Knit & Nosh

pumpkin spice ice cream, gluten free and dairy free

Last week, when heading to the dairy section of the store to grab a container of coconut milk I was surprised to find a couple of limited edition varieties.

 

 

Pumpkin Spice, and Nog. Gluten free, dairy free, and totally delicious. I substitute Nog for regular coconut milk when making oatmeal and it is quite tasty. I have used regular coconut milk to make ice cream in the past and I wondered how the Pumpkin Spice would mix up. Success! Below is a quick and easy recipe to keep your autumn tasting delicious.

 

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

 

3 cups So Delicious! Pumpkin Spice Coconut milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

With the ice cream maker running, pour in the coconut milk. While the milk is churning, add pecans and sugar to a skillet and heat gently to melt the sugar and toast the nuts. Do not let he pan get too hot and keep the nuts moving. Once the sugar has melted and the nuts are fragrant, place them in the freezer to cool.

When the ice cream is almost finished churning, add in the candied pecans and let the machine run for a few minutes to combine. Remove ice cream to a freezer safe container to let it firm.

A nice way to have the flavors of autumn in a new dessert.

 

Posted with Blogsy

gifts that keep on giving

For the past few years we have given Heifer International gifts to our youngest niece and nephew. These kids are surrounded by family and receive piles of gifts. I buy a Christmas ornament of the animal we purchase in their name so they have a box to open, and it provides a little reminder when they look at the tree that they have helped families not as fortunate as themselves.

This year I have discovered another organization offering meaningful gifts, World Vision. World Vision has been in the news quite a lot lately because they are always involved in providing relief after a disaster, and the world has seen a lot of disasters lately.

World Vision has animals that can be purchased in the same manner as Heifer International, but they also have opportunities to purchase clothing for children, provide basic necessities for families in the US, and a program that helps sexually exploited girls. In addition they sell fair trade goods the have been handcrafted from many different parts of the globe.

Beautiful jewelry,

clothing,

and household items. These olivewood salad spoons are made to benefit the orphans of the Kamba tribe in Kenya and include a storage bag of African fabric that has been handsewn by local women.

It is easy to buy a gift at Target that was made in China, but why not do some good work with your shopping. It is just as easy to order a gift online from a company whose sole purpose is helping others. World Vision provides assistance to people in almost 100 counties around the world by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice, and are one of the first responders after a disaster. Your gift could be one that keeps on giving long after the Christmas tree has been taken down.

 

Posted with Blogsy

jar cozies

Cuppow has just put up a great list of available jar cozies, including ideas using free/recycled stuff probably already in your house. There is also a drawing to win a bunch of fun items, so click on over and enter.

And while I do not need another cozy,

I think this one from BNG Tacticool Survival may need to be added to the household emergency kit. The cozy can be unwound to provide paracord, just in case. Not just for jars, it works just as well on beer cans. Chances are you have a couple people on your holiday list who would love one too.

 

Posted with Blogsy

jar accessories

Unless you are reading this blog for the very first time, you know that I am a lover of jars. The photo above is of my canning cabinets. We have an ENORMOUS island/table in the kitchen and Husband build specially sized cabinets to hold my canning supplies. Yes, he does know the way to a girl's heart. My love of Weck jars is legendary, and good old fashioned mason jars get used for everything in our house. They hold leftovers in the fridge and lipstick in the bathroom. Salon.com posted about a couple of great mason jar accessories, but they only scratched the surface, I have much, much more to show you.

First, the products mentioned by salon.com,

Cuppow

And BNTO.

These little products turn any wide mouth jar into a travel cup or lunch holder. Perfect for anyone who eats and drinks away from home. If like me, you are a fan of bubble water, you know that traditional water bottles warn you against putting anything carbonated into them. Not a problem with Cuppow. I suppose the bubbles do not last as long without an airtight container, but the water is going to be gone long before that becomes a real issue. With the BNTO you can carry chips and salsa, veggie and dip, salad and dressing...in one slim container. It is brilliant.

Jars are not only great for lunch,

the measurement markings on the side, and wide mouth make them perfect for using with an immersion blender. Once you have used the immersion blender to make perfect salad dressing, it needs to be stored and used in a convenient manner.

Introducing the ReCap. A liquid tight seal with a pour spout is the solution. I have two, they are dishwasher safe, and I can not imagine an easier way to keep homemade dressing at hand.

For general storage I use lids from Ball. These are not liquid tight and will not do well in a lunch box, but are perfect for the fridge or pantry. An open jar of jam is so much easier to work with using this lid than the two part lid and ring. One of my favorite teas is packaged with an industrial strength ziplock bag, SO difficult for me to open, so I store the bags in a jar using this lid.

And homemade granola is always at the ready. I do not know if the lids are officially safe for the microwave, but I can tell you that I have reheated chili, using a lid, with perfect results.

If you need a liquid tight seal for your lunch bag, you have to wait, but not long. I recently participated in a Kickstarter for Tulid. Easy to use liquid and airtight lids are on the way. And in great colors!

Lastly, a little thing that arrived yesterday to help keep the cold things cold and the hot things hot.

A jar cozy from YNOT. It is marketed as a bicycle accessory, and I have no idea how that works, but for the non-bicycle crowd it is a treat.

The loop feels like a big mug handle, something to slip four fingers into while wrapping your entire hand around the warm jar. Add a Cuppow and you have the perfect morning travel mug.

I also own a mason jar soap dispenser, but I find it does not work as well as I would like so it sitting in a drawer. And one day

I will make one of these and hang it over the entry stairs.

I used to wonder how people raised children without zippie bags. Now I wonder how a household can run without mason jars.

 

Posted with Blogsy