Snowed in Mexican Fiesta ~ Monkfruit Sweetener ~ Organic Vodka

We had snow emergency levels on Saturday, so as I said Saturday morning, our "Mexican" themed meal get together was canceled.  Well, not canceled, but those who could make it there safely did.   We didn't want to drive back home on icy roads with all the slush re-freezing.

Our dinner Saturday night was a Mexican themed dinner.

Mexican chicken (using quinoa based tortilla chips), Mexican street corn with our corn off the cob from the freezer, and of course, Hot bean taco dip.  Oh, and Sangria.  I had purchased it to take to the gathering, so we got that out and enjoyed it too.  I will try and get photos of leftovers. 

It's always nice to be "snowed in" but that means nothing on the list gets done, other than housecleaning.  I did mention one job in the utility room for Hubby, but his response was more like, "I need a siesta day."

Today we awoke to "feels like" -1° outside.

I just cleaned out my inbox.  Whew.  I had over 4,000 emails hanging around.  I have not been good and hitting the delete button.  I will be much better about that this year.  Goodness.

I picked this up to use in place of regular brown sugar in recipes.  It's expensive, and you don't get much, so my baking will be a lot less this year.  Has anyone baked with this?  It states it does not affect glucose levels.

Being snowed in, I decided to try it in our Einkorn peanut butter cookies.  

The results?  It made the cookies taste different.  Not bad, but not as good as good 'ol real brown sugar.  I'll stick with the real stuff, and just not bake them as often.

Organic Vodka has returned to the liquor store.  The brand "Rain" stopped making their's organic.  It's not cheap either.  That small bottle is $27.21!  It's made from sugar cane vs. grain/potato.  It will work for homemade vanilla extract, but not sure about using it for a tincture.  Unless I am wrong on that note.  I believe tinctures must be made with a grain alcohol.

Update on the low carb homemade bread.  It does not toast well.  We have breakfast sandwiches and toasted the bread.  It falls apart on you.

Homemade Mexican Taco Seasoning Mix

I've been busy in my kitchen these past few days.  The rainy days here, have simply motivated me to bake, mix, and shake it up a little. 

I am finally at a point in our self-sufficiency stride, where all of my homemade goods (and home grown) are coming together in all of my recipes.

Homemade Mexican Taco Mix is made using home grown oregano, onions, and garlic.  I can then use the seasoning mix for all sorts of recipes, such as my salsa dip (using home canned salsa too).