Tag: food

Dorothea’s Dishes: Cinnamon Applesauce!

Hello everyone!

I am so excited to another one of Dorothea’s Dishes with you all! To go along with our current Autumnal theme since apples are beginning to come into season, I thought it might be fun to share my grandmother’s cinnamon applesauce recipe! I have such fond memories of this recipe from my childhood– she often make this dish keep extra quarts in her freezer for whenever I would come to visit. I must admit I became so spoiled by this recipe, any other store-bought applesauce just doesn’t compare!

Here is the recipe:

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram, my handle is @thegingerintrovert! Also use the hashtag #Dorothea’sDishes, so everyone else can see it, too!

Happy autumn!

XOXO

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Dorothea’s Dishes: Easter Eggs!

Take a leaf from my grandmother’s cookbook and learn how she made her chocolate Easter eggs! In two delicious flavors… peanut butter and chocolate!

Hello everyone!

One of my most precious belongings is a cook book that my grandmother put together in 2016. My grandmother was a cooking legend in our family. She was known for many things: her expertise in the kitchen, always having at least three desserts after dinner, and her three refrigerators that were filled with leftovers and pre-cooked meals. In 2016, my grandmother made these cookbooks for my mom and my aunts. And after her passing in November, I inherited the copy that she made for herself. Ever since then I have been trying to connect more with her memory by learning to cook, and trying out some of her recipes every now and again.

Since Easter is a day away, I thought I would share a fun recipe with you guys, in honor of Dorothea (and Jesus!). Easter and Christmas were the two biggest holidays for my grandmother, and she made these eggs every year… In at least three flavors, of course! Below is her recipe for her peanut butter and coconut flavored chocolate eggs. She also made a cherry and vanilla flavor, but I can’t seem to find those recipes… So I suppose I’ll have to do a little digging in the family archive (AKA the cook book cabinet) and publish a part two next Easter! I’ve also added a couple of notes in brackets, just in case something didn’t make much sense or needed clarifying.

Dorothea’s Easter Egg Recipe

Cream [mix?] until very soft:

1 stick of butter or butterine [a word my grandmother used for margerine]

1 pkg. (8 oz. size) cream cheese

Mix in:

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

For peanut butter eggs add 1-1/2 cups peanut butter.

For coconut eggs add 2 small cans of coconut.

If you want both kinds of eggs, divide the batter into halves or 2/3rd and 1/3rd. For half the batter for the peanut butter eggs use 2/3 C[can?] peanut butter or a little more depending on how strong you want the peanut butter and for coconut eggs divide batter accordingly.

Shape eggs and chill (freezer is the best way) on a cookie sheet with waxed paper before dipping in the following:

6 blks. Baker’s unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 bar German chocolate. We like to use a milder, lighter chocolate from Wilber Chocolate factory [Wilber Chocolate is a local brand in Lancaster, PA]. Better yet, a semi-sweet chocolate, light. Hershey’s is good, too.

After the egg is dipped in the chocolate you can roll it in crushed peanuts [if desired], and put egg immediately on wax paper one at a time. Chill in the freezer again until hard, and then serve!

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I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you do end up trying your hand at this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I would love to see! My handle is @thegingerintrovert 🙂 I am planning on making this a semi-regular series on this blog, since there were so many dishes that my grandmother made year round that I would love to share with you all. So stay tuned… I may be sharing her Creamsicle Cake and Lemon Bar recipes in honor of the spring and summer months!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter–He is risen!

XOXO

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Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  
John 14:6

10 Tips to Eat Healthier

Changing your daily eating habits can be difficult. That’s why I’ve shared some of my tips to kickstart a more healthy lifestyle!

Hello everyone!

I struggle with my nutrition and eating right so much. I have no problem motivating myself to get up and exercise most days, but for some reason, food has always sorta stumped me. I’ve wrestled with healthy eating choices for years, so I’ve developed some tricks along the way to make sure that I eat what I should… And not what I shouldn’t.

1.

Everybody always says that the ratio is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise, and I know through experience they’re right. If you don’t keep an eye of what you put into your body, the exercise may as well be futile. Keeping a food journal is a good way to start tracking what you eat. I’m not necessarily saying to count calories, but journaling helps you be more mindful of what you put into your body.

2.

Drink. Water. And lots of it. If anything, try to cut sugared drinks out completely. When I was in high school, I drank one to two Cokes a day after school. When I stopped and just drank water, I swear it made a huuuuge difference. Try to only have two or three sugary drinks a week. This goes for iced teas, sodas, and alcoholic drinks. Still want a refreshing drink for those last days of summer? Find a seltzer water you like, or infuse your water with fruit!

3.

Try not to have too many salty snacks as well, such as chips and things like that. Cut down on snacking on chips and cookies and other things like that, and choose things like fruit or hummus. A few handfuls of chips or crackers can easily turn into polishing the entire bag or box. Again, I know from experience, haha!

4.

Not all granola bars are made equal. Avoid bars that have less than 3% protein, because that’s the stuff that will make you feel full! If there’s even less than 4%, you will probably still feel hungry after you’ve eaten the thing.

5.

If you get a sugar craving or feel unnecessarily hungry soon after you’ve eaten, take a drink of water. Sometimes when our bodies are thirst or need water, the signal gets confused and translated into a craving.

6.

Find some superfoods you know your body and your tastebuds like. I’ve gotten into eating overnight oats and greek yogurt with fruit lately. I eat them at both breakfast and lunch most days because I like how they taste, they travel well, and they keep me feeling full so I don’t snack. Find a couple things like this you can switch throughout the week, so you won’t get tired of them.

7.

Figure out what your body runs best on. For me, I need lots of protein in order to feel fuller longer. For some others, I know carbohydrates are the thing their body needs to run right. Feel out what makes your body feel the best after you’ve eaten it! If that turns out to be pasta in small doses, so be it.

8.

Keep it balanced when you’re eating. Keep general portions in mind when you eat. I like trying to adhere to the old plate-pie chart: 50% proteins, 25% fruits/veggies, and 25% starch (mashed potatoes, chips, etc.).

9.

If you’re craving something, just have it. Have that cake, pie, chocolate, or whatever it may be. Just don’t let it turn into more than one portion. Set a goal for yourself that you’ll only have three or four sweet treats a week, and stick to it. That way, you look forward to those indulgences, but you also learn to set limits for yourself.

10.

I rely on Pinterest for healthy recipe ideas, as clichĂ© as that sounds! But it truly is such an amazing resource. When I’m just not feeling my go-to meals, I just search “healthy recipes” and thousands of options pop up. There’s something for everybody, and I find the Pinterest algorithm less intimidating than the deluge of information that comes with a Google search.

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I’m not a nutritionist. I am just a girl who tries her best to eat as healthily as possible, and I stumble and make mistakes frequently. And I mean it when I say frequently. Everybody is different! Do your research, and do what’s best for your body. And as always, know that when you slip up, that it’s not the end of the world. Just keep on going, and doing your best!

What are some of your favorite tricks to keep yourself on track and eating healthy? Let me know in the comments!

XOXO

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