Life at a "Swell's" pace

Bacon Jalapeño Poppers

This recipe has pretty much become a go-to for holiday snacks in our house. We sometimes make them before we take off to go camping, or before the weekend begins. They can be made up ahead of time and placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator and popped into the microwave, air fryer, or oven for a short time to warm them back up, because they are best served hot.

20-30 jalapeño peppers (seeded and cut lengthwise in half) **use gloves for this**
3-4 (8oz) blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon of jalapeno juice (this adds some additional spice to the mix)
10-12 jalapeno seeds (more or less to your own spice tolerance)
Cooked bacon (entire package)

Mix cream cheese, onion powder, pepper, salt, and seeds together in a bowl and fill each jalapeño shell with mixture. Be sure to overfill to your desired amount. Cut bacon into small diced pieces and sprinkle on top of cream cheese mixture.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the tops are browned and bacon becomes crispy.

Enjoy!

Nuts and Seeds Banana Bread

1/2 cup melted salted butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract (not imitation)
4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup, or more of seeds and nuts (peanuts, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, almond, cashew, chia)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the ripe bananas and melted butter. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then add in sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour last.

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan and sprinkle 1/2 of the nuts on top. Halfway through baking, sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and finish baking.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

This recipe is customizable in so many ways. Instead of bananas, try canned pumpkin, zucchini, even watermelon. Instead of nuts, add raisins, cranberries, currants, blueberries, or even strawberries. The possibilities are endless. We have tried all different ways to incorporate foods into this recipe. It should be called, "Everything in the Cabinet Bread."☺ I hope you enjoy it, because it's a huge favorite in our house! If you give it a try, let me know by tagging me on social media. I would love to know what you think of it, or if you added something fun.

Sometimes Wants (Spring '23)

These are the spring time, "Sometimes Wants," that have caught my eye lately.

1. 2.

3. 4.

7. 8.

9. 10.

BunchaFarmers Stain Stick. I have been on a mission to completely overhaul my cleaning routine and this has been added to my arsenal. It's all natural and 100% biodegradable. The outer packaging is recyclable and is completely environmentally friendly. The best part, it actually works for a wide range of stains, even ones on furniture and car upholstery.
QALO/Pela Women's Rubber Silicone Ring. Such a great ring that you can feel good about wearing. It's breathable, durable, and comes in a wide range of colors. It's compostable, made from plants, sustainable, and affordable.
CBD Pain Relief Stick (Sport). This CBD stick has been my go-to for over a year now. I am actually wearing some on my right shoulder as I type this out. ☺ I absolutely can not say enough about it. The CBD helps with mild pain relief, while the cooling camphor and menthol bring much needed aid to the area asap. It's non-gmo and vegan, and works great for period cramps and migraines, as well.
MountainHares Organic Cotton Body Pouf. This pouf, as well as this shop are a self-care lovers dream. If you've been looking for some items to add to your Self-Care Sunday routine, this is it. This body pouf is a good start. It's 100% organic cotton and comes with a crocheted loop to hang dry. It feels more like a smooth pouf than an exfoliating one, but it is a nice "hug" in the shower while using.
Hugs Blanket (Minky Couture). I can't do weighted blankets, but this is a great alternative to that. It is so soft and comforting. It comes in a wide range of colors and sizes from (infant (30in x 30in) to (grande 60in x 84in).
NARS Audacious Lipstick. These lipstick colors have been a new change for me. Some days I feel upbeat enough to wear *Scarlet* and other days I want to disappear, so I wear *Pink Beige* to kind of "blend in." The texture of the lipstick is a nice smooth feel on the lips and doesn't rub off onto glass rims. It's paraben free and well worth the price. I may venture out and try other shades, too.
SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore. I've been using this lipid restore since my breast surgery in 2020 and I will say that it has definitely made a difference. It's a bit pricier than other brands, but it's well worth it. It has drastically reduced the appearance of my surgery scars and also helped in softening and the stretch marks I gained from before my surgery from the size of my breasts previous. I highly recommend it. I like it so well that I sometimes cheat and use it on other areas of my body, as well. ☺
Your Super Life: 100+ Delicious, Plant-Based Recipes Made with Nature's Most Powerful Superfoods By Michael Kuech, Kristel de Groot. I love their powders, so of course I preordered my book. Excited to see how to incorporate my mixes in everyday recipes.
Monster Away Spray. This is such a cute and relaxing way to help children with their "scaries" at night. It is made with cedarwood, chamomile, vetiver, orange, and ho wood essential oils. I already use a spray similar here, but this one I would definitely try just to see how relaxing and mind calming it is for adults. But, if you have a child with nighttime worries about monsters under the bed or in a closet, definitely give it a go.
The Self-Care Planner. For anyone that knows me, like really knows me well, will tell you I have to have a routine and I am very OCD about that routine. One missed moment in my routine and it sets me up for a lot of mental health issues later in the day, or even in the week. It seems to be something that helps keep me from falling apart, honestly and this self-care planner has helped a great deal with me staying on track and focused. Through the last several years I've even gotten better at telling people, "NO!" Just to be able to stay the course and on my routine. The best part of it all, though, is the ability to change up a few things if I wanted to do that for myself. Say I have a dentist appointment one day, I can move and shuffle my routine around that fits best for me to be able to fit that appointment into my own personal schedule. I do suggest this planner if this sounds like you, too. You'll love it!

Happy Spring Equinox!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways

Nothing is more comforting in our house than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven. I have about 20 different ways to make chocolate chip cookies, but these five are our most loved.

#1 •Coconut-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2/3 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup coconut oil, solid

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Cream together until light in color and "fluffy"

2 eggs (add one at a time)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix until well combined

In a separate bowl:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Add dry to wet

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

(Makes three dozen)

***

#2 Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cubes butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

2 tbs. honey

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups vanilla chips

Cream sugar, honey, butter, eggs, and

vanilla together until light in color.

Sift dry ingredients together until combined.

Add vanilla chips and drop by tablespoonfuls.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

(Makes three dozen)

***

#3 Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 cups butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

5 eggs

5 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and eggs. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients together and add to

butter mixture. Add chocolate chips and mix

to incorporate. Drop by teaspoonfuls and

bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Of course, all of these recipes are a bit different, but give the same result of a chocolate chip cookie. Bake all of them at random times and find out which one is your favorite. The quality of ingredients are important here with these recipes. Keep in mind, when you use lesser quality ingredients you will get a lesser quality cookie. We eat only organic in our household, and your tastes are geared towards what you eat on a regular basis. If you are not completely organic, change one ingredients in your recipes at a time when you cook or bake and eventually you'll be using all organic for certain recipes. Try on of these chocolate chip cookie recipes with all organic and see how you like it.

#4 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line two baking

sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter until smooth and add peanut butter,

and both sugars, beat well until combined.

Add eggs and beat well. Mix dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients gradually until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Scoop small portions onto sheet.

Bake 15 minutes until just firm around edges. Don't overbake.

(Makes two dozen)

***

#5 Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies:

3 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks melted and cooled butter

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 cups chocolate disks

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs, and egg yolks. Combine after each addition, but do not

over mix. Add vanilla. Combine all dry ingredients until combined and

add dry to wet mix and mix well. Add in chocolate disks by hand.

Bake about 10 minutes until edges are just golden in color.

And lastly, since we can all admit that we eat some of the cookie dough before it reaches the oven, here's a better version of cookie dough that won't have the potential to possibly make you sick.

Edible Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups (heat-treated flour)*

1-2 cups chocolate chips (depending on taste)

Combine melted butter, vanilla, water, and

sugar until smooth. Add salt and flour to mix.

Mix thoroughly before adding chocolate chips.

Eat right away, or refrigerate for up to three