I'm back but I'm not here. Huh? I know, doesn't make much sense. I'm back but I'm over here.

What's Cooking is now Real Food Healthy Living! Come see me over there where I'll be posting again!

I'm still here....just can't start posting again yet. I hope this blog is still useful to some of you as you can look up recipes still.

I do want to tell you that I have big plans for this blog. Someday. It's going to get a full make over including a name change and some great new features (like a search bar that works!). It's also going to broaden it's focus to include more than just cooking. I've been working on developing it all in my mind. Now just to find the time to make it happen. I know that won't be for awhile yet so hang in there with me.

Be sure to check out this giveaway I'm having

Even though this blog is on a leave of absence, I needed to share this issue with you.

According to Food Democracy Now, they are advising that Monsanto's GMO (genetically modified organism) alfalfa is about to be approved as organic by USDA Secretary Vilsack.  This would basically ensure cross-contamination of feed used by organic dairy farmers.  Again, if you haven't watched Food, Inc. - it's time you did because this is scary stuff going on.

You have till March 3rd to either mail a letter or fill out the online form as part of a petition. If filling out the online form, copy and paste the letter to the right of it but edit the quotation marks, the section about the header, put the part in about the "refer to", and edit your name in it. OR you can use this version below that I've edited for you but sign your name at the bottom. Just copy and paste it into the little "comments" box.

Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD

APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238

Please refer to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044.

Dear Secretary Vilsack,

As an American citizen who cares about how our nation’s food is grown and produced, I was shocked to read about the USDA’s recent draft environmental impact statement (EIS) that would allow genetically modified alfalfa to enter the U.S. market, despite the USDA’s acknowledged risk of genetic contamination to conventional and organic alfalfa.

I am writing in regard to draft EIS (APHIS-2007-0044) to ask that you reject Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa and to reconsider several of the misleading statements found in the USDA's draft EIS. Since freedom from genetically modified materials is a central tenet to complying with the Organic Standards, failure to reject GMO alfalfa will make the Obama / Vilsack USDA a willing accomplice in the destruction of the organic sector.

As the USDA EIS readily admits, such contamination will cause significant economic harm to small conventional and organic family farmers, not only forcing many of them out of business, but further increasing farm size and consolidating agriculture into the hands of fewer individuals. Hopefully, this is neither a goal of the USDA nor of this current administration or an unintended consequence of any of its policies.

In addition, the implication that U.S. consumers do not care about genetic contamination of organic food shows that the Obama administration is not only out of touch with the American people, but demonstrates how little they understand the fastest growing and most profitable sectors of agriculture today.

As a consumer of organic foods, I care deeply about the integrity of the products that I buy. Not only does organic food production offer better protection for the environment and produce foods that are higher in nutritional density, but it also offers a better economic return for family farmers who have set the highest standard for agricultural production.

It is my hope, that as a Secretary of Agriculture that promised he would represent “eaters” as well as farmers, that you would reject GMO alfalfa so that you can do both.

Sincerely,

Please feel free to share this website with others.

A little while back I told you that I turned my thermostat down 2 degrees to see if it would save on our gas bill. The bill came and I'm excited to tell you that the bill dropped $70. I'm so shocked that I'm tempted to lower it 1 or 2 more degrees and see what the results are. We'll see if I'm brave enough to actually do that.

Now, on a more solemn note.....I've decided to stop blogging here for awhile. While I love blogging, I'm going through a season in life where this recipe blog just isn't practical to keep up with. I've so enjoyed working on this blog and I hope I can return to it someday. In the meantime though, the realty is that I'm working now, cleaning houses (while still homeschooling my kids) since my husband has been out of work now for 9 months and no, we don't get unemployment checks. We are at a crossroad in our life and it seems to be a long one. We just found out yesterday that it might be much longer. Life for now is about survival in a tough recession and trying to keep our heads up. We are clinging to the fact that God is good and as long as He is glorified through our suffering, then so be it.

I know I promised printable recipe cards but we just haven't had the time to make them available. I do hope we can in the future. In the meantime, feel free to look up recipes here often. I'll still be here so if you have a question about a recipe, feel free to comment and I'll answer them.

Oh and I keep meaning to tell you that we eat fish now! LOL. A miracle I know!

When I do come back I plan on updating the blog with new features and a face lift. I will still be blogging a little bit over at The Things We Do (for therapeutic reasons) and Hope Chest of Wisdom (when I feel led to jot down things for my daughter).

Sincerely,

I love this soup. It doesn't look like much but it's so flavorful and filling. Total comfort food in the winter!

1 c lentils
1 c split peas
1 c brown rice
(or any combo of the above to equal 3 cups)
4 quarts water
1/2 c dried veggie soup mix (I buy mine in bulk from a local store but you could substitute Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix or other types of dry soup mix. Just be sure to adjust for the amount of salt to taste in the recipe.)
2 tbsp dried onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

If you are really poor you can lower the 3 cups of grains to just 2 cups. Rinse grains. Boil water in large pot adding all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer on the stove for about 2 hours. Serve with bread and butter.

I've been testing these bread bags out and I'm excited to tell you that I'm really happy with them! First I did my research and while I couldn't find any statements from Debbie Meyer's website I was able to find info on other websites about them. My understanding is that they are safe when it comes to what they are made out of and that the technology has to do with tiny holes and not chemicals that the bag has been treated with. Several bloggers who are committed to going green, natural living, etc...are recommending these bags.

But do they work? YES. I make a lot of my own bread and being that I don't put preservatives in my bread it can go bad much faster than store bought bread. There is the option of refrigerating the bread to make it last longer but I want to avoid that for two reasons:

1. I heard that refrigeration of bread ruins some of the nutritional content of the bread.

2. It gets dried out in the fridge.

These bread bags have helped my bread stay fresher for much longer than when I use a ziplock.

BUT if anyone knows more information or can share links about why I should NOT use these bags, please let me know. I haven't been able to find anything negative or concerning but I would be VERY interested if there is that kind of info out there.

THANKS!

Tulip's question is:

Ok....so after spending months being pregnant with no energy, not being able to bend over, then surgery, it's been forever since I've decently cleaned my shower...boy, is it disgusting!! What are your tips to getting a super gross shower with hard water stains clean?!?!

Being that I'm actually now an expert in house cleaning (or at least I like to think that I am) I feel like I can answer this question with confidence. I scrub 9-10 showers a week. Yikes. Counting that up is kinda scary and depressing. (For those that don't know, I clean houses to help earn money to feed our family while my husband is out of work.)

Zep- Zep is my new friend. Zep is for tubs and tile but also comes in a mildew version as well. I use both. This stuff is POWERFUL and does an amazing job...especially when I have to clean tile grout. I buy Zep at Home Depot in a quite large bottle for an amazing sticker price of less than $2 (I think it's a buck 50). Spray it on and let it sit for a bit. Then Zep, Zep, Zep it's gone! Go get it right now. It's fun to say too.

Bar Keepers Friend- I've talked about BKF before and let me tell you, it. is. a. favorite. of mine for the kitchen AND the bathrooms. This stuff scrubs off calcium deposits like nobody's business. Works awesome on glass shower doors if you use a good scratch sponge. (psst, it cleans toilets great too!) BKF also removes a lot of stains although some shower stains I have found to be just plain old stained...unremovable. Short of taking a wrecking ball to the shower some stains just want leave. We must fold our hands and except this.

CLR- I love CLR too. It works great on rust and calcium build up. Can't say that I've ever had lime to remove but I'm sure it would do that too. If you've got an old tub with rust issues, this is your stuff. If you've got age old calcium build up let CLR sit on it for a bit and then scrub away. I also have a trick for getting the calcium out of the shower head so that it will spray well again. Pour CLR into a cup and hold the cup over the shower head letting the head soak in the cup of CLR. Take a toothbrush to the head and repeat this a few times. It should help remove calcium that is up in the sprayer as well and return the head to a nice flow of water.

Those are my 3 shower power cleaners!