Community Gardens

Gardens just make people happy and community gardens are popping up everywhere. Since the idea of prepping and turning your own soil can seem daunting, especially to urban dwellers and suburbanites, it’s a nice way to share the work load. Not only do you share the weeding and watering, you also share the fun part…harvesting!





Highland Community Victory Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina is not only serving those who directly care for the garden but excess produce is donated to “Plant a Row for the Hungry”. This allows families access to fresh produce who might otherwise go without.



Cullen Whitley is the Garden Coordinator and both his BIG heart and Masters in Horticulture help get the job done.


If you’re in the Raleigh area and interested in joining the Highlands work, it only takes $10 and a commitment of 10 hours. Though Cullen assured me that while no one is turned away because of money, everyone gets their hands dirty! Not in the Raleigh area, no worries, Find a community garden near you

Organic Strawberries

Strawberries are repeatedly on the dirty dozen list as one of the fruits with the highest pesticide residue. That’s enough to make you want to grow your own. Which is just what I did with my niece recently. We drilled holes in the bottom of old pots and buckets, dropped in some empty recycling containers so we didn’t need as much dirt in the large buckets then filled them with organic potting soil almost to the top. Gently placed the organic strawberry plants in the soil and added more around them, packing lightly until the plants were securely in place.

Grace will tell you what to do next.

"Put them in the sun, water them with water and wait til they turn red."

25$ off carpet cleaning

Get $25 off your service with Zerorez by telling them Jennifer Fuller, The Everyday Organic, sent you (tell them at the time service is scheduled). Request Matthew if he's available.

50% off Coupon

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Earth Fare is giving you 50% off their Hot Bar & Salad Bar. Get the coupon and Save!

Gluten Fee Cake Mix Review

After the taste test with gluten free cake mixes from Betty Crocker and Cherrybrook Kitchens, Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Cake Mix needed a test. As far as pricing, it's about the same as the others ~$4.50/box but Arrowhead Mills coupons are easier to come by.

Just like Betty Crocker, this mix calls for eggs in the recipe. Remember, there are many options for baking without eggs. Applesauce (1/4 C:1 egg) is an easy vegan substitute for eggs. Though in this case, I made the cake as suggested on the box.

The flavor of this cake was vanilla so I have to take that difference into account (the others were chocolate). The texture of it was gritty and even though the mix was really runny, the cake wasn't as moist as you would expect. That could've been because I left it in the oven longer to make up for the liquidity of the mix to begin with...which came first?... If I tried it again, I'd use less water but I have to admit, I'm still liking Betty's mix.

Egg Substitutes-Baking without Eggs

When baking, eggs add moisture, bind ingredients together, and/or they leaven. What’s the egg’s purpose in your recipe? If the egg is the main liquid ingredient, it adds moisture. If the recipe has one egg but nothing else to hold the other ingredients together (i.e. bread crumbs, nuts, flour) the egg is the binder. If there are no other rising agents, such as baking soda or baking powder, the egg is the leavening.

The following is a list of substitutions for eggs in baking.
The amounts listed are what are needed for each egg being replaced.
Keep in mind the fewer the eggs in a recipe; the easier it will be to alter it without noticing a difference.

=1 EGG



2 TB H2O, 1 TB oil, & 2 tsp bkg pwdr

2 TB water & 2 tsp baking powder

1 TB soy powder & 2 TB water

1 average size banana-also adds flavor

1/4 C soymilk

1/4 C Applesauce

3 TB Veganaise

1/4 C Flax Meal mix-grind 1heaping TB whole flax seed until a fine meal in a coffee grinder. Add 1/4 cup cold water & flax seed to blender & blend 2-3 minutes til thick & has the consistency of eggs.

In prayer for Japan

Please take time to stop and pray for those in Japan devastated by today's Earthquake and Tsunami.

Online Survey

Please take a few moments to answer my brief 4 question survey. Thank you.

TEO learns how to start a business

Join me on the journey of discovering just how to take that idea and start a business! Read my guest blog post at The Entrepreneur School and watch as I learn from the best. FB users be sure to LIKE IT.

Betty Crocker vs. Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free

And the winner IS...
Cake B, Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake mix. For taste and moistness.

It won with the baker as well because it was much easier to work with. The other one kept falling apart as I was assembling it. Though that didn't stop it from getting eaten...

There are a few things worth mentioning about these gluten free mixes. The Betty Crocker mix requires 3 eggs and 1 stick of butter (I used 1/2C oil) while the Cherrybrook Kitchen mix is dairy and egg free. That means even if dairy allergies aren't a concern, you still only need water and oil for the mix. The price of each mix is about the same, ~$4.50 each. Another important note; when buying gluten free cake mixes, the boxes are the same size as any other cake mix box, however, they only make one layer. Not two like conventional cake mixes. So when making a layer cake, you'll need two boxes making the cost ~$10 for each cake in addition to frosting.

After drooling over these pictures, you're gonna want the recipes for the Chocolate Mousse Cake and Ganache.

Chocolate Mousse

Classic French Style
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4C unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons rum
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate, butter, and water. Stir occasionally while over low heat until chocolate melted and smooth. Stir in the rum. Remove from heat and let cool for ~2 minutes.

2. When chocolate feels comfortably hot to the touch, add the yolks all at once and stir quickly-you don’t want scrambled eggs in your mousse.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form and hold their shape.

4. Using a flat spatula fold one-half of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then fold that chocolate-egg mixture into the remainder of the egg whites gently folding in until no streaks are visible.

5. Carefully, so as not to deflate the mousse, transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm. If using for filling in a cake, you can refrigerate it in the same both you mixed it in.

Serving: Bring to room temperature (~5 minutes) before serving.

When using as a cake filling. Let cake layers cool completely. Put the first layer on your serving plate, top with the chocolate mousse. Gently place the 2nd layer of the cake on top of the mousse. Press on top layer only enough so it sets. DO NOT smash the chocolate mousse. You worked very hard to get those egg whites fluffy, don't crush them. You can now pour your ganache over the cake letting it run down the sides. Use a butter knife to smooth the ganache over and along the sides. Let stand at least 15minutes before serving.

You may refrigerate this cake before serving but be sure to wrap it so it in plastic or foil (be sure to recycle afterward) doesn't dry out.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

*This basic recipe can easily be converted to Vegan Chocolate Ganache

1pkg (~15oz) chocolate chips
½ C almond milk

I used Ghirardelli chocolate. You can use non-dairy chocolate to make this completely vegan. Rice milk, coconut milk, even cow’s milk all work.

You can use an official double-boiler if you have one. I use a make shift one by bringing about 2C of water to boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Then turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer. I place a glass bowl on top of the saucepan, carefully making sure it sits securely on top.

Then pour chocolate chips in the bowl on top of the pot of simmering water. Add 1/4C almond milk. Gently stir the chocolate and milk. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn so don’t rush this. As the chocolate melts, add more almond milk until desired consistency. Once the chocolate’s almost completely melted, turn the heat off and stir until it’s smooth and shiny. Then pour or spoon over cooled cake. Ganache will need about 15 minutes to set.

You can also dip strawberries or fruit in the ganache at this point and let set on a piece of parchment paper.

Be sure to lick the spoon…

The Best Gluten Free Cake Mix

It's on; Cherrybrook Kitchen vs. Betty Crocker! Which gluten free cake mix will win the taste test tonight? Two chocolate mousse cakes with ganache frosting are ready to go. Both are gluten free but will both win the favor of my finicky family and friends? We shall see. Stay tuned for the results!

Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams Chocolate Cake Mix

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix

Share