cloves

With flowers in full bloom and windows wide open to let in the breeze, it's hard to imagine your home not smelling nice in the Summer. But, every room can get a little musty sometimes— or stale with the scent of last night's curry dinner. To curb the smell, slice up about six lemons and toss them in pot of water with a tablespoon or two of cloves. Then, just let them simmer for a few hours and your home will soon feel as refreshing as a nice, cold glass of lemonade.
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Browsing TeamSugar the other day, I was absolutely taken by a Fall recipe. This apple butter was created by Kitchen Goddess founder, Twinkle, when she wasn't able to locate any apple butter in her adopted homeland, Finland. Since she is a domestic divinity, she took matters into her own hands and came up with an original recipe. I can't get enough of apples, and making apple butter (which doesn't actually include any butter) is the perfect way to use up a surplus of the fruit. Plus, it's a healthy spread alternative to jams and jellies. To get her delicious recipe, read more

If your home is smelling a little pungent thanks to good old-fashioned Summer sweat or maybe the fish and chips you fried up for dinner, you can make a natural air freshener to kick those odors to the curb. During your endless Summer, citrus is the key to keeping things smelling sweet. Peel off the rinds of lemons, oranges, grapefruits, or what have you and simmer them in a large pot. Toss in some cloves and star anise and let it be. Soon, the interior of your home will smell as fresh as your backyard lemon tree!
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My husband, a self proclaimed super carnivore, told me recently he wanted to eat less meat. Not give it up entirely by any means, but cut back in an effort to eat more veggies. So I have been trying new recipes and I found this one in a cookbook I have had for years. I had never made this soup before and thought it looked tasty and so good for you. Lentils are high in fiber and tomatoes are full of lycopene, a potent antioxidant.

Here is the recipe. Try it and see if you like it too. It is so easy to make and that is just another reason it is my new fave.

Tomato Lentil Soup
adapted from the New Basics Cookbook

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
2 large cans Roma tomatoes (28 oz. each)
6 cups low sodium, non-fat chicken broth or veggie stock
2 cups dried lentils (rinsed)
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup dry red wine
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup balsamic (or red wine vinegar)

1. Sauté onions and celery in olive oil in a large soup pot, for about 10 minutes.
2. Purée tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor, and add to veggies.
3. Add chicken (or veggie) stock and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the parsley, along with the wine, garlic, pepper, salt and cloves. Stir well and simmer for another 25 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of parsley and balsamic vinegar. Simmer another 5 minutes.
5. Serve immediately with rustic multigrain bread and enjoy.

Makes 8 portions.

This recipe was originally made with 4 tablespoons butter and I just thought the wasn't necessary. Since lentils are so full of fiber I added 2 cups instead of the original 1/2 cup.