Mystery Meals

05/24/2026

Nothing screams America like hotdogs and red, white, and blue 😂😂

05/23/2026

Non dairy Cheese Sauce
The most cheesiest cheese sauce I have ever tasted! Coolest part, it's not made with cheese!! I'm a huge huge huge cheese lover. In my mind the more cheese the better.This cheese sauce blew mind. I couldn't even tell it wasn't actually cheese. Great on nachos, Mac and cheese, baked potatoes, ect. You can add more taco seasoning to do an amazing taco night or nachos, or you can remove it and add herbs and spices to create a whole new different cheese.I was fortunate to be able to go to a conference and meet Humane World for Animals and their Chef Tracy.

Serves16

2 cups of peeled potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of water (reserved liquid)
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp of salt, divided
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of onion powder
Taco seasoning
Green chilies (optional)

Preparation
Boil potatoes and carrots with 1 teaspoon salt until tender; about 25-30 minutes.
When done, drain and reserve liquid.
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
If cheese is too thick add a little of the reserved liquid, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
Taste and add ½ teaspoon salt, if necessary.

(Put a little bit of taco seasoning at a time to adjust the flavor)

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05/11/2026

Getting prepared to make violet and dandelion jelly!!

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05/10/2026

Lilac Jelly
This one blows my mind! Light taste of lilac but you get a lot of fruity flavor. Reminds me of a fruity candy I had before, absolutely delicious. If the color isn’t to your liking you can always add a bit of blueberry juice to get that deeper purple color.
Found on https://practicalselfreliance.com/lilac-jelly/

4 cups lilac blossoms
4 cups water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 to 4 cups sugar *see note
1 box (1.75 oz) pectin (Regular or Low Sugar)

Separate 4 cups of lilac blossoms from their stems, carefully removing any green parts.
Pour 4 cups boiling water over the top of the lilac blossoms and allow the tea to infuse for about 10 minutes. It should be a turquoise color (which will change to pink when lemon juice is added). If it's not, you can add a few mashed blueberries of blackberries at this step for color, but that's optional.)
Strain the lilac tea into a saucepan or jam pot. Add the lemon juice, which will adjust color, but it's also required to balance the sugar in the recipe and help the pectin set, so don't skip the lemon!
Bring the mixture to a boil and add the powdered pectin, stirring to dissolve. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute before adding sugar. (Note: Do not add the sugar at the same time as the pectin, or before the pectin, or the jell will not set.)
Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve (See notes on quantity). Bring the mixture back to a full boil for 1 minute before ladling into jelly jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
If canning, process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Otherwise, allow the jars to cool completely on the counter before storing in the refrigerator (for up to a month) or the freezer for up to 6 months.

NOTES
A note on sugar...

If using standard pectin, you must use a 1:1 ratio of liquid to sugar. That means for 4 cups lilac tea you'd need a minimum of 4 cups sugar to get the jelly to set. That results in a very sweet "old-fashioned" jelly. To reduce the sugar, simply use low sugar pectin instead and then make the jelly as instructed but using less sugar. I suggest sure jel low sugar, which is very dependable.

Lowering sugar will also lower yield, and the yield of 5 half-pints is for a full sugar recipe.

05/10/2026

05/09/2026

Violets have finally popped up and I can’t wait to make some jelly!

Violet Jelly
This was a lot of fun to make. My favorite part was to watch the color change when I added the lemon juice, Was like magic!
Found on www.healthygreenkitchen.com

2 cups violet flower petals no stems- make sure you gather them from an area which has not been sprayed with chemicals (and where your dogs don’t do their business)
2 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1.75 oz pectin
2 cups sugar though I rarely use white sugar, I did in this case because I wanted to make sure the jelly would have the vibrant pink color.

Rinse and drain flower petals, and place in heat-proof glass bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over petals. Cover and allow to steep overnight, or for up to 24 hours.
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve: use a wooden spoon to press all the liquid from the plant material (compost or discard the flowers when you're through). The liquid will have a greenish tint at this point. If not using it right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
Combine strained liquid with lemon juice in the saucepan (notice how it turns purple!), then whisk in the pectin and the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, whisking to ensure the sugar and pectin dissolve thoroughly, then turn heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes (or until the jelly has reduced a bit and thickened).
Skim off any foam and then ladle into your clean, hot and sterile jars, leaving 1/8″ head space. Wipe lids and screw on the the rings, then process in a hot-water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove jars and allow to cool for 24 hours on the counter.
**If your not looking to can you can always put into a clean glass jar and leave out til room temp then in fridge for 24 house to solidify.

05/08/2026

Angel food cake, berries, and cream.
making angel food cake you have to make sure your peaks are stiff when making your meringue or your cake will go flat. The longer you whisk your egg whites the better.

05/07/2026

Black Drawing Salve
We use this a lot in our house for many things.
*Recipe underneath

Website: https://wellnessmama.com/remedies/black-drawing-salve/

*This salve is a wonderful natural remedy but it is not a replacement for medical care when needed

Black drawing salve is commonly used for drawing out skin infections, splinters, slivers, boils, warts, bug bites, and bee stings, insect venom. Any thing that needs drawn out from the skin.

3 Tablespoons comfrey, calendula and plantain infused olive oil (see instructions below)
2 teaspoons shea butter
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons Beeswax
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
2 Tablespoons Activated Charcoal Powder
2 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay
1 Tablespoon honey
20 drops (or more) Lavender Essential Oil
Salve Instructions

Before making the salve, it is important to infuse olive oil with comfrey, calendula and plantain. You will need 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs, finely powdered in a food processor or blender, and ½ cup olive oil. It can be infused in one of these two ways:
Powder the herbs and place in a small jar. Pour oil over the herbs. Leave in jar for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily, and then strain through a cheesecloth for use.
Heat the herbs and olive oil in a double boiler. Leave on low/medium heat for about an hour until oil gets strong smelling and darker. Strain through cheesecloth for use.
Personally, I keep a big jar of olive oil with plantain, comfrey and calendula in my herb cabinet and let it constantly infuse for use in salves and lotions. When the oil is used, I discard the herbs and begin the process again.
Combine infused olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil and honey in a glass jar in a small pan of water.
Heat the water to a simmer and carefully stir mixture in the jar until all ingredients are melted.
Remove from heat and add activated charcoal, kaolin clay, and lavender essential oil and mix well.
Quickly pour in to small jars or tins and let sit until hardened (several hours).
Store in airtight container and use as needed on cuts, splinters, etc.

04/23/2026

Fajita Seasoning
Easy to make. Best part, you should have everything in your spice cabinet! Instead of buying packets or pre made bottles, you can make it yourself, knowing and trusting what’s in your seasoning. Its also more cost effective to make it yourself. I make a jar for my own home and a big one for Warwick Community School in Warwick Massachusetts. I like To use when making a one pan chicken fajitas or chicken burritos yum yum 🤤
From https://downshiftology.com/recipes/fajita-seasoning/

1.5 Tablespoon chili powder
1.5 tablespoon ground cumin
3 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
1.5 teaspoon salt
1.5-2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Stir all spices together in a bowl. Use immediately or store in air tight container.

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