This is my favorite kind of recipe – super simple and extraordinarily delicious.

This is my favorite kind of recipe – super simple and extraordinarily delicious. The basic idea is to brown a whole chicken in a Dutch oven and then finish it off in the oven at low heat. This cooking method allows for the chicken to simmer in its own juices. The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4½ – to 5-pound bird. A 3½ – to 4½-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours.

It is best to use a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. Use the best chicken you can find, such as a free range, organic or locally pastured chicken. The amount of jus (remaining pan juices) will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about ¼ teaspoon lemon juice for every ¼ cup jus. Thank you to Cook’s Illustrated for inspiring this recipe.

Check out this article published about me by Kevin Hargis of Texas Coop Power Magazine. He attended one of my cooking workshops and I think it made an impression!

The photo is taken at the workshop by Woody Welch, professional photographer and friend.

Create a healthy habit this New Year with a daily gentle cleanse. This is my favorite cleanse that I have been personally incorporating into my routine for about 12 years now.

It simply consists of blending a whole lemon with some water and olive oil.

It simply consists of blending a whole lemon with some water and olive oil.

There are few fruits that nature gives to us in the winter. Most fruits are available in the summer. The few fruits that are available come winter are tart, sour fruits like persimmons, pomegranates, grapefruits, oranges, and lemons. It makes sense that we shouldn’t eat sweet and sugary fruits in winter, a time when we sweat much less and are typically less active. Eating too much sweet and not building enough heat to burn it off can result in damp conditions in the body. This lends to the perfect breeding ground for conditions like candida as well as colds and flu’s. It is important to eat in season and eat the fruits offered by mother nature at the time she offers them. Lemons are perfect to emphasize at this time. They are sour, the flavor which helps the liver to purge excess that we might have accumulated from over indulgences from the fall harvest.

It makes sense that we shouldn’t eat sweet and sugary fruits in winter, a time when we sweat much less and are typically less active.

This drink is a mild version of the Liver-Gallbladder cleanse which consists of days of preparation and then a final cleansing day of drinking ½ cup of olive oil and about equal parts of lemon juice. The result is usually the release of many gallstones. Of course, doctors never tell you there is a $10 cure for reducing inflammation of the gallbladder and releasing gallstones that is much cheaper and less painful then removing your gallbladder (which you have for a reason, by the way!). But, this natural remedy, which I have performed many times on myself does exist and works! If you are not up for such an extreme cleanse, try this beverage which is a much milder version of the Liver-Gallbladder flush and is great to keep your liver and gallbladder just a little happier.

I know what some of you might be thinking – brisket cooked in a crockpot!? Yes… [a] crockpot is easy and keeps the brisket moist.

Let’s face it, life is busy. You want to serve something different and interesting for your Christmas or New Year’s party, but really don’t have time to make something complicated nor the time to pour through food magazines to figure it out. Okay, I will let you in on a secret…serve this dish and people will be talking about it for months to come and they will think you spent hours making it! Part of the charm of this dish is that it is made in the crockpot. I know what some of you might be thinking – brisket cooked in a crockpot!? Yes, you diehard BBQers, not everyone has a smoker. A crockpot is easy and keeps the brisket moist.

I have served this dish for my last couple of parties as well as at a catered event for one hundred women farmers and for a cooking workshop and everyone loved it every time. For a low carb version, you can serve the brisket in a cabbage wrap. It is crunchy and different than the typical tortilla wrap. Choose grassfed, pasture raised brisket for the healthiest option and to get your Omega-3’s over grain fed, feedlot beef. If you don’t have the budget or access to brisket, you can use shoulder or chuck roast.

Crockpot Brisket Tacos

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

• 3-5 pounds grass fed beef brisket (plan on ½lb. per person before cooked)
• 1 rough chopped onion
• 6-8 diced cloves of garlic
• 1 bottle of your favorite beer (optional)
• 2 cups beef broth – ideally homemade and/or organic

Spice rub

• 2 tablespoons good salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons chili powder or a powder of your favorite chili (chipotle or ancho is great) or 4-5 ancho chilis

Instructions

1. Mix all spices together into spice rub and rub all over meat.
2. Place brisket in crock pot and place onions and garlic around brisket.
3. Add broth and beer.
4. Set on low to cook and cook for about 4-6 hours or until it is falling apart tender. Do not overcook or you will lose the flavor.
5. Once tender, remove from crock pot and slice against the grain on a cutting board.
6. Place back inside crock pot to keep warm and in juices.
7. Serve in corn or flour tortillas or in cabbage wraps. Napa cabbage works the best. Serve with taco fixins’ such as sour cream, salsa, cilantro, guacamole and shredded raw cheddar. Beans and winter squash soup also make a great addition to this dish.

Enjoy!

It is getting close to turkey day and you may be wondering what on earth you will do with all of the leftovers. This is where I come in. Don’t let that carcass and leftovers go to waste! Nourishing turkey broth, here we come.

I make broth all year long with many different kinds of bones – chicken, beef, fish, etc. I drink broth, I cook with it, I bathe with it (just kidding), and I use it for all kinds of purposes because I love the taste and I know it is so good for me.

I make broth all year long with many different kinds of bones – chicken, beef, fish, etc. I drink broth, I cook with it, I bathe with it…(just kidding)

Broth made from bones (also called stock) is full of gelatin and minerals. It is one of the most healing concoctions on the planet. There is a old quote I like that says “Good broth will resurrect the dead.” Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it can resurrect one from feeling almost dead, from being sick and having low energy and it can definitely help one’s digestion in a profound way.

Broth is hydrophilic, meaning water loving. This means your cells want to let it into them and allow all of the other vitamins and minerals in the rest of your food in when you eat something with broth. There is a Russian doctor, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride, who wrote a book called The GAPS Diet. She explains how by prescribing a simple diet of broth, slow cooked meats, sauerkraut and yogurt, she has helped to heal hundreds of cases of autism, ADD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, even Schizophrenia and other mood related disoreders. One of the main components of this diet is broth. Broth is so incredibly healing to the gut which in turn is very healing to the brain as the gut and brain are deeply connected. So, how to make this life giving substance? Simple.

I tried this delicious appetizer at a party recently in LA. “Why didn’t I ever think of this,” I thought? So simple, fresh, seasonal…and easy. So, I made it for my own party when I returned home and about 25 figs disappeared in about 5 minutes.

Figs with Basil and Chevre

Ingredients

• 15-25 fresh figs
• handful of fresh basil leaves shredded into small strips
• half cup fresh goat cheese ( I got mine from the farmers market in Austin, TX from my favorite goat farmers, Swede Farms. They have amazing raw goat cheese).

Directions

1. Heat oven to broil.
2. Cut figs in half and place on a cookie sheet.
3. Place about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese in the middle of each fig half.
4.  Sprinkle some shredded basil over each fig.
5. Place cookie sheet in over for 30 seconds-1 minute, just long enough to barely melt and brown the cheese.
6. Remove from oven and eat!
7. As a little something extra, you can drizzle some balsamic reduction over each fig.

Enjoy!

While I was in Colorado this summer, I had the chance to try real creamed corn. I don’t usually eat fresh corn anymore as I am aware that corn isn’t really corn anymore, thanks to genetic engineering. Most corn has cross- pollinated with GE corn and is not the same corn that our ancestors ate.

I did choose to make an exception, however, as Olathe corn was on the menu and this is some of the best corn in the country. I didn’t do any scientific tests before I ate the corn to make sure it was GE free, but was trusting and hoping it was not…and something so sweet and delicious, well it would be hard to believe if it were genetically engineered.

Anyways, I had a real Ah-hah moment in the kitchen as I have tried making creamed corn before many times, but for some reason, it never really turned out the way I had in mind. From a wise, old woman I stayed with, I learned why.

Apparently in the old days, everyone had a corn stripper. A device made to remove the corn in just the right way as to extract all the creamy goodness from the corn that is so essential to making creamed corn. I have never seen one of these devices in a kitchen store and can only assume they went out of fashion long ago back in the days when women started buying canned foods and canned creamed corn for their family instead of making it themselves.

After taking the corn off the husk with this device, you simply slow cook the corn with butter and salt for about 20 minutes. The result is the most creamy, delicious, sweet corn dish you have ever had. Little did I know, the trick was in the way the corn was cut and not in how much cream you add to the corn. You don’t even need to add cream to the corn as it becomes creamy on its own. Quite amazing and absolutely delicious. Thank you, Jo Reen Newton, for demystifying creamed corn for me. Now, if only I can hunt down one of those corn strippers.

This recipe is so simple and delicious you can almost make it with your eyes closed.

his recipe is so simple and delicious you can almost make it with your eyes closed. Tomatoes will be in full effect for the next few months so take advantage of their availability while you have the chance. Summer is the time to eat them and gain their medicinal effects. If you are buying tomatoes in the winter months, chances are you are eating tomatoes grown in Mexico or from a hothouse which contain half the amount of Vitamin C as regular tomatoes.

By eating things in their proper season, you naturally support a local food economy and your health.

By eating things in their proper season, you naturally support a local food economy and your health. I grow about five heirloom varieties in my garden and I am eagerly awaiting their ripeness. Being the lazy cook that I am, I know the day they are at their peak of ripeness, I will pick the most delicious looking ones along with a handful of basil and a couple of cucumbers and bring them into my kitchen to make this simple salad. My very favorite tomatoes are Brandywine tomatoes. They are usually a deep maroon color and sometimes have yellowish or creamy colored sides. They have thin skins, are very delicate and boast the most delicious flavor. You won’t find them in stores very often and if you are lucky enough to find one in a store, you may nearly fall over at the asking price of $5.99/lb.

Most tomatoes sold in stores are grown without much thought given to taste and instead are grown to be able to withstand vigorous handling and long journeys.

As for me, I would rather grow my own than pay these extraordinary prices for tomatoes. Most tomatoes sold in stores are grown without much thought given to taste and instead are grown to be able to withstand vigorous handling and long journeys. I once heard that the average tomato is grown to be able to withstand a 30 mile/hr impact. Yikes! – my Brandywines definitely would not measure up to that, but they would beat the taste and nutritional content of a genetically engineered tomato any day. Most commercial tomatoes are picked and shipped green and then ripened with ethylene gas which turns the skin red. No wonder most store bought tomatoes have little or no taste!

As long as you use quality ingredients, you can’t go wrong with this simple recipe.

As are most summer veggies, tomatoes are cooling, alkalizing and detoxifying to the body. Vine ripened tomatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin C. They are a natural source of antioxidants and are related to reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. As for our aromatic herb, basil, she has many claims associated with her use. Several of these are calming the nerves, soothing stomach cramps and nausea, aiding in digestion and even stimulating the sexual appetite with her reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Even if you don’t have access to the most delicious heirloom varieties, find the best tomatoes you can. As long as you use quality ingredients, you can’t go wrong with this simple recipe. Also, you may substitute feta cheese for mozzarella.

Kelly “the Kitchen Kop” interviews Kim Hartke who mentions my herbal ice tea, Soothin’ Infusion. Thanks again Kim (both ya’ll ) for the mention.

I recently returned from an amazing trip to southern Colorado. I love my life and home in Austin, TX, but I don’t love the all pervasive, unending heat of summer. I am of Scandinavian decent and long, hot days (and nights) really do not suit my body nor temperament. Luckily we have fabulous swimming holes to cool off in, but still, this girl needed an escape. So, to cool Colorado I went where I hung out between the elevations of 9,000-12,000 feet. Cool days and cooler nites, rain, sunshine, amazing clouds, mountain views, and slow, simple days soothed my body and soul.

I arrived tired from the long trip and from months of hard work and after a few days of soaking in the following elements, felt mostly restored. After two weeks, I felt really recharged.
So, once again, nature reminded me of her amazingly restorative, healing power.
I was reminded that all I really needed to restore myself from the stressors of regular life are the simple things that nature offers so readily such as…

So, once again, I have been reminded that the simple things in life are what really fulfill me. And the vital importance of taking time out from regular life to rest, restore and soak up nature.