"Shamrock" Shakes for the Dairy-free Crowd

Malcolm and Jordan both love McDonald's Shamrock shakes (actually, so do all of us in the family), but less than half of a small shake has their dairy allergy causing their bodies to cry out in despair. I set out to try and find an alternative that I can make to help them get through this time of year and still be able to enjoy the shakes right along with us. Here are the 2 recipes (I like the second better, but it isn't exactly kid friendly)... it serves 2.

RECIPE 1 (Kid-friendly)

2 cups vanilla soy ice cream
1 1/4 cups soy milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
8 drops green food coloring

RECIPE 2 (Adults only)

2 cups vanilla soy ice cream
10 oz. Mint Liqueur
8 drops green food coloring

For both recipes: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Malcolm's Soon-to-be-Famous Ham & Beans (with a Becky Twist!)

I posted this recipe for my friends on Facebook and decided to also share it with my blog readers too.  This tastes absolutely amazing!!!  You will need a 6-quart crock pot for this... minimum... and it will be totally full! This makes enough for at least 3 meals for a family of 4 and costs under $10 total! :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 small pkg each black beans, great northern white beans, red kidney beans (can also subsitute pinto, navy or any other favorite type of beans)
5 tsp powdered ham boullion (use beef if you can't find ham)
1 pound thick cut bacon (cut into 1" sqauare pieces)
1 pound cooked ham (cubed)
6 oz sliced shitake mushrooms
1 yellow onion (diced)
4-5 red potatoes (peeled and diced) <-- these are important!  They cut down the fart-factor after eating so many beans and make it possible to still hang out with the people you ate with... without nose plugs!!!

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare beans. You can either follow the package directions or use the quick prepare method. To quick prepare, place all beans together in a large pot, fill with water, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and boil 1 hour.
2. Drain beans and place in crock pot with about 6 cups of water (leave about 2 inches room on the top) and boullion.
3. Heat in crock pot on high several hours (4-8)
4. Add remaining ingredients, stir and recover. Note: bacon can be put in raw as it will cook through very quickly in the hot water.
5. Turn crock pot down to low and cook another 8-12 hours.

Serve with warm corn bread smothered in butter (or non-dairy butter substitute in our house) and honey.  I also like to sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on my ham & beans (and sometimes on the cornbread instead of honey).

Happy New Year!

Well... I rung in the New Year in much the same way as most of you... surrounded by friends and family.  It was a fun, relaxing evening.  However, now the new year has officially begun.  I've started 2010... a new year and new decade with no job, burning through a lot of my savings during my period of unemployment, living in an area I don't want to be in anymore, and somewhat frustrated by life in general.  So where do I focus my energy in 2010 and what do I save for the remainder of the decade?  Life tends to be focused mostly around the people, places, and work involved in it, so this will be my main focus.  I will be looking for a job, but not just any job.  This year I will be focusing on a job that can be done from home or that I can take with me when I move.  The next step will be moving.  I will be working on getting the house ready to be put on the market this spring and hopefully a sale by summer.  I know that may seem ambitious in this slowly recovering economy, but that is the goal... to be out of here before the end of the year.  And finally, the finances have got to get back in order... time to plug u the leaks, get things paid off, and start fresh.  Those are the main not-so-personal goals for 2010.  These aren't new year's resolutions like many people make... they are small mini-goals that fit into the puzzle of larger goals I have begun working on for the next decade.  It makes it much easier to accomplish these when they are part of a larger life plan and not just stand-alone things that I could easily give up on.  In order to be where I want to be in life in 2020, I need to make sure these things happen in 2010... then built upon by more in 2011, and so on.

For those of you who do make resolutions for the new year... keep strong, and try to incorporate them into a larger life plan.  I wish you the best of luck with everything you hope to accomplish.  The top 3 resolutions are said to be losing weight, quitting smoking and making more money.  Here are a couple really good tools to help with that for those who could use a little assistance... Paul McKenna is a well respected hypnotherapist who has had a positive effect on millions of people's lives.  Hopefully he can help you with your resolutions in 2010!