Crème fraîche (AKA homemade sour cream)

I was hesitant to try this - it sounded too good to be true. The "recipe" is so simple, it's so cheap... I was worried it would be gross, or that it would make us sick. But you know what? It's easy and DELICIOUS! I like it so much I plan meals around it. I bought some regular sour cream the other day and it just isn't as good.  Plus even ORGANIC sour cream has a label that looks like this:  Grade A Pasteurized Cultured Milk, Cream, Whey, Sodium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Locust Bean Gum, Modified Food Starch, Potassium Sorbate. WHAT?!? I don't know about you, but I will pass!

What I love about this recipe is there are 2 ingredients. It's cheap (even if you buy organic!) and you know exactly what is going into your body.

So here we go. You'll need: Cultured buttermilk, heavy cream, a jar with a lid, and a warm place in your home to store it.

I use an old pickle jar because it's large and I had it already. You pour a few cups of buttermilk into the jar first. I never measure - the buttermilk goes about to the black line:

Then you pour in the whipping cream - I use *almost* the entire pint. Close the lid, and set the jar someone in your home that it won't be disturbed. A nice warm place is best.

Let is sit for 24-36 hours. Then stick it into the refrigerator. After it's nice and chilled eat and enjoy!

Quinoa Jambalaya -

I forgot to take a picture - and this turned out so yummy that there's none left!

Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breasts
1 package spicy chicken sausage (I used jalapeno cheddar this time)
1 qt chicken stock
2 medium tomatoes
1 white onion
1 each red/yellow/green bell peppers
1-2 cups of uncooked quinoa
1 ear corn (optional)

Get out your crockpot - this recipe is easy-peasy!

Cut up your chicken breast into bite sized pieces. Slice the sausages. Chop your veggies - I like to do long thin slices because they cook up nicely. Puree the tomatoes. Toss all meat and veggies into the crockpot with the stock. Cook on HIGH for about 3 hours. When the meat is fully cooked, rinse your quinoa thoroughly (it tastes bitter if you don't wash it well!) and toss it into the pot. If you're going to use corn slice it off of the ear and toss it in as well. Let it cook for 30-45 minutes more... And that's it! It's a little spicy and super yummy!