Wednesday, February 19, 2014

No More Brown Guacamole

"Ugh, my guacamole always turns brown!" could top a list of First-World problem statements I've caught myself saying.

You've heard of First-World problems, right?  They're some of life's minor complaints and irritants that those of us who have been blessed beyond measure find ourselves uttering because we have it so.  crazy.  good.

Things that folks in many places around the world couldn't even comprehend saying because they have much bigger, larger or more urgent worries.  

So while browning guacamole is far from a catastrophe, it is something that I've tried, unsuccessfully, to conquer for years…until now.

Sweet Pea Husband gave me an idea a few weeks ago, and ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to share with you that it is a fool-proof, easy and simple solution.

The answer?

Water.

Yes, just water.

(Isn't it cool that many of life's issues, whether large or small, often have very simple solutions?)

Here's how it works:

Make up your fresh guacamole.  Need a recipe?  We like making this simple guacamole:



Eat what you want, share what you want or keep it all for later.  Place in a lidded container:



Smooth the top:




Cover with water so no part of the guacamole is exposed:


Refrigerate until you're ready to eat or serve, then remove from the fridge:


Simply pour off the water, stir in any minor residual water and enjoy!:

Same guacamole, one day later!



Because avocado has a lot of healthy oils in it, the water doesn't seep into the guacamole (oil and water don't mix, right?) and any trace of water you mix into the guacamole doesn't change the texture or flavor.

Pretty cool, eh?

Life is sweet,
SPC

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Really Natural Mint Chocolate Chip Snow Cream

Here in Sweet Peaville we're experiencing our sixth, yes sixth, calamity day.  Not sure how I feel about the term "calamity" day since most of our days were far from a calamity; no huge snow or ice event, just cold, cold, cold.

But today our calamity is snow and ice that made a mess of our roads and driveways. With R and G home from school, I tried to employ their strength in clearing our driveway.  While they were helpful, the snow and ice that accumulated last night is so heavy that when I put my first shovel scoop throw the mass and tried to lift, it was too much.

This is the type of snow that causes weather forecasters to say on the television, "don't over exert yourself!" and "make sure you're up for shoveling."  It is heavy snow, seemingly having the weight per square inch of lead.  This is only a slight exaggeration.

Today also marks the beginning of the "Blizzard Bags" that many Ohio schools are using as a way to compensate for being out of school so much this winter.  R and G brought theirs home yesterday which was rather foreboding since I still held out hope that there would be school today (ha!).  In G's packet he had an assignment to make snow cream.

In classic G form, he took a look at the recipe for vanilla snow cream and asked, "what if we added peppermint and chocolate chips and make Mint Chocolate Chip Snow Cream?!"

I loved this idea.  It was really tasty, and since many of my readers probably have some white stuff in their yards, I share this recipe to inspire!  What flavor combination will you try??

Really Natural Mint Chocolate Chip Snow Cream

4 cups fresh, clean snow (as G said, "avoid yellow snow!!")
1 cup milk (we used almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
a few drops peppermint essential oil (we love DoTerra Peppermint Oil)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Gather your snow:



Add the milk, vanilla and peppermint oil, and stir well:






Add the sugar and chocolate chips and stir again:




Enjoy!:


G, sporting his recently lost tooth-gap-y grin


Makes 4 cups snow cream.

Life is sweet,
SPC