Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Happy Holidays: New Bourbon Arrivals



I hope everyone has had a pleasant and healthy holiday season. We are absolutely loaded to the brim with Christmas beers, wines, sparklings and even beer de Champagnes to meet your holiday needs. Futher more I would like to invite you all to celebrate with Health Spirits and bring in the new year proper with our newly received shipment of world class Bourbons.


-Pappy Van Winkle's 23yr Family Reserve Decanter Set (Special bottling that includes a crystal decanter and two Van Winkle Glasses)

-Pappy Van Winkle 23yr Family Reserve

-Pappy Van Winkle 20yr Family Reserve

-Pappy Van Winkle 15yr Family Reserve

-Van Winkle 12yr Special Reserve

-Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr barrel proof

-WoodFord Reserve Master's Collection

-Elijah Craig 18yr Single Barrel

-Bakers 7yr Small Batch

-Booker's True Barrel Reserve wooden box set

-Old Forester Birthday Reserve

Don't forget to check out our full Bourbon Menu on the right side of this page under store info, and have a fantastic New Year. Come and get it!

Nate

Friday, December 25, 2009

Healthy Spirits in the New York Times

We were mentioned in Jordan McKay's article in the Christmas edition of the New York Times! You can find the article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/dining/25sfdine.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Christmas%20beer&st=cse

Happy Holidays!

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Growth hormone: The fountain of youth

Growth hormone, also known as human growth hormone, seems to be implicated in a number of metabolic conditions associated with aging, and, more generally, poor health.

In adults, growth hormone deficiency is associated with: decreased calcium retention and osteoporosis, loss of muscle mass, increased fat deposition, decreased protein synthesis, and immunodeficiency. In children, growth hormone deficiency is associated with stunted growth.

Levels of growth hormones decline with age, and their decrease is believed to contribute to the aging process. Abdominal obesity is associated with low levels of growth hormone, and is also associated with the onset of the metabolic syndrome, a precursor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

While there are many treatments in the market that include exogenous administration of growth hormones (e.g., through injection), there are several natural ways in which growth hormone levels can be increased. These natural ways can often lead to more effective and sustainable results than prescription drugs.

For example, fasting stimulates the natural production of growth hormone. So does vigorous exercise, particularly resistance exercise with a strong anaerobic component (not cardio though). And, to the surprise of many people, deep sleep stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, perhaps more than anything else. (Although only once every 24 hours; sleeping all day does not seem to work.)

In fact, during a 24-hour period, growth hormone typically varies in pulses, or cycles. The pulses are somewhat uniformly distributed during the day, with a peak occurring at night. The graph below (source: Fleck & Kraemer, 2004) plots the typical variation of growth hormone during a 12-hour period, including the deep sleep period.


As you can see, growth hormone peaks during deep sleep; which is achieved a few hours after one goes to bed, and not too long before one wakes up.

By the way, if you want to know more about human physiology and metabolism, forget about popular diet and exercise books. Next to peer-reviewed academic articles (which are often hard to read), the best sources are college textbooks used in courses on physical education, nutrition, endocrinology, and related topics. The book from which the graph above was taken (Fleck & Kraemer, 2004), is a superb example of that.

Reference:

Fleck, S.J., & Kraemer, W.J. (2004). Designing resistance training programs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Half-hearted Atkins diet and cardiovascular disease

I would like to comment on a recent article comparing the Atkins, Ornish and South Beach diets (Miller et al., 2009; full reference at the end of this posting), which has been causing quite a lot of commotion among bloggers recently. Especially low carb. bloggers.

An excellent post by Michael Eades clarifies a number of issues with the study, including what one could argue is the study's main flaw. Apparently the study compared a half-hearted Atkins diet, with probably equally half-hearted Ornish and South Beach diets.

I refer to the study's Atkins diet as half-hearted because it seems to rely on a daily consumption of between 120 and 180 grams of carbohydrates. This is unlikely to lead to ketosis, the cornerstone of the Atkins diet, where the body uses ketone bodies (made from dietary as well as body fat) as a source of energy.

As I see it, the main findings of the study were that the participants in the half-hearted Atkins diet, after a period of 4 weeks on the diet, and when compared with the participants in the other diets, had: (a) greater levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, with only a small improvement in their HDL cholesterol and triglycerides levels; and (b) greater levels of markers for inflammation (e.g., C-reactive protein).

The participants were young and healthy. Their average age was 30.6 years, and their average body mass index was 22.6. On average, their total cholesterol was 184.9 mg/dL, triglycerides were 78.1 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol was 107.2 mg/dL, and HDL cholesterol was 62.2 mg/dL. These are arguably fairly healthy numbers; although quite a few doctors might want to put most of these folks preventively on statins because of their LDL being greater than 100.

What I find interesting about this study, and consistent with both my own experience and also a theory that I have, is that it suggests that a low carb. diet has to really be low carb. in order to bring about the benefits that one normally sees as a result of a diet that induces ketosis. A diet with, say, > 150 g of refined grains per day, is not really a low carb. diet.

Again, in my experience, and that of many other people, a truly low carb. diet (very low in, if not devoid of, refined carbs and sugars), will lead to an impressive increase in HDL cholesterol (especially for those who have low HDL to start with), an equally impressive decrease in triglycerides, increased insulin sensitivity, and possibly a decrease in LDL.

However, a half-hearted Atkins diet may actually lead to elevated LDL (of the small-dense type), and more inflammation, just like this study suggests it does, without the benefits regarding HDL and trigs. The reason is that the still relatively high level of carbohydrate intake, especially if it comes in the form of refined carbs. and sugars, will lead to higher levels of insulin being secreted into the bloodstream. This will promote increased body fat deposition. The extra saturated fat being consumed will be turned into body fat, and not used as energy, starving the cells and leading to increased hunger.

A diet rich in saturated fat may indeed be bad when it is also a diet even moderately rich in insulin-boosting, easily digestible carbs. This may be one of the main reasons why there have been so many studies in the past showing a correlation between saturated fat consumption and heart disease; studies that typically did not control for carbohydrate consumption.

In a recent interview on the Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blog, Dr. John Salerno goes into more detail regarding this issue, recommending a much more rigid adoption of the Atkins diet than many think is okay. (In fact, I often talk to people who think that if they cut a very high carb. intake in half - e.g., from 400 to 200 grams per day - replacing the carbs with fat, they will be halfway into a full blown Atkins diet.) Dr. Salerno has worked in the past with Dr. Atkins. He calls his diet the Silver Cloud Diet. I am not sure I agree with all that Dr. Salerno had to say, but his argument in favor of a diet very low in carbs. does make sense to me.

Finally, I think that it is dangerous to extrapolate the results of any study, no matter how comprehensive, to the population in general. Each individual is unique in terms of his or her genetic makeup and life history; the latter also influences metabolic patterns. (Even identical twins raised together may display different metabolic patterns, because of their different life histories.)  So, while a low carb. diet may work well for a lot of people, it may have very negative effects on a few. Increases in inflammation markers and adverse effects on LDL cholesterol (especially when LDL is measured directly, accounting for particle numbers and sizes) are warning signs that any low carb. dieter should pay attention to.

Reference:

Miller, M. et al. (2009). Comparative effects of three popular diets on lipids, endothelial function, and c-reactive protein during weight maintenance. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109, 713-717.

Christmas at Healthy Spirits

Season's greetings from all of us at Healthy Spirits! We will be open on December 25 from the late morning to the early evening. Owner and beer master Rami will be behind the register, as Nate and I are away for the holidays.

Best wishes to all of you. Have a drink for me!

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager'
415-255-0610

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Total cholesterol and cardiovascular disease: A U-curve relationship

The hypothesis that blood cholesterol levels are positively correlated with heart disease (the lipid hypothesis) dates back to Rudolph Virchow in the mid-1800s.

One famous study that supported this hypothesis was Ancel Keys's Seven Countries Study, conducted between the 1950s and 1970s. This study eventually served as the foundation on which much of the advice that we receive today from doctors is based, even though several other studies have been published since that provide little support for the lipid hypothesis.

The graph below (source: canibaisereis.com, with many thanks to O Primitivo) shows the results of one study, involving many more countries than Key's Seven Countries Study, that actually suggests a NEGATIVE linear correlation between total cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.


Now, most relationships in nature are nonlinear, with quite a few following a pattern that looks like a U-curve (plain or inverted); sometimes called a J-curve pattern. The graph below (source also: canibaisereis.com) shows the U-curve relationship between total cholesterol and mortality, with cardiovascular disease mortality indicated through a dotted red line at the bottom.

This graph has been obtained through a nonlinear analysis, and I think it provides a better picture of the relationship between total cholesterol (TC) and mortality. Based on this graph, the best range of TC that one can be at is somewhere between 210, where cardiovascular disease mortality is minimized; and 220, where total mortality is minimized.

The total mortality curve is the one indicated through the full blue line at the top. In fact, it suggests that mortality increases sharply as TC decreases below 200.

Now, these graphs relate TC with disease and mortality, and say nothing about LDL cholesterol (LDL). In my own experience, and that of many people I know, a TC of about 200 will typically be associated with a slightly elevated LDL (e.g., 110 to 150), even if one has a high HDL cholesterol (i.e., greater than 60).

Yet, most people who have a LDL greater than 100 will be told by their doctors, usually with the best of the intentions, to take statins, so that they can "keep their LDL under control". (LDL levels are usually calculated, not measured directly, which itself creates a whole new set of problems.)

Alas, reducing LDL to 100 or less will typically reduce TC below 200. If we go by the graphs above, especially the one showing the U-curves, these folks' risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality will go up - exactly the opposite effect that they and their doctors expected. And that will cost them financially as well, as statin drugs are expensive, in part to pay for all those TV ads.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

New Stuff

1. Ballast Point Sculpin (Limited Quantities)
2. Hopus Belgian Ale
3. Drake's IPA 6pk


cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout at Healthy Spirits!

Worldwide Stout finally available in San Francisco!
We are limiting purchases to one 4 pack per customer. Of course you may also purchase single bottles. We will reserve bottles for BEER OF THE MONTH CLUB MEMBERS ONLY. All others will have to take their chances.

More new release info to come.

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Stay Healthy Turkey Tostada...So Simple and So Good!!!

Stay Healthy Turkey Tostada



Hi Readers!!!!

I demonstrated the Stay Healthy Tostada with a live video in an earlier blog. I hope you were able to watch and see how simple and fun this meal is to make. I guarantee that this will become one of your new favorites and the fabulous thing about this tasty treat is that you can truly make it your own by adding the healthy toppings you enjoy. So let's go and get busy in the kitchen....


Stay Healthy Turkey Tostada

1/2 lb ground lean turkey tostada
1 can fat free refried beans or whole pinto beans
1 jar of your favorite salsa
Crushed red pepper
1 jar jalapenos (your heat preference)
Taco seasoning
1 small bag shredded cabbage
1 avocado, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
Fat Free Sour Cream
Flat Out Wrap (whole grain)

Heat skillet and spray with Pam or nonstick spray, add some of the diced onions and cook until translucent. Add turkey meat to the onion and crushed red pepper to your taste preference. Mix the meat, onion, and pepper with a fork. Add the taco seasoning mix to spice preference, and 1/4 cup salsa. Continue to cook the turkey meat with the added ingredients until done. In a separate pan, heat beans on low adding a small amount of taco seasoning or salsa to taste.

Heat griddle and place 2 Flat Out Wraps cooking until brown and crispy (careful not to overcook as they will break on you).

Toppings:
Shredded Cabbage
Diced Tomatoes
Diced Sweet Onion or Red Onion (your preference)
Diced Avocados
Fat Free Sour Cream

Putting it Together:
Spread a layer of beans onto the crispy Flat Out Wrap, add a bit of turkey meat, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, onion, avocado, jalapenos and sour cream. You are ready to enjoy a healthy meal that is so good for you and tastes sooooo good as well.


Stay Healthy!!!!

Darla Benfield, LCPT, LCMT










BEER OF THE MONTH CLUB JANUARY 2010...

...is available for pick-up!

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Friday, December 11, 2009

THE NEWNESSSSS

1. De Ranke Noir
2.Nogne-O Batch #100
3. Struise Black Albert
4. Struise/Mikkeller Eliot DIPA
5. Bruery Rugbrod
6. Avery Old Jubilation
7. Deschutes Jubelale
8. Kona Porter
9. Lagunitas Cappucino Stout
10. Big Daddy IPA 22oz.
11. Speakeasy Payback Porter 22oz.
12. Double Daddy 22oz.
13. Rogue Santa's Private Reserve 22oz.
14. Bridgeport Stumptown Tart 22oz.
15. 21st Amendment Monks Blood cans 4pk
16.Monteiths Black Lager
17. Monteiths Original Ale

Come and get it!

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Peppermint Cookies...


I have to confess, I am a Christmas loving gal- I love everything about the holiday including the desserts, and my favorite--- anything pepperminty! I love the Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks, I love the chocolate dipped thin candy cane thing-ies, I love the Peppermint Joe-Joe's at Trader Joe's (honestly, you haven't experienced Peppermint heaven until you try these!!!)
**Side Note Picture of Peppermint Heaven, Trader Joe's Joe Joe's**
Ok, back on track now----So, I am always (well, that's not true) almost always in the mood to try a new recipe, so when I saw these in a Rachel Ray Magazine and they looked so divine all sprinkled with peppermint goodness, I have to give them a go. They turned out pretty good, so for the sake of not rewriting a recipe, I thought I would just link it here and you can follow hers if you are feeling in the mood for something new and pepperminty! I will include my pictures, because I am a visual learner and thought some of you may be too.








Side Note- She recommends baking cookies for 18 minutes- that will give you a crispy cookie (like an oreo) but if you want a fluffy or chewy cookie, I would remove them after about 10 minutes. You choose... or maybe do a sheet of each :)

Refined carbs, sugar, and cholesterol: My own experience

A few years ago I went to the doctor for a routine appointment, and I was told that my LDL cholesterol was elevated. I was in my early 40s. My lipid profile was the following - LDL: 156, HDL: 38, triglycerides: 188. The LDL was calculated. I was weighing about 210 lbs, which was too high for my height (5 ft 8 in). My blood pressure was low, as it has always been - systolic: 109, diastolic: 68.

My doctor gave me the standard advice in these cases: exercise, lose weight, and, most importantly, reduce your intake of saturated fat. I was also told that I would probably have to take statins, as my high LDL likely had something to do with my genetic makeup. Again, this is quite standard, and we see it all over the place, particularly in commercials for statins.

I told my doctor that I would do some research on the topic, which I am going to save for other posts. Let me get to the point, by telling you what my lipid profile is today - LDL: 123, HDL: 66, triglycerides: 46. Again, the LDL value is calculated. I am weighing about 152 lbs now, with about 13 percent of body fat.

The HDL and triglycerides numbers above are shown in bold font because my research convinced me that these two numbers are the ones most people should really worry about when trying to address what is known as dyslipidemia. Here I am assuming that only standard lipid profiles are available; there are better alternatives, such as particle type analyses, which are not yet standard.

Many people who suffer from cardiovascular disease have low LDL cholesterol, but very few of those have high HDL cholesterol, which is one of the best predictors of cardiovascular disease among lipids. More specifically, if you have an HDL higher than 60, you have a very small chance of developing cardiovascular disease. (It can happen, but it is very unlikely, with a percentage chance in the single digits.)

Interestingly, low HDL cholesterol is also associated with the metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by the following:

- High fasting serum glucose (hyperglycemia), which is one of many signs of insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes type 2;
- High blood pressure;
- Abdominal obesity (also known as pot or beer belly);
- Low HDL cholesterol; and
- Elevated triglycerides.

Now, you may ask, how did you increase your HDL? Well, I tried a number of things - diet and lifestyle changes - and had a blood test every 3 months. After a while I was able to put all of the measures in a spreadsheet table, and correlate them using a statistical software that I developed, to give me an idea of what was going on.

Weight was a big factor on LDL, and I was able to bring my weight down to 150 lbs and my LDL to below 100 at some point. For me, and many other people, body weight and LDL cholesterol are strongly and positively correlated (the higher the weight, the higher the LDL cholesterol - actually body fat seems to be the real culprit). Moreover, my LDL seemed to decrease more markedly when my weight was on the way down, and not as much when it was stable, even if low.

But the HDL would only increase if I increased my saturated fat intake. The problem is that every time I increased my saturated fat intake my LDL would go up; it reached 162 at one point, when my HDL went up to a modest but encouraging 47. That was my highest HDL until I eliminated refined carbs and sugars (e.g., bread, pasta, cereals, doughnuts, bagels, regular sodas) from my diet.

When I brought my intake of refined carbs and sugars down to zero, my intake of protein and saturated fat went up. Either that would happen, or I would starve, because you have to eat something. (I figured that I would not die by doing a low carb/high fat-protein experiment for 3 months to see what happened.) Also, I dramatically increased my dietary cholesterol - two to four eggs per day, organ meats, and seafood.

That is when my HDL shot up, to 66, and my LDL went down. Yes, my LDL levels seem to be negatively correlated with dietary saturated fat and cholesterol amounts, as long as I do not consume refined carbs and sugars. Moreover, it is very likely that my LDL particle size increased, and large LDL particles DO NOT cause atherosclerosis because they cannot penetrate the artery walls.

So, the bottom line is that, at least for me, an INCREASE in saturated fat and a DECREASE in refined carbs and sugars, happening together, seem to have taken me out of my previous path toward the metabolic syndrome.

Moreover, I feel a lot more energetic than before, my immune system seems to have gotten better at fighting disease, and even my pollen allergies are not as bad as they were before. Admittedly, these benefits may be strongly associated with the weight loss and the related reduction in body fat percentage.

I hope this post is helpful to others. The standard advice that people with high LDL cholesterol receive, which usually focuses on reducing saturated fat intake, has a big problem. When you reduce your intake of a type of food, you usually increase your intake of other types of food. Most people who try to reduce their saturated fat intake invariably increase their carb intake, usually with the wrong types of carb-rich foods (the man-made ones), simply because they go hungry.

Sunday, December 6, 2009


Here's this weeks meal plan... and if you need a movie plan and want to stir up the way you feel about food and how it goes from the processing to your table--- check out the film "Food, INC." if you haven't seen it already. It will definitely get you thinking on what you buy and what you eat. (And if you're interested in some Grass Fed Beef and you live local, let me know, I have a great rancher that sells and drops off here from Tehachapi).

For now, the menu:
Monday: Steak Cob Salad
Tuesday: Dover Sol, Green Salad, Sweet Potatoes (the farming connections have hooked us up with a 40 pound box of sweet potatoes, so we have a lot of them to eat- Thanks Buddy!)
Wednesday- Firehouse Tortilla Soup **New Recipe**
Thursday- Turkey Chili, Asparagus and Cornbread
Friday- left overs
Saturday- out

Friday, December 4, 2009

New Stuff

1. Allagash Odyssey
2. Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper 2009 (2008 still in stock!)
3. Mikkeller To/From 2009 (2008 From/To still in stock!)

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

LIFE+LIMB IS BACK!!!

I only got in one more case. It'll be behind the counter. One bottle per customer, no shipping.

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

5 Minute Fudge


This is one of my favorite desserts to make and give away during the holidays, probably because it's so easy and yet so incredibly tasty! It really only takes 5 minutes to make (REALLY!), refrigerate until it hardens, and then it's ready to cut and serve!

Ingredients:
12 oz chocolate chips
9 oz butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Super simple. Put your chips in a glass bowl and microwave them for about 1 minute, stop and stir, and continue in 30 second intervals until the chips are completely melted (be careful, the glass bowl will be hot!). Once the chips are melted and mixed, add your condensed milk and vanilla, give it another swirl, add your chopped walnuts, and mix until it's consistent throughout. Using a 8 x 8 greased baking dish and spatula, scoop the fudge out and smooth until it's evenly distributed. Refrigerate until firm, cut into squares and put on cute Christmas Plates! Wasn't that easy??? and it really was 5 minutes huh??





(Thanks for your request Katy~ sorry it took me so long! Happy Fudging!)

Thursday, December 3, 2009

NEW STUFF FOR THEE.

1. Straffe Hendrik Tripel
2.Port Brewing Old Viscosity is back!
3. Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi
4. Lost Abbey Lost&Found is back!
5. Koningshoeven Bock
6. Grand Teton Black Cauldron Imperial Stout (delicious)
7.He'Brew Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah 13th Anniversary


cheers!

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Quinoa, Chicken, & Veggie Pilaf...

Ok, so here's what I do when I don't feel like a lot of prep (or brain effort) but still what a good meal loaded with protein and lots of yummy veggies. Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA) is a great staple to have on hand- it's packed with protein, calcium, and iron plus it cooks quickly! At the end of the week, I pull out whatever veggies are left, saute them, and throw them in this dish. It's different every time, but easy all the time!

Chicken pieces browning
Sauteing vegetables; red pepper, onion, & garlic
Everything combined in one skillet before adding it to the quinoa...
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups quinoa
2 cloves garlic
1/3 onion (use what you have)
1-2 chicken breasts
veggies of your choice; I have used these combinations:
  • red pepper, brocholi, red onion, chicken
  • mushroom, snowpeas, yellow bell pepper, green onion chicken
  • carrots, celery, onion, left over turkey pieces
Directions:
In a large skillet, add your chicken broth and quinoa, and let comet to a boil while you prep everything else. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 10-12 minutes. Wash & dice you veggies (if you are adding chicken, wash & dice that too and brown it in a separate pan, seasoning it with s & p and some garlic powder). Once all your veggies are chopped, add a TBSP of grape seed oil into a hot pan, add your veggies & garlic and let sautee for about 3-4 minutes. At this point, hopefully your quinoa will almost be done cooking, so add your veggies and chicken, stir altogether, cover and let cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add any seasoning you prefer, or leave it as it is with its light flavor and yummy vegetable taste.

*** Lots of times people give me feedback in person, so I will try to pass it on when I remember to add it to the post. A recommendation for this dish was to serve it with Soy Sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos if it is to bland for your pallet.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Meal Plan for Nov. 30- Dec. 5th


Hope you all had a wonderful and tasty Thanksgiving Dinner, now, back to the ol' stomp and grind...

Monday-Caesar Salad with Seasoned Chicken
Tuesday- Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi, Swiss Chard, Brown Rice
Wednesday- Quinoa, Veggies & Shredded Chicken
Thursday- Mexican Lasagna
Friday- left overs plus White Bean Salad (to snack on & have for lunch)
Saturday- out

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving Hours

We will be open from 9AM to 4PM on Thanksgiving.

Happy Drinking!

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

De Broef/Bell's "Van Twee" and more!

1. De Proef/Bell's Signature Series #3 "Van Twee"
2. Ayinger Weizen Bock
3. Samuel Smith Winter Welcome
4. Traquair House Ale
5. Traquair Jacobite Ale
6. New Belgium Frambozen 6-pk
7. Elysian Bifrost


cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610



17 Mixed Beans & Turkey Soup



Here's a little concoction that I came up with, super easy, very hardy, and very little to it! This is a different soup with chunks of ground turkey in it or try it with left over turkey chunks if you're feeling adventurous! The red wine in it gives it a really great flavor, making it taste different than most typical bean soups. **Warning, you need to soak your beans the night before, so this isn't a last minute guy!

Ingredients:
2 TBSP Grape Seed Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large (or 2 medium) yellow onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 bag of mixed beans (I buy mine at TJ's)
1 package of ground turkey
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 (32 oz) cartons of Vegetable Broth (also from TJ's)
3 handfuls spinach, rinsed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/8 cup red wine
Here's the bag of Beans & Barley I used...
Directions:
This recipe does require a little fore-thought, you need to soak your beans over night in a large bowl or pot of water. When you are ready to cook, use a slotted spoon and remove and floating ]extras and drain and rinse your beans. Then, in your biggest pot, add your oil and all your chopped veggies. Let those saute while you brown the ground turkey in a separate pan, adding some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the turkey while it's cooking. When the turkey is browned and the veggies are sauteed, combine them and add your drained beans and veggie broth. Dump in your tomatoes and add your seasoning and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce and let simmer for 1 hour. Add spinach for the last 5 minutes and serve with french bread or solo- you choose.
Beans soaking over night...
Drain your beans and rinse in a collander...
All the ingredients before the broth...

Pumpkin Pie- (not from scratch!!!) and Homemade Whip Cream




Now, I know a lot of you out there are working hard at gettin' food on the table... so here's a little something you can do to cut some corners. With the holidays coming up, kids running around your ankles, and the calendar overflowing, there are some short-cuts that I prefer to take... especially when I am bringing more than one dish (more like 4!!!) to our Thanksgiving Feast! If you want that yummy pumpkin pie that everyone will ohhh and ahh over, here's your ticket- and they'll be amazed, it's still warm in a homemade dish not a store bought container!!! The secret, it's on the back of "Liby's" can!!!

1 can Liby's pumpkin (& follow her recipe plus 1 secret ingredient!)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg ** the one thing I add to the mix
2 large eggs
1 can evaporated milk
Pie Crust- if you have the necessary tools, make your own crust, if not, go out and get your self a premaid, prerolled, uncooked refrigerated pie crust by Pilsbury.

Directions:
Mix sugar and spices together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat eggs, add sugar mixture and pumpkin and gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Lay your pie crust in a pie dish and push it to the sides of the dish, pour the mixture and bake for 15 minutes on 425 then turn your oven down to 350 and let it bake another 40 -50 minutes until you can stick a knife in towards the center and it comes out clean. Let it cool about 2 hours before serving.

TIP To save your crust from getting too brown, cut strips of foil and cover the crust all the way around the pie, then 20 minutes before it's done, remove them and they will turn a beautiful golden brown!


Don't forget the homemade whip cream!!!
Ingredients:
1/2 pint heavy cream
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Pour ingredients in a glass bowl and beat on medium-high until it's fluffy! Refrigerate and serve a dollup with your pumpkin pie!


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Homemade Apple Pie

Just in time for the holidays.....
My dad is by far the BEST APPLE PIE MAKING MACHINE OUT THERE! Without fail, his pies turn out beautiful and delicious everytime, no buts about that! I love going up for a visit during apple season, you can bet he'll be in the kitchen whipping up one of his famous crispy, warm, toasted, sweet yet a little tart- apple pies... you droolin' yet??? I am!

Ingredients:
6 thinly sliced apples (I do 4 tart, 2 sweet)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP lemon juice
pie crust, homemade or refrigerated, uncooked like Pilsbury

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425. Lay your pie crusts in your pie dish and let sit. Stir together your sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt. Peel, core, and slice your apples and add them to the mixture, gently mixing them. Pour the mixture into the dishes and cut your butter into slices and lay them on top of the apples. Cover it with the top crust, seal and flute it. Cover the edges of the pie with foil so that it doesn't burn and remove the foil for the last 15 minutes so it can turn a golden crispy brown. Cut a few slits in the top to let air and moisture escape. Bake it for 40- 50 minutes until the juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust. Remove, let cool for a bit, but serve warm solo or a la mode!



Need some help choosing the right apples? Try these: Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Pippin, Fuij, Braeburn, and Pink Lady