Kickin' it with Karen : Beyond Sauerkraut

As the snow flurries flip, twinkle, and waft gently to the ground, I find myself thinking of my family and loved ones, the one's I've lost and the family I still have left. I reminisce and hear the laughter of my dear sister (1964-2013); I remember us as young girls eating cookies and giggling endlessly as we haphazardly wrapped gifts we either made or that our parents bought  for our other siblings and let us say they were gifts from us. We were two peas in a pod. Just six months apart (I was adopted), we were the best of friends. As this holiday season ramps up, I rejoice in my memories, but I miss her so much.  Forty-nine is a young age to pass from this world 💔, but I was blessed to have the 49 years I was able to spend with her beautiful spirit. With a joyous heart, in my dear sister's memory, I make gifts. Not the Shrinky Dink  art I used to do when we were 5, but non-toxic homemade gifts that my colleagues, friends and family can make use of everyday. I believe ...

Hi there! Just want to give you all a heads that both my YouTube channel and this Blog are undergoing a name change. I needed something a bit more catchy. The official name of this Blog and my YouTube channel will be: "Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut" The Official name change will take place on 9 December 2018. Please keep coming back to read. I have enjoyed the tremendous support and the growth in readership. Please feel free to comment and subscribe to this Blog and My YouTube Channel. Thank You and let me know what you think. 

Hey folks, feel free to comment. What would you like to see me do? What are you interested in reading about? If you have been following my posts, you know that I am super wheat sensitive (not gluten - just wheat) and I have a scary allergy to chicken eggs; hence, I use DUCK eggs. Remember, a duck isn't a chicken.  The Healthy Home Economist   explains the difference and the benefits of duck over chicken eggs much better than I could. The following recipe is my attempt to reconcile my desire for sweet baked goods and the very real danger eating wheat and chicken eggs poses for me. I hope this recipe benefits someone out there who is in my same position. C I have been tinkering with this recipe and although it is good, it's not quite there. Gluten Free cookies are tricky. Doable but tricky. This is my current version. We will call it GF Oatmeal Cookie #1 . Just like I went through 9 versions of my SAUSAGE recipe to come up with Palmen Sausage #9, I am sure I will g...

I was addicted to antiperspirants. All I wanted was to make sure I didn't have pit stains and I didn't stink. As a dancer, sweating is a fact of life. If your gonna dance, your gonna sweat. But I wanted to do it in a "Lady-Like" fashion and not pit out all of my clothes. Although, there were rumors abound suggesting that store bought deodorants, and especially antiperspirants, caused breast cancer and Alzheimers,  I was not inclined to care. I knew that the research available did not confirm that antiperspirants were the cause of such deadly diseases(Klotz et.al.).  However,  there was enough research that said that over-exposure to heavy metals such as aluminum is toxic and potentially dangerous (ATSDR - Aluminum). Aside from the heavy metals, there are other irritants such as propylene glycol. Propylene glycol, found in antifreeze, is a synthetic liquid that absorbs water. In most personal care products, it is used as humectant and emulsifier (McCay et.al.) Freq...

Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut In previous posts I have mentioned that I started making and eating probiotic foods such as sauerkraut because I had been diagnosed with something called "Leaky Gut Syndrome".  Leaky gut syndrome occurs when there is an increased intestinal permeability which causes bacteria and toxins to leak through the intestinal wall directly into the bloodstream (McMillan). Though, in the Western medical community, the debate rages on as to whether this is a real thing (GI Society),  I know for me it is definitely REAL! Before the diagnosis and the subsequent treatment with probiotic food and supplements, I felt awful! All the time! So why probiotics? Because they heal the gut! Probiotics are the good bacteria that line the intestines and help break down food and help your body absorb nutrients as well as help regulate and increase energy (Krajmalnik-Brown et.al.). I no longer take probiotic supplements because I get all of this through...

Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut After a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday with my husband, here I am back at work. I love my job. I teach some beautiful students and have the best colleagues anyone could ask for. But there is something about the onset of winter and nesting in the cold climes of Minnesota. All I want to do is be at home and make things. I have a cabbage waiting for me, ready to be turned into sauerkraut. Not just any sauerkraut, but an Apple Jalapeño Red Sauerkraut. I have Apple Ginger and Orange Ginger Beet Kvass waiting to be bottled. I have a batch of Apple Cider Vinegar that is ready to be placed in a secondary fermentation vessel. And it's Kombucha time! I am ready to make some Pomegranate Kombucha (TO DIE FOR!!!). Oh, and lets not forget the Fermented Green Chili Sauce -SOOOOOOOO GOOD! But, alas. I am back at work. Dreaming of these delights. Ah well. Work I must. And, somehow, I must find joy today in teaching these young minds and bodies. And ...

Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut For the past 12 years, Troy and I have ventured north to brave the cold and snow of Lake Superior's North Shore. We do this because most everybody else in Minnesota travels south on Thanksgiving leaving us alone with the calming and rhythmic swells of the waves of Gitchi Gummi. Well, not exactly alone, each year we plan this tradition with Troy's parents Deb and Phil.  In truth, Deb and Phil started this tradition by inviting us up to "Gooseberry Cabins" with them to celebrate the holiday. We always complement this tradition with the tastiest of menus. On our menu for this and most Thanksgivings is: Deep Fried Turkey, Collard Greens, Baked Macaroni & Cheese, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes Pureé, Cranberry Sauce (out of the can - of course), Apple Pie, Apple Crisp, and plenty of Wine and Spirits! Today, I will share two of these recipes with you: Palmen's Collard Greens & my version of Bob Mer...