighs, however, it would be just as easy to use a whole cut up chicken or just breasts depending on your families preferences.  I make sure I have at least two to three peices per person.  I prefer to buy sweet italian sausages because my husband is sensitive to spicy, but spicy or a mix of both would be really tasty too.  I sausage per person.  I cut the sausages up into three peices, leaving the skin on.  I cut up one red potato or small russet for each person into six to eight peices.  

     After I have all of the above cut into portions, I place them into baking pans, drizzle a good amount of olive oil, two to three crushed garlic cloves, salt and cracked pepper and a couple of shakes of dry oregano and basil, chopped green and red bell peppers and toss until everything is coated generously.  I bake this mixture for approximately 3 hours on the lowest oven setting 240 to 250, adding frozen peas the last 10 minutes.  Its a simple meal that smells and tastes like hours of effort went into it!  You can spray your face with water and sprinkle on flour and make it look like you slaved.  

This meal is featured on my new personal catering menu.  It can be frozen for up to two weeks or refrigerated for one.  Bon Appetite!

www.thymefortobe.blogspot.com or 909/272-5047

Carnitas ~ No Fry Frijoles ~ No Fry Spanish Rice

      I learned to make stove top pork roast carnitas from my father's mother, my grandmother Juanita.  Right now you may be assuming that my grandmother was of Mexican descent, but my blue eyed Irish grandmother born Juanita Sullivan didn't even know the pork roast she taught me to make was carnitas.  I didn't even know until one summer afternoon in 2005, I had the real deal at La Flor De Michoacan on Avenida Juarez in Rosarito Beach, Mexico.  My grandmother had passed not long before that day when I tasted those tender, juicy carnitas, and her face bloomed in my mind as I imagined myself in her kitchen, her teaching me how to create this same pork roast with cooked pinto beans and mashed pototoes and gravy.   Today, I serve my family carnitas with a tangy tomatillo sauce served on the side, rice and beans, and fresh tortillas.  However, I always set aside the pan drippings and make the best brown gravy a girl can make this side of Oklahoma just like my grandma taught me, so the left overs can be served up with green beans and smashed potatoes....that's the Okie in me.

     I love pinto beans.  I like them served as soup with chopped cilantro and onion, I like them in dips, chili and many other dishes and I really like them refried, especially with cheese.  I prefer my beans fried the old fashioned way in lard (I heard your gasps, studies now prove what my mother always said, natural fats like butter and lard are far better for you that man-made fats).  However, my husband has dietary restrictions, and if your doctor has restricted you from certain foods, please follow your doctors instructions.  Therefore, I came up with a delicious non-fried refried pinto bean dish that you would swear had lard in it.  

     I prepare the pinto beans as I normally would, except maybe I use a little more water than necessary.  Use caution when adding salt at this point because the beans will reduce in the "refrying" process, magnifying any flavors, especially salt.  I forgot to take this into account once and ruined an entire pot of beans.  When the skins and meat of the beans are soft, I know they are done.  I raise the heat to medium high and begin to mash them with a bean or potato masher, the beans absorb the water and become mashed and reduce.  I get them to the consistency I want my refried beans to be, takes about 5 minutes of mashing and mixing on high heat and then I serve them.  For a creamier consistency, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (any percent fat except non).

     No fry Spanish Rice is also one of my favorites.  I really enjoy fried Spanish rice, I just wanted a healthier version if possible, without sacrificing the essence.  I love the combination of the creamy boiled egg with rice, it enhances the flavor and texture greatly and this WAS taught to me by someone of Mexican descent.....although her name was Sheryl.   For this somewhat healthier version,  I kept the boiled egg and I removed any oils, adding a combination of my favorite Mexican herbs and spicy tomato sauce, and "Voila'!" No Fry Spanish Rice.  In the photo above, I used my rice cooker to cook the rice.  Another healthier version would be to use 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp of butter instead of cooking oil to brown the rice in.

     Thank you for your likes, shares and comments, Bon Appetit!  

Thyme For Tobe' 909/272-5047

GARLIC HERB ROASTED PRIME RIB

     I remember the very first time I ever ate prime rib, it was applewood roasted, served rare (what good instincts I had) at Reuben's Steakhouse and Fresh Seafood Grill, The Moonraker located on MacArthur Avenue in Santa Ana circa 1983-84.  It was the most savory, buttery, pure beef flavor steak, you know?  I don't think I spoke for five minutes.  Since then, I have enjoyed prime rib roasted and flavored many various ways.  In addition, shortly after, I went to work for Reuben's Steakhouse in Riverside, California, as a server and eventually an assistant manager.  I was really spoiled in the culinary department.  One aspect for ordering prime rib never changes for me, it's either under medium rare or the end cut, where the majority of the flavors settle,enriching the Prime Rib.  What can I say?  Prime Rib is my favorite steak to order and  I love it the way I love it.  I also really appreciate a spicy horseradish sauce and delicious au jus.  

     

     Perhaps more than eating Prime Rib, if possible, I enjoy cooking one for my family and friends more.  I have prepared prime rib many various ways: roasted or smoked; herb crusted; beer basted, infused, etc...The Prime Rib I serve on the menu  at Thyme For Tobe' is hand-cut, encrusted with savory rosemary, fresh crushed garlic, kosher salt and cracked pepper and roasted over an herb filled beer bath; served with a creamy horseradish sauce and aromatic, tasty au jus.  My suggestions for sides on the menu would be sweet corn chowder or garden salad, garlic smashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.  

     If you are having a small affair, ask Tobe' about appetizer's and platters!

     My home catering menu will be available for viewing  by the end of the week.  I am available in the Riverside, Corona, Chino Hills and surrounding areas.  

Thyme For Tobe' 909/272-5047

Chicken Marsala The Right Way....In your own home!

My favorite dishes taste like the time and love that usually goes into making them.  Chicken Marsala is one of those meals that takes lots of planning in advance if you want to enjoy its amazing, rich, deep flavors.  The many steps it takes to prepare this aromatic entree' is worth the wait when you sit down with your favorite wine, red or white, and enjoy the earthy fresh goodness of the chicken cutlets cooked into the brown mushroom and marsala gravy sauce. This meal is traditionally served over pasta,  but the Irish in me likes to serve it with creamy garlic smashed potatoes from time to time.  Roasted seasonal vegetables go beautifully with the Chicken Marsala along with a crusty  loaf of french bread and a dish of olive oil and balsalmic vinegrette.  

Wouldn't you love to sit down with the family at the dinner table tonight?

Inviting a few friends over for dinner?

Too busy or tired from work?

Sick of take out and eating in restaurants?

Let me do the cooking tonight!

Give me a call at 909-272-5047

I will bring you a menu, discuss any allergies and dietary needs you have and custom fit you for meals for a couple days, a week, two weeks, large dinner parties and other occasions.