Mashed No-tatoes (Original Recipe)

I'm a huge fan of mashed potatoes. I always have loved them, and likely will always pile them way too high on my plate when they are around me. However, I don't always have potatoes on hand. Other veggies can bring the same result, albeit with slightly different flavour.

Rutabaga is one such veggie. You can make it the same way you would mashed potatoes. Some people prefer to add a tiny bit of sugar at the end (instead of salt, if you add salt), but I like it just how it is.

To use up some more items in the fridge, and also to add more flavour to the dinner, I made some Mashed No-tatoes, instead. As you might guess from the title, there are no potatoes in it.

Mashed No-tatoes

I apologize for the lack of great pictures as of late, but my phone really doesn't take the best quality photos. That aside, I didn't think to take pictures of this until it was already done.

Mashed No-tatoes (a naturally sweet root-veggie mash)

·         1 lb. carrots  (about 6 good-sized carrots)

·         1 lb. parsnips (about 3 parsnips, peeled and cored)

·         1/3 - 1/2 of a rutabaga

·         1/2 c. Milk, half & half, or cream (whichever you prefer when you make mashed potatoes)

·         3 T. butter

·         cinnamon

·         nutmeg

1) Peel and chop/slice carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga. (Store peels from the carrot and parsnips in a bag & freeze to use in a veggie stock later if desired.)

2) Boil veggies until cooked.

3) Drain veggies and place back in pan, a mixing bowl, or food processor along with butter. Once butter has melted, add milk, cream, or half & half and mash (or blend) to desired consistency.

4) Add in cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, and mix well. (I used 1/4t. - 1/2t. Cinnamon and about 1/8t. - 1/4t. nutmeg… I honestly just eyeballed it.)

5) Serve hot.

 

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the contents of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Crockpot Cooking

You may have noticed that I have a little bit of love for my crockpot. It's a Hamilton Beach crock pot, and it's a good crockpot that is reasonably priced and holds a good deal of food. I frequently make whole chickens in it, and that says a lot to what it can hold!

(What's left of) a whole chicken [4.75 lbs] in our Hamilton Beach Crockpot

For our little family of 4, a 6 quart stockpot is the perfect size. It allows us to cook a whole chicken or cook a dish that will feed us all an leave us with a good amount of left overs, too.

You certainly get a lot for the money, and it's easy to transport if you need to make a dish to take somewhere. I love that it's easy to clean and easy to transport. If you're in the market for a crockpot, check out the  Hamilton Beach Slow Cookers selection at Amazon.com!

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Rutabaga

It's come to my attention that not many people know what a rutabaga is, and even fewer have tasted it. I'm not sure if this is because it looks like it might be difficult to prepare (it isn't) or what, but this very delicious, nutritious vegetable has been neglected for a long time.

This post will be short, but will hopefully help you learn a wee bit about the rutabaga.

A rutabaga I took a third off of for a recipe

For starters, it's a root veggie. Just like turnips, beets, potatoes, and carrots, the rutabaga grows below ground. It generally has a waxy coating put on when sold commercially to help slow spoilage.

The rutabaga can be used just like a potato can. You can mash it, fry it, bake it, etc. It can be used in lieu of potatoes in recipes, too. It is firmer than a potato, so it takes a little bit longer to cook. It is also slightly sweet. Very slightly. Think of the slight sweetness a carrot can have. That's about how it is.

To prepare a rutabaga, you just wash it to remove any grossness before cutting into it (don't want to spread grossness through the veggie via the knife!), peel the waxy layer off with a veggie peeler, and cut as desired for whatever recipe you are making and cook accordingly. Seriously, that's it. Nothing fancy.

This is another time my Farberware Vegetable Peeler comes in handy. That peeler has been used for years and is still just as sharp as ever. That's especially important when you're trying to peel through the waxy skin of a rutabaga!

I tend to cut the rutabaga in half (or even just take 1/3 of it at a time) and only peel the piece I cut off. One rutabaga generally gives me 2 or 3 meals.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Spray Pal Review & Giveaway!

One of the best things about modern cloth diapering, to me, is the diaper sprayer. Those things are HANDY! There can be a big learning curve on those, however, and you likely will end up splattered (with at least water) at some point in your cloth diapering adventures.

Enter the Spray Pal.

Spray Pal was created for just that: keeping your bathroom (and you!) splatter-free.

I have to admit, I was very skeptical of the Spray Pal. All I could think of was it was another (dirty) item I would have to keep away from my toddler, and it wouldn't be worth the hassle of trying to store it. My husband, however, pretty much demanded one as soon as he heard of it. He was sick of the water spraying him a bit.

Spray Pal was generous enough to send us both a Spray Pal and a Jaq Jaq Bird wet bag for storage. STORAGE. Yes, I was excited. That was my area of concern!

My husband happily tried out the Spray Pal first, but ended up not using it because the poopy diaper was just "too massive" and he needed to get better angles or something like that. I have tried out the Spray Pal on a variety of diapers with different materials and features. I tried it on various pockets (some with inner gussets, some without), various covers, and various flats and prefolds. I also used it on wipes.

What I've found is that, while it does eliminate the splatter, I can't get certain pockets (ones with double gussets) clean enough to my liking. This isn't to say that they aren't good enough to go in the wash, but I've always been a little OCD with spraying out my diapers and like to get as much as possible off. Instead of a quick spray down and in the bag, I have been known to stand over a diaper for 5 minutes to get as much as possible off. Soooo, take that with a grain of salt.

Still, I like being able to put my hand behind the diaper itself, spread out my fingers (think of if you had a webbed hand how it would be spread out) and then spraying the gussets (which are now completely stretched thanks to my hand) to get all poo specks off. I just can't do that with a Spray Pal.

I ended up finding that I absolutely love it for the flats, prefolds, and wipes because those are flat anyway and I never have to "spread out material" to clean as I like. I don't like using it for pockets, covers, fitteds, or AIOs.

There is an exception, of course, as there are with many things. I still will sometimes USE the spray pal with the items I said I don't like using it on if it is a huge poop or a more stuck on poop. While I can't get the "clean" I want, I can spray and let the poo loosen up a bit without getting splattered.

THE SPRAY PAL TOTALLY DOES THE JOB WITH SPLATTER.

Seriously, the toilet doesn't have sprayage, nor do my legs or feet. That's awesome. Had I not been cloth diapering for 3 years prior to trying out the Spray Pal, this might be a different review. If I were a new mom, this thing would probably be my favourite accessory (aside from the sprayer itself). 3 years into this and I've already got my groove/routine with spraying diapers without anything more.

The Spraypal fits PERFECTLY in the Jaq Jaq Bird bag, too. It eliminates splatter and it really does store easier than I thought. I just put it in the bag and slipped it between the toilet and sink.

Overall, I think the Spray Pal is a great accessory, I just don't think it's for us. I definitely think it would be a great item for a family newer to cloth that isn't "set in their ways" like us!

If you're sick of getting misted, sprayed, or splattered, try out the Spray Pal! You can buy a Spray Pal and Jaq Jaq Bird bundle for $39.50 here, or enter to win one below!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Thoughts Of Fluff received these items in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts Of Fluff is not responsible for prize fulfillment.  

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings [From Scratch!] (Original Recipe)

This went over so well that it has been requested again in the future while it was still being eaten! Thanks to the lovely autumn-like weather we've had the last few days, it felt right to make Chicken & Dumplings. It doesn't hurt that it gave me most of what I need to make the Vegetable Stock, either.

My big problem with many recipes for "Easy" chicken and dumplings is that they call for those pop-open biscuits from the store, and I'm sorry, but have you ever looked at the ingredients on those? The only ones I've found without artificial flavouring is at Trader Joe's, and we don't have one close to us, so we rarely have them on hand. I decided to make my own dumpling recipe. It's super simple, easy to make, and delicious. The kids can even help out with them if you want! You can let them make little balls of dough to drop in!

This recipe is a delicious, savoury dish that isn't salty. The dumplings have a salty taste to them and perfectly compliment the stew. If you are making this with store-bought biscuits instead (though, really, the dumplings are SUPER easy to make!), you might want to add a bit of salt to the crockpot mixture or just sprinkle some in the bowl after you serve it up. These dumplings were made to compliment the dish, though, and they do so very nicely.

The thing that took the most time was chopping the fresh veggies, so if you have the chance to cut them in advance, that will take away most of your prep time.

I also made some more of the cream of chicken soup to use for this.

It was super easy. Place in chicken, pour in other stuff, cook!

 

After you shred the chicken:

Then just make your dumplings:

Drop them in and cook (covered)!

Raw dough balls ready to cook!

That's it! Of course, you need to eat it, too!

 

Easy Crockpot Savory Chicken & Dumplings (from scratch!)

Ingredients:

• 5 ribs celery (2c)
• 4 carrots (2c)
• 2 small onions (roughly 1 1/2c)
• 1c chopped mushrooms (just shy of an 8oz package)
• 3 ears corn (cut corn off cob into container)
• 3 chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
• 3c chick.broth
• 2.5c cream chix soup
• 1/2t oregano
• 1/2t thyme
• Dumplings (recipe at the bottom)

Directions:

1) Chop vegetables as small as desired and set aside.
2) Make Cream of Chicken Soup.
3) Place chicken breasts in the bottom of 6 qt. crock pot. Top with chopped vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Add Oregano and Thyme. Stir well.
4) Cover and cook on LOW for 6 - 7 hours.
5) Shred chicken* and stir back into crock pot.
6) Make dumplings** and add, in spoonfuls [or balls], to crockpot mixture. Cover crockpot and cook another hour. (Dumplings will be done much sooner than that, maybe 15-30 minutes depending on size of dumplings, I just use this time to clean up and set the table.)

Notes:
* To shred, simply remove chicken breast from mixture, place on a plate or bowl, and pull in opposite directions with two forks. Chicken could be cubed or diced before cooking if you prefer not to shred.
 ** An alternative to the dumplings would be covering the top with biscuits (in the last hour) and cooking until biscuits are done, or making biscuits in the oven and then topping them with the crockpot mixture. Another option is to use gnocchi (either make your own, or buy prepackaged) cook according to directions, and add in and let cook the last 30 minutes in the crockpot.

DUMPLINGS:

• 1 1/4 cup flour       
• 1 tsp. sea salt       
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda       
• 2 tsp. baking powder       
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (I ground mine up with my mortar and pestle)       
• 2 tablespoons butter       
• 1/2 c. milk

1) In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and rosemary.
2) Cut in butter.
3) Slowly add milk until the batter is well mixed. Batter will be thick.
4) Add to recipe

Easy Vegetable Stock (how-to)

In an effort to save money and reduce waste, I have been making my own version of things that are often bought ready-to-use. Cream of Chicken Soup is one example. Today, while making something for dinner, I decided to make a vegetable stock.

I had a package of mushrooms that were nearing the end of their window for consumption, so I through those in with the scraps from my meal prep. I also added a small onion and a few cloves of fresh garlic.

Making a vegetable stock is really simple. Seriously, very simple. You take the veggie peels and bits that you were going to throw away (or compost), and you throw them in a pot instead. Cover them with water for a regular stock, or cover them 1/2 way up for concentrated stock.

Bring to a boil, cover, then turn down to a simmer for an hour.

Strain the veggies/scraps out, and store your broth for a week in the fridge, or you can store them in the freezer.

We like to let our stock cool, then pour it into ice cube trays. Each "cube" is about 2 tablespoons.

For a great guide to what veggies to use, avoid, and more, check out this super helpful page over at In Sonnet's Kitchen.

Thoughts Of Fluff was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own and my differ from those of your own.

Salmon Patties

Finger foods are always great for toddlers and munchkins just learning to eat. Salmon patties are one of those great finger foods... if you like salmon. I dislike salmon. In fact, I hate the SMELL of salmon. Just because I don't like something, however, doesn't mean I will deny my children the opportunity to have it.

We were grilling fish the other day, so hubby opened up a can of salmon, took out the bones and skin, and made some (apparently) delicious salmon patties. They were so good (again, apparently) that Bobble ate an entire patty (which was the size of an adult burger), and Squiggle ate a third of one.

It's not a fancy recipe, but the kids love it, so I thought I would share it.

Salmon Patties
1 Can pink salmon
1 egg
~ 1 tsp. dill
~ 1/2c. bread crumbs

Take bones/skin out of fish.

Mix together and form patties.

Cook like you would a burger (approximately 5 min. a side)

That's it! We served it with a box of organic shells and cheese and some left over veggies.