Hi everyone! Today I’m posting over at the lovely Not Rachael Ray! Please go on over and check out the delicious vegetables I brought to the table…yum!

Click here to see the veggies….

Have you ever juiced before? Last week was my first time and I’m not gonna lie – it wasn’t at all like I expected.  I have seen my boss juice many times, but I have never taken the plunge – until last week.  I reached out to the great people at Cooler Cleanse and was able to try out a three day juice cleanse. 

The process is pretty simple. The day you start your cleanse you are sent eighteen bottles of fresh pressed raw vegetable and fruit juice.  You consume six bottles a day in the order they are labeled. You are consuming a caloric intake of less than 1,200 daily calories and are to consume no solid food or beverages besides water or herbal tea.

The bottles of juice need to be consumed within three days and need to remain refrigerated.  Simple. Right?

Now that the details are explained lets take a look at how my three days on the cleanse went.

Day One:

Bottle One: Sweet Green Juice – My first thoughts about this juice was that I was pleasantly surprised!  I was scared that because the juice was green it was going to taste like grass.  Not at all. The apples in the juice bring a nice sweetness.

Ingredients: kale, spinach, parsley, watercress, apple

Bottle Two: Pineapple Ginger Juice – This was hands down one of my favorite juices! The pineapple was sweet and the ginger added a nice little burn in the back of the throat.  I’m pretty sure I could drink a bottle of this juice everyday of my life.

Ingredients: pineapple, ginger

Bottle Three: Essential Green Juice – This juice is definitely more heavy on the “green” flavor but I found myself not minding it so much. I liked to serve it over ice to make it go down easier.

Ingredients: cucumber, celery, dandelion greens, watercress, spinach, parsley, kale, pear, lemon, ginger

Bottle Four: Young Coconut Water – This was the best coconut water I have ever tasted! I’m big a coconut water drinker and have never tasted a brand that is as flavorful and coconutty (that’s a word…right?) as Cooler Cleanse.  I thought it actually tasted like the coconuts were roasted.

Ingredients: young coconut water

Bottle Five: Essential Red Juice – I had no problem with this juice. I’m a huge fan of beets so I really enjoyed the subtle earthy flavor and mild sweetness.

Ingredients: carrot, beet, apple, lemon

Bottle Six: Brazil Nut Milk – All day long I was looking forward to the nut milk.  I was craving the creamy and protein packed juice. The milk had a very nutty flavor and was a nice end to the day.

Ingredients: raw Brazil nuts, dates, filtered water

Feelings: I was really pumped to do the cleanse so I was still flying high by the end of the day.  I had resisted all urges to consume solid food (even though I made brownies!) and I felt like a trooper.  I even resisted the urge to lick the batter of the brownies. Which, lets face it, is more of an accomplishment than actually resisting to eat the cooked brownies. The only downside of the day was a massive headache that hit me at night – perhaps lack of caffeine or sugars?  I drank a large glass of water, went to bed and woke up on day two feeling fine!

Day Two:

Bottle One: Sweet Green Juice – Woke up. Still liked the juice.  Good start to the day!

Ingredients: kale, spinach, parsley, watercress, apple

Bottle Two: Watermelon Lime Juice – I really liked the flavor of this juice. I had a thought that it would be even better with a drop or two of tequila. However, I resisted the urge and drank it the way it was intended

Ingredients: watermelon, lime

Bottle Three: Essential Green Juice – This day the juice was a little harder to get down but I honestly think it was because I had no experience drinking green juice before. It was a definite shock to my system!

Ingredients: cucumber, celery, dandelion greens, watercress, spinach, parsley, kale, pear, lemon, ginger

Bottle Four: Spicy Lemonade – I really looked forward to trying this bottle.  It sounded like such an interesting combination. I am happy to report I really enjoyed the flavor! It had a fresh lemonade flavor (which I was worried about because I’m not a fan of bottled lemonade) and the little hint of burning cayenne added a nice spice to my day.

Ingredients: lemon, lime, cayenne pepper, raw agave, filtered water

Bottle Five: Essential Red Juice – Still diggin’ the beets. Let Mr.NN try a sip of the juice. He found it gross. Then proceeded to eat chicken wings in front of me. Jerk.

Ingredients: carrot, beet, apple, lemon

Bottle Six: Almond Milk -  Oh yeah! This was a treat for the end of day two! The flavor was out of this world. It has a lovely hint of vanilla that kept me coming back for more. It reminded me of a melted milk shake. I was very sad when the bottle was empty.

Ingredients: raw almonds, vanilla bean, dates, filtered water

Feelings: Day two was a bit harder than day one. I woke up pumped but by the end of the day I wanted pasta. I was starting to miss the ritual of eating and act of chewing. I never felt hungry but still wanted to eat. I even called my fiancée two times telling him I thought I was going to crack. Luckily he talked me off the ledge and I ended up drinking more water and going to bed early.

Day Three:

Bottle One: Sweet Greens Juice – The flavor was still delicious and that addition of apple was really genius.

Ingredients: kale, spinach, parsley, watercress, apple

Bottle Two: Grapefruit Mint Juice – I wasn’t so sure about this juice before I tried it.  I love grapefruit. I love mint. But together? Luckily it wasn’t too bad.  It had such a great fresh grapefruit flavor.

Ingredients: grapefruit, mint

Bottle Three: Essential Green Juice – I’m not going to lie. By day three I was was over this juice.  I knew it was healthy for me so I drank it up and chased it with a big bottle of water.

Ingredients: cucumber, celery, dandelion greens, watercress, spinach, parsley, kale, pear, lemon, ginger

Bottle Four: Young Coconut Water – Yes! Another bottle young coconut water. No complains about this sucker. I just need to know where I can get a big bottle I can drink all week long…

Ingredients: young coconut water

Bottle Five: Essential Red Juice – Love me some beets! Even on day three.

Ingredients: carrot, beet, apple, lemon

Bottle Six: Spicy Hemp Milk – Delicious! Very heavy on the cinnamon flavor. I even gave a sip to the kid and she loved it! You know it’s good if a 10 year old kid wants to steal your drink.

Ingredients: raw hemp seeds, dates, cinnamon, ginger, filtered water

Final Feelings: I made it I made it! Three whole days without eating solid food!!! This is something I never thought I could accomplish. I’m not even kidding when I say that. I love food and I love eating.

The best part about the whole experience is what I learned about my body in those three days.  First thing I learned was that I don’t need to stuff myself with food to be satiated. This is a constant problem I have. I eat until I actually feel full. Then I generally have little to no energy for the rest of the evening. I didn’t have this problem while on the cleanse. I kept a nice steady intake (every two hours) of juice (calories!) and never once felt as though I was starving or lightheaded.

I had to spend the last day in NYC so I had to take my juices along with me. I kept them in a little cooler bag that came with my juices. While I wasn’t psyched about carrying around all the juice it honestly wasn’t that bad.  I even got to hang out with Tara of Chip Chip Hooray while in the city.  She also witnessed me tripping on the sidewalk and laying on the ground like an injured seal. Luckily the juice was saved!

I think I would definitely do a cleanse again.  I had my moments where I felt like cracking but I made it. And I loved the way I felt! I felt refreshed, happy and the extra intake of water was awesome for my body.  Since the cleanse I have been drinking lots more water and my body is loving me for it!

One of the biggest things I learned was how I feel about food. My relationship to food. I’m a mindless eater. I eat when I’m bored, I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m happy….you get the pattern.  When I couldn’t fill my voids with food I actually had to stop and think about why I wanted to eat. Was I really hungry? Did I really need to eat? Some of the times my body was just craving water.  Some of the times I was going through someone emotional and needed to find a different way of dealing with my problem.  I still haven’t found the perfect outlet for my stress but I can assure you that food is not the best option.

After the cleanse: I’m still feeling good but still need to ask myself “am I really hungry?” before eating.  I give credit to the people who understand their body. My water consumption is up and that does help a lot with my constant hunger.  The next thing I’m hoping of working on is learning a new skill to keep my hand busy while I watch tv at night. A lot of eating goes on while watching tv and maybe if I keep my hands busy (knititng, crochet, etc) I won’t feel that temptation so badly. Also, if you are interested, the first food I ate after the cleanse is pictured above. It was amazing.

So, I shared my journey with you. How about you? You wanna give it a try? Do you think you could handle it? Would you even dare to try?

Luckily for you the awesome people at Cooler Cleanse were kind enough to give away one Three Day Cleanse to one of my readers! This, my friends, is an awesome giveaway!

Fine Print:

- Giveaway starts January 16th 2012 at 5:30am EST
- Giveaway ends January 23rd 2012 at 11pm EST
- Only residents who are over 18 years of age and reside in the US are eligible for this giveaway
- The winner will be chosen using Random.org
- I will personally contact the winner and they have 3 days to respond. If they do not respond a new winner will be picked via random.org

How to enter:

- Leave a comment telling me if you have ever juiced and visit the Cooler Cleanse website and tell me which one of their juices you are excited to try.

For additional entries:
Please leave additional comments for EACH

- Follow @CoolerCleanse on Twitter
- Follow @NutmegNanny on Twitter
- Tweet the following:

Win a @CoolerCleanse three day cleanse from @NutmegNanny http://bit.ly/wf6vph #giveaway #juicing

- Like the Nutmeg Nanny Facebook Page
- Like the Cooler Cleanse Facebook Page
- Subscribe to my email updates
- Follow me on Pinterest and Pin this post
- Follow me on StumbleUpon and stumble this post
- Tell me your favorite healthy juice or smoothie recipe

*Want another chance to win? The lovely Rachel of Not Rachael Ray is also giving away a free Cooler Cleanse 3 Day Cleanse! Head on over and show some love!!!

Also a quick note from Cooler Cleanse about who should and should not cleanse:

At Cooler Cleanse we like to avoid “shoulds”. But we think anyone who lives in New York City, and the modern world at large, is a candidate for cleansing. Everyone, from health nuts to party animals, is affected by toxins in the air, water, food and environment. Almost everyone is fatigued by stress and the pace of life.

Note: Certain people shouldn’t cleanse. Pregnant and breast-feeding mothers can add fresh-pressed juices to a balanced, whole-food diet to enjoy extra nutrition and energy, but should never restrict solid food intake. If you are diabetic, if you are being treated for, or have just recovered from a serious illness, or if you are taking prescription medication for heart disease, check with your doctor before beginning a juice cleanse. Cleansing can alter the concentration of medication in the blood. We recommend that diabetics cleanse under the supervision of an experienced healthcare practitioner. Children under the age of 18 should not cleanse.

Disclosure: This cleanse was supplied to my by Cooler Cleanse for no charge. However, as always all opinion are 100% my own.

Wedding planning is starting to become exhausting.  Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy the planning but I hate dealing with companies. They always find a way to ruin my day. Here is my latest annoyance. Right next door to my venue is a Marriott Courtyard hotel. I call the other day and ask about blocking off rooms for the wedding.  I was then told the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. They refuse to offer a discount (which I’m ok with) but they also refuse to offer a block of rooms because “it’s a busy time of the year.” What? A busy time of the year? Of course it’s busy. It’s New York. How is that even a legitimate answer? Rooms area always released 60 days before an event so it’s not like they run the risk of not selling those rooms.

So, what is a girl to do?

Call the Holiday Inn Express down the street, talk to a really nice manager who offers up a block with discounted rate. In the end it worked out but I’m still annoyed. Then again, I’m almost always annoyed.

Now, because I was annoyed I decided to make pie. I wasn’t sure of what type of pie to make until I remembered something I saw on the TV show “Psych.”  In the episode “Dual Spires” they not only paid homage to the awesome show “Twin Peaks” they also introduced me to the idea of cinnamon pie.

Cinnamon pie…yes please!

I had to figured out a way to make this happen…stat!

I decided that the best pie to jazz up would be buttermilk pie. It was an easy vehicle to use and it turned out delicious! It also made the house smell amazing. It was a perfect combination!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Pie:

4 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter – melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 teaspoon cinnamon (you can add more if you want)

Preheat oven 325 degrees

Beat eggs slightly. Add sugar and flour. Then add melted butter and mix well. Next add buttermilk, vanilla paste and cinnamon. Pour into graham shell and cook until custard is set – approximately 1 hour.

Graham Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter – melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all together and press into 9 inch pie plate. Pre-bake the crust 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

*If you like a firmer crust I would definitely recommend not doing a graham crust and instead using your favorite pie crust.  Also, I made my pies into little tarts instead of one large 9 inch pie.  Reduce cooking time by about 20 minutes if you do the same. The pies are ready when they are set but still a little jiggly. Like a pumpkin pie.

Over the summer I finally crossed sourdough off my culinary “to do” list.  My starter (affectionately named Lucille)  now sits happily in my fridge. Getting fed once a week.

Since I had always wanted to have my own sourdough starter I jumped at the chance when King Arthur Flour offered to let me give their fresh starter a try.

I was also shocked at how easy it was to start and maintain my starter. What I had been so afraid of?

Over the summer I also tackled my fear of bread making.  With that delicious sourdough starter in the fridge I had to put it to good use!

The first thing I made was extra-tangy sourdough bread. And man oh man was it delicious! We devoured the first loaf of bread while it was still warm and slathered it with whipped butter.

In the words of Ina Garten “How bad can that be?”

Giveaway is now closed. Thank you everyone for entering! The winner has been contacted.

Now, about this giveaway.

We all know how totally awesome the folks at King Arthur Flour can be.  And they have decided to spread are their floury joy by giving my readers the chance to try them as well!!!

One lucky winner will win a King Arthur Flour fresh sourdough starter, a sourdough crock and a 5lb. bag of all purpose flour.

Fine Print:

- Giveaway starts January 4th 2012 at 11pm EST
- Giveaway ends January 11th 2012 at 11pm EST
- Only residents who are over 18 years of age and reside in the US are eligible for this giveaway
- The winner will be chosen using Random.org
- I will personally contact the winner and they have 3 days to respond. If they do not respond a new winner will be picked via random.org

How to enter:

- Leave a comment telling me what you would make using your sourdough. (This is your mandatory first entry)

For additional entries:
Please leave additional comments for EACH

- Follow @NutmegNanny on Twitter
- Follow @KingArthurFlour on Twitter
- Tweet the following:

Win a @KingArthurFlour classic sourdough starter with crock and flour from @NutmegNanny http://bit.ly/xko05F #giveaway #bread

- Like the Nutmeg Nanny Facebook Page
- Like the King Arthur Flour Facebook Page
- Follow me on Pinterest and pin this post
- Tell me which Nutmeg Nanny recipe you have tried or would like to try

Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread:

1 cup “fed” sourdough started
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sour salt – optional

Combine the starter, water and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously.

Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refridgerate overnight, for about 12 hours.

Add the remaining ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.

Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it’s relaxed, smoothed out, and risen. Depending on the vigor of your starter, it may become REALLY puffy, as pictured; or it may just rise a bit. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Understand this: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added yeast) is as much art as science; everyone’s timetable will be different. So please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact, to-the-minute process.

Gently divide the dough in half.

Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Don’t worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they’ll pick up once they hit the oven’s heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Disclosure: These King Arthur Flour products were supplied to me for no charge but as always all opinion are 100% my own.

Celeriac is an unappreciated vegetable.

Sure. It’s a little ugly. And it’s certainly not winning any beauty awards. But looks don’t matter…right?

With a little scrubbing and some light trimming this little root vegetable turns out to be a beauty.

I decided the celeriac would make an excellent gratin so I thinly sliced it and gave it a whirl.

Luckily, it turned out delicious. You should try it too….Enjoy!!!

Celeriac Gratin:

1 1/2 pounds celeriac (also called celery root) – thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt and pepper – to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh grated nutmeg – just a little pinch
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Mix all ingredients, except 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, and add to baking dish.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes until soft and  fully cooked.

Source: Nutmeg Nanny

I can’t believe it’s almost time for another year to start.  Sometimes it seems that the years just fly by.  When I was a kid I felt like time stood still. Everything took forever.  The older I get the more I realize how wrong I was when I was a kid.  Time flies. 

This year will be a big one for me.  Back in September Mr. Nutmeg Nanny and I became engaged. That means that this upcoming year I will be getting married.  Emotions have already started getting out of control.  I’m feeling nervous, excited and scared.  I’m fairly certain this is all normal.

I’m also turning 30 this year. I’m feeling the exact same way as above. I’m fairly certain that is normal as well.

Since I’m hoping to take it easy this week I decided to put together a little roundup.  I’m going to showcase off my Top Ten recipes of 2011.  Why are these specific recipes in the top ten? Well, because they are the ones that have received the most traffic this year.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Years Eve! And remember. Never ever drink and drive!

Enjoy!

Have you tried any of these recipes? If not, which one would you try first?

10 – Adult Hot Chocolate

This drink was a big favorite of mine for the 2010 holiday season.  Obviously you all loved it too!

9 – Gingerbread Martini

This creamy and delicious drink is another showstopper for the holiday season.

8 – Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Not only is this meal simple it’s equally delicious! This would be a great dish to make on New Years Day morning.

7 – Poblano Macaroni and Cheese

This mac and cheese seems to really make people happy.  I was lucky enough to get to sample The Homesick Texan cookbook before it came out and this recipe was one I made from the book.

6 – Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken

I love how simple this dinner dish comes together. I’m so happy all of you love it too!

5 – Spinach, Strawberry & Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I ate this salad almost daily over the summer. I had a slight obsession with salads and strawberries.

4 – Vanilla Spiced Apples

This is one of those easy dishes that I almost didn’t share! It was delicious over French toast and even better over ice cream.

3 – Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

When I made this brownies my frosting to brownie ration was a bit off. I didn’t really mind though. Who can’t use a little frosting in their life?

2 – Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

While this sangria is perfect for the fall it will easily work year round. Plus the cinnamon sugar rim is super delicious!

1 – Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

This recipe has been a HUGE success.  In fact, in just seven months I have had over one million visitors to this recipe.  When I made this up I knew it would be delicious but I had no idea you would all love it so much!

Merry Christmas everyone! It’s also the final day of The Twelve Boozy Days of Christmas. I hope everyone has enjoyed all the drinks I have brought. 

For our final day I’m doing a simple drink that always says Christmas to me.  When my fiancée and I go up to Connecticut for Christmas his stepmom always has mimosas on Christmas morning.   In fact, as you read this I’m probably drinking one!

So, relax, sit back and have yourself a drink….or two….or three….

Enjoy!

Christmas Mimosa:

Champagne – chilled
Orange juice

3 parts champagne to 1 part orange juice. I like drinking mine a wine glass. It holds more

This is a twofer of a recipe.  It will be day ten and eleven of The Twelve Boozy Days of Christmas!

It brings together hot chocolate and whipped cream. A classic combination. However, I have switched things up a bit.  I spiked the hot chocolate with whipped cream flavored vodka and spiked the whipped cream with toasted marshmallow flavored vodka. It’s a huge party in the mouth!

Enjoy!!!

Spiked Hot Chocolate:

1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 ounces semisweet chocolate – chopped (depends on how chocolaty you want it)
3 ounces whipped cream flavored vodka

Simmer the milk, cream and sugar together until just boiling. Whisk in the chocolate and whisk until melted. Don’t boil.

You can either mix all the whipped cream vodka into the warmed hot chocolate or add 1 1/2 ounce per cup.  This recipe will make two large glasses of hot chocolate.

Top with marshmallow vodka whipped cream.

Marshmallow Vodka Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon marshmallow flavored vodka

Whip the cream with a handheld or stand mixer.  When it starts to thicken add the sugar and vodka.  Continue to whip until stiff peaks.

Mine was a little less than stiff peaks because I did it by hand and my arm got tired.

Hi all! Today I’m guest posting over at the fabulous Katrina’s blog – In Katrina’s Kitchen. Luckily, I was invited to join in on her wonderful Christmas event, I’ll Bring the Cookies and I couldn’t turn it down.  A whole month of cookies? I’m in!

For this event I made something new – Fruit Cake Cookies.  They turned out amazing! Why don’t you go on over and show some love…

Happy Holidays everyone!

Woot woot! It’s day nine of The Twelve Boozy Days of Christmas! I think this drink is perfect for almost any situation where you want to feel rich and important. It’s made with champagne.

Doesn’t champagne make everyone feel like that?

It’s not just me is it?

I made this drink using my own homemade cassis that I made over the summer.  However, if you don’t have a bottle of homemade cassis just hanging out in your liquor cabinet you can buy creme de cassis in your local liquor store. If you have reached this part of the post and are thinking “what in the hell is cassis” it’s basically a sweet liqueur made from blackcurrants. It’s pretty tasty. I most definitely recommend picking up a bottle (or why not make your own!) and giving this drink a whirl!

Enjoy!

Kir Royale:

Creme de cassis (homemade recipe found here)
Champagne – chilled

Add one tablespoon creme de cassis and top off with chilled champagne.