RECIPE WED #8: MYO Ortego-like TACO SAUCE!!

I am a sucker for MYO mixes and sauces that taste just like the ones that cost $$ at the grocery stores, and I stumbled upon this taste-alike recipe from THE Make Your Own Zone blog and am going to give this recipe a try since we really enjoy the taco sauce. Now I am on a quest to find a good taste-a-like MYO HEALTHY Catalina dressing, since I really like Catalina dressing on my taco salad along with taco sauce...

 

Frugal Fridays- MYO Christmas Gifts #1: Gourmet Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Sugar

I have seen a tons of posts ALL over Pinterst in the past few years of DIY BLOGGERS making homemade Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Sugar...  

So this  is what I am planning on giving my son's therapists, my visiting nurses, my besties, and my mom, step mom, & sisters (in-laws too!) For Christmas this Year... ALONG w/Customized Truffles, Coconut Bon-bons, & Buckeyes Candies

IT is SOOOO easy you can't even imagine, can be quite frugal, you have to invest in medium priced vodka (too cheap gives the extract an aftertaste that more gourmet vanilla just doesn't have~ it's what sets them apart.) You can get about 15, 4-ounce extract gifts out of one bottle and about $15 for 1/2Lb Vanilla Beans (I bought 1 LB), before you add in the tags and decorative jar, you have spend about $2/person!! For Gourmet NEVER ending GOOD Vanilla (INA would APPROVE!!)
  
I also made the recipe SUPER SIMPLE: 

• by adding the beans directly to the vodka bottles. 
• I will strain the extract with a coffee filter and mesh strainer. Sterilize the gift bottles before I add in extract with a small funnel. 
• I used the portion of  Vodka I had to remove, making room for vanilla beans, to make coconut extract (You could also make citrus extract or mint extract. Mint I would REMOVE after a week to avoid any mold or spoiling issues. The rest would be able to stay in to make a stronger flavor.)

 

The start up fee includes:

• Vanilla Beans: $31.96/LB
• * Vodka: $13/1.75L
• Decorative Containers: $14.92/Dozen

-----------------------------

• The best price for the amount rec'd I found online was Madagascar Bourbon Planifolia Extract Grade B Vanilla Beans 6~7" $31.95/Lb with FREE SHIPPING PLUS FREE I rec'd 1/8 pound of near gourmet Madagascar Planifolia vanilla beans. 
•  You will need to add about 12 beans per 1.75L (about 1/4Lb)... Now there were quite a bit shriveled and hard to scrape all the seeds out, but I was pleased that most were plump and all was fragrant.  

If you plan to make gifts plus have some on hand you can really purchase 1/2Lb and be just fine. I bought a little more- but I will have it for at least a year.

• The *Vodka- I bought 3- 1.75ML ($13/each) will make about 15- 4oz extracts in each bottle...I over bought, but I plan on giving some ppl a larger size and I want a LARGE size for my baking needs...  

*(I bought a medium price range vodka, "Smirnoff'"- When I went to State Liquor store within our neighborhood grocery store, the attendant knew nothing of the variety of vodkas they store carried. Fortunately for me the owner of a high-class restaurant in town that is known for their cocktails and mixed drinks overheard me. He told me the restaurant had a blind taste test where about 75 or so ppl chose from a variety of vodkas and "Smirnoff" was the most chosen vodka. So I decided on that brand)

• Decorative containers, there is about 60 oz in a 1.75L bottle, you loose about 1.3oz of your bottle when you add in beans, so account for that loss (I poured the excess into a smaller glass container and added some organic unsweetened coconut to make coconut extract- I will add to my coconut bon-bons). I mistakenly bought the 1 oz size, now I have a TON of vanilla extract... (BUT I did save various decorative bottles that once held capers, artichoke hearts, jams, tahini paste, canning jars. So some I will give a small amount some I will give a larger size!)

------------------------------
 
Vanilla Extract:

•  1/4 Lb beans per 1.75L bottle of vodka (I use Smirnoff*), pour about 1.3 oz of vodka out in small container then cut beans into quarter (I didn't cut in half and scrape, b/c seeds will come out over the 12 weeks "curing time"), replace lid.

Place in a cool, dark area for about 9-12 weeks to develop a more rich and gourmet deep flavor.  

DON'T FRET if you have started this later than you had hoped, you could always make a tag that reads, "For best flavor-Don't use until ___date". I think the recipient of the gift would love rec'ing the extract then wait expectantly to use later, like 2 gifts in one! :-)

  

  
Vanilla Sugar:

• From the same batch of beans I added about 3-5 beans per 19 once glass containers, filled with sugar, then added lid. 

I then shook the jar once/week to distribute the sugar. This will keep about a year, if kept air-tight will nearly be indefinitely, its the humidity that will compromise your beans and cause mold. So an air-tight container is a must, if you want this to really last! 

Coconut Extract in center made with the vodka I had to pour out to add in beans

Your extract will immediately darken, and continue to do so, you will see flecks, this is the seeds and IS NORMAL, that is the FLAVOR. 


Shake once a week and leave alone to develop the rich sweet smoky vanilla goodness!

The sugar will start to clump, keep shaking the jar to break up clumps and incorporate the vanilla taste throughout. Now specks and flakes  are normal for vanilla sugar. 

What I intent to do, bc I am not sure the recipients of these gifts will understand 

the flakes and pods are normal-  

I will be using a food processor to on half of gifts to blend the pods, sugar, and seeds.  

The rest I hope will be ok, bc you can continue to add sugar to the pot, and have a "Never Ending" vanilla sugar to add to coffee, teas, baked goods, breakfast foods...

Oooohh yeah!!

Linked to Weekend Potluck

   

RECIPE WED # 18: Samak bi Tahini...Fish with Tahini

Ok, so I am totally in love with tahini sauce, it is soooooooooo yummy... LOVE!!! 

So in my hunt for recipes to use it I ran across 3 recipe for fish all 3 very simple...don't you find the tastiest dishes contain 5 or less ingredients?

I think I will like them all, one is called TAGEN~  a dish consisting of grilled or baked white fish, smothered in creamy tahini paste/butter & chicken stock, the second is basically SAMAK bi TAHINI  translated fish with tahini- and it has olive oil in place of stock and fish is cooked in the tahini sauce in stead of a sauce splashed over top of it like in the tagen recipe & the 3rd is a twist on plain old tuna salad.

Going to include all not really sure which I will like more?? Leave a comment on which you have tried and what you liked/disliked about it, would love to hear your input!

First up:

 TAGEN:

• 2 Lbs grilled or oven baked firm white fish
• 1/2 cup of tahini 
• 1 onion diced & sautéed until fragrant and soft
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth. 
• EVOO
• Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper corns, dill (dried or fresh)-chopped to taste
• Fresh Lemon

Coat fish in  EVOO and season w/ splash of lemon wedge & sprinkling of s,p, & dill bake or grill until forks easily flakes, don't over cook!

To make tagen, you’ll need to add 1/2 cup of tahini to 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Add this mixture to a hot pan with sautéed, diced onions and continue stirring until the sauce begins to boil. Add the sauce to a grilled fillet of white fish add a squeeze of lemon wedge for freshness and sprinkle of chopped dill and enjoy tagen.

SAMAK BI TAHINI:

• 2 lbs. fish{any firm white fish: tilapia, orange roughy, flounder, cod whatever is cheapest that day}
• 1/2 cups tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 large onion, sliced
• olive oil
• kosher salt 
• fresh cracked pepper corns
• fresh or dried dill to taste

Drizzle olive oil and season fish w/ kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and chopped fresh dill  and bake in baking pan at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine tahini, olive oil and water. Mix until a sauce forms, adding more water and lemon juice as needed.

Spread sauce over fish and cover with onion slices.

Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees.

Serve immediately or place in refrigerator and serve cold. Serve fish with tahini with white rice and lemon wedges. 

Tuna Fish salad with Tahini Paste

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup tahini paste, depending on taste
• 1 6 oz. can of tuna, drained
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped & sauteed
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• dallop of real mayo
• kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, dill to taste
• fresh lemons wedges
• lettuce, shredded or whole leaf, whatever is preferred

Chop vegetables & lemons, cook onions and set aside.

Open can of tuna, drain and flake in a medium bowl. Add vegetables and desired amount of tahini sauce & mayo. Mix well until all ingredients have combined squeeze a lemon wedge to two according to taste.

Serve tuna salad with tahini chilled or as is in a pita or on regular sandwich bread. It is also a great stand alone dish to toss with romaine for an entree salad. 

RECIPE WED # 17: Romanian Grilled Minced Meat Rolls (MICI)

I love these, but since I did not grow up on the taste of them I have taken some liberties with the recipe and this is not as authentic as it once was, I will include the original recipe with my substitutions...

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 8 ounces chopped suet (don't really have that lying around, so I added 1/2 gr pork)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds ground toasted cumin seeds (Not a fan of caraway seeds, so cumin is close in taste just smokier in flavor)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon finely ground juniper berries
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 t water Gin  (juniper berries {jb}, are what makes gin, so I substitute berries and water for for Gin- I just know that jb would go to waste in my pantry- could also substitute rosemary spring or ground bay leaf)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil-(Used xtra virgin olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons beef broth stock

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, suet (gr. pork), baking soda, caraway seeds (Cumin), garlic, salt, pepper and juniper berries , using your hands. Mix with your hands for about 15 minutes until mixed will get tough if over mix, adding a little bit of the water gin at a time. This part can be made a few hours ahead of time if you like, giving the flavors a chance to mellow.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat. With wet hands form the meat into rolls about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick. Brush lightly with oil.
3. Grill the meat for 5 to 10 minutes, basting frequently with a mixture of beef broth and any remaining oil, until well done.
4. I will pan fry or roast in 350 oven basting (every 10 min or so) until well done or if roasting will place in a foil tent with beef stock.

Teach Me Tuedays: Making Homemade Yogurt-2nd Time around Homemade Yogurt:

Making Yogurt with Store Bought Yogurt as a Starter

I have had some ppl voice their concerns about making yogurt at home and I have done so much reading and research from various web sites and books-

basically yogurt is created using "helpful" bacteria (usually lactobacillus bulgaricus & streptococcus thermophilus), found in Dannon PLAIN, which will cause the WHOLE milk to ferment.

For all the science behind what these particular HELPFUL BACTERIA do to the WHOLE milk check the blog below!

Before pasteurization and refrigeration, this was the only way to make milk last longer !!!
 

I find this  homemade yogurt to be more like a Keifer than a thick yogurt. Remember that MOST STORE BOUGHT YOGURTS use pectins and other such additives to thicken. IF you want a thicker yogurt, after making use a mesh strainer lined with cheese clothe or a coffee filter and place over a bowl in fridge. The Whey will strain off and make a thicker yogurt. Don't waste the "whey", use it to ferment veggies, add to lemonade (MY personal fav!), this is good stuff!!

2nd Time around Homemade Yogurt:
I learned some things from the last time I attempted making yogurt at home from a yogurt starter.

• If you hold the WHOLE milk at 185°F for 30 minutes, you will get a thicker consistency-just read that, only held that temp for minutes, if it doesn't get thick this time I will remember to hold 185 for 30 min next time.
• Make sure house is not colder than 68- ideal temp is 70-72. Too cold temps won't allow the starter to ferment the WHOLE milk into yogurty loveliness!
• Allowing the  starter to sit 9-12 hours-is the stage of tanginess I like!
• Just found out about using the lactobacillus bulgaricus & streptococcus thermophilus cultures, the yogurt I used doesn't have those 2 listed, so if you are going to make a yogurt with the thought of having a "mother starter" you need to check the ingredients for these 2, apparently Dannon's Plain Yogurt is the one that contains this strain, not a fan of the way that way one tastes will check other brands to see if they contain these 2. UPDATE: Wasn't an issue-  it tasted fine!
• Place yogurt in the coldest part of your refrigerator and wait overnight, for a tastier and thicker yogurt.~THE BACK OF THE FRIDGE!
• The recipe I initially used called for 1/2C yogurt & for the one I have seen from a very reputable home yogurt maker uses 2-3T of starter. It was just fine with only 2-3T, I do this now.
• Take 2-3T from your container right away so the starter doesn't die off if you wait too long and if you aren't going to be making yogurt within 5 days- freeze your starter. Just thaw in fridge overnight and proceed with the recipe as usual. I do this all the time, not an issue!
• USE WHOLE MILK! Lower fat milk didn't give me a good result.

  Now the recipe I use (From Web site Below):

• 1/2 gallon of WHOLE milk (The amount of  WHOLE milk you use, is the amount of yogurt you will make so use what your family will gobble up!)
• 2-3 Tbs of plain Dannon yogurt (as a starter)
• 1 8-10 Qt stock pot
• 1 4-5 Qt pot with lid
• 1 Metal or plastic spoon (NO WOODEN SPOONS!)
• 1 candy thermometer with clip
• 1 Heating pad (can be replaced by a hotplate)

Milk as it starts to cook, notice the bubbles are starting to get @ 130 degrees   

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the WHOLE milk to reach 185°F  this temp will kill any bacteria- stir constantly.

Helpful Hints:
•While you are waiting for the milk to reach 185°F, fill your sink about 1/4 of the way with cold water. You know- while your stirring the yogurt at the same time, you can do this! :-)
•For your final trick...Add some ice to the sink water.

Notice the the texture of the milk @185 degrees

This took about 10-15 min over med heat, if you do this method you need to constantly stir so you don't scald the WHOLE milk.

If you do not have a thermometer, this is also the temperature that milk will begin to froth, like in a latte.

Once the temp heats to 185 degrees- keep the WHOLE milk at this temp for 30 min, Haven't tried this method yet.UPDATE: Did try and it helps slightly, enough that I do it every time now.

Cool to WHOLE milk to 108°F -110°F . 

This is the temperature where you get to  
start the yogurt magic. 
(For reasons behind this phenomenon check the blog below)

Slowly & Carefully place the pan of WHOLE milk into the sink that has been filled with ice water.  The level of cold water in the sink REALLY needs to be pretty much even with the level of WHOLE milk in the pot.- I waited for the WHOLE milk to cool on its own, with the thought that yogurt likes to be still and undisturbed about 10-15 min and I also stirred occasionally to help cool, pretty much same results.

Adding the yogurt starter

Pour your 2-3 Tbs of yogurt into your 110°F milk.

Helpful Hints:
•Again, if this is your first batch, use only Dannon plain yogurt. All
future batches you will make using your own.

Yogurt all warm and cozy

The 7+ Hour Wait
After stirring you need to leave the yogurt undisturbed and warm for at least 7 hours!  I used a corner of my stove top &  turned the hood light on. (I know seems scary, but that back burner doesn't work)

Stir WHOLE milk well to incorporate the yogurt you just added.

I covered with a towel bc of all the blogs I read told me to allow "natural gasses to escape".


**The household temps will affect the yogurt setting up, so be sure to really insulate the yogurt. NOT too hot either or you will kill all that healthy bacteria... Wait at least seven hours to uncover.

What I did to make my own YOGURT MAKER: 

Set heating pad to medium and place on a cutting board or as I did a pizza stone. Place your pot of yogurty goodness on top. I THEN Cover with several towels and blanket to insulate THE PAN and keep  it toasty as my household temps are below 68- I really wrap it up.


NOW THAT YOU WAITED PATIENTLY  OVERNIGHT AND LEFT THAT YOGURT ALL SNUGGLY AND UNDISTURBED...

Stir, Stir, Stir!!

THE BEST PART!! After waiting at least 7 hours, or in my case 9-12 hours, it's like Christmas time, you get to see what all those patient hours made!!

Remove from heating pad, uncover yogurt,  & use a sterilized spatula/spoon to combine the curds in with liquid.  

DON'T BE SCARED! 

IT might look like you did something wrong at first or smell a bit "off" it is normal, all cheese kinda smells off to me anyways...

Helpful Hints:

•Sometimes there might be a strong, cheesy odor, and you might even see some greenish liquid on top. This is ok, it's part of the process and what want to you to see, it freaked me out at first too!

•Really stir it well to incorporate the clumpy curds into any remaining liquid, you DON'T want curds and whey, remember what happened to Little Miss Muffet dontcha?

Almost there!!

Pour YOUR yogurty delicousness into chosen container/s & cover with tight fitting lid/s...You can use any containers that have a GOOD fitting lid and can hold whatever size batch you are making, I sometimes use more than one container.

Helpful Hints:

•Yogurt will be thinner than commercial yogurt, remember they use thickeners plus, your yogurt is not yet in its finished state, see below*

*Once you stir the yogurt like you mean it, quite robustly, you stop the whole process then storing in coldest part of fridge overnight will help thicken it up. Trust me it does help! For the science part check the blog below

Chillaxxxxx 
& Enjoy all that delicious yogurt that saved you bunches of money & in my personal opinion TASTES wayyy better!!

This blogg "How to make Your Own Yogurt" 

is amazing if you have any in depth questions or want to see more pics, I got a lot of my info from this blog...

http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/

TEACH ME TUESDAY: When it's time to say WHEN!

(RETRO POST FROM MARCH 2012)-

WOW, what a crazy 10 days it was been! Kids have been super sick, all my ambitions have been laid aside and my mommy's intuition and home remedy know how put to the test as well as my nerve to actually use it....

I am willing to try alternative "crunchy" ideas and recipes when it comes to foods, house cleaning products, beauty/body care items, my pet, my health, but when it has come to the health of my pregnancies and my children...ERRRRRRRRR (that is the sound of breaks being pressed the floor and the break pads smoking!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet, when my daughter woke up screaming and writhing in pain holding her ear, I remember all to well the many times my momma would hold my head on her lap 

and drop warmed "sweet oil" aka olive oil in my ear and run a blow dryer over it and 

"AHHHHH" the relief I felt...

I went to the pantry and to grab my EVOO,  then I remembered I had made garlic infused EVOO and had it in my fridge, 24 oz to be exact... 

pic from this site

I heated up a mug of water then placed a smaller cup inside w/a small amount of garlic infused EVOO, when it got to a nice temp I tested it on the inner part of my wrist. 

Using a dropper I placed 1-2 drops it in my daughter's ear and did a lymphatic drainage massage 

• within 5 minutes she was calm and wanted to sit up on my lap, 
• within 10 min she was asking for some water to drink...
• within 20 she was up and playing with her dollies...

So began my first steps towards using alternative practices to help me kids

Lymphatic Drainage massage in for earaches:

1. First, have the person lay on his or her side with the aching ear facing upward.
2. Next put the ear drops (garlic oil, onion juice, colloidal silver, etc.) in the ear. 
3. Grasp the lower part of the ear and begin stretching and massaging it. This helps the remedy reach the eardrum and begins the process of lymphatic drainage.
4. Finally, after a few minutes of massaging the ear, begin using a "milking" technique to increase lymphatic drainage in the neck and throat. 
5.  Place your finger in the indentation just under the ear and behind the jawbone. 
6. Gently stroke the neck downward from this point. 
7. Gently massage the lymph nodes in the throat area, too. 
8. You'll know what they are because you'll feel hardened, lumpy areas in the neck and throat. These movements will dramatically increase the flow of lymph moving away from the ear.
9. If the first round of this procedure doesn't completely relieve the pain, be patient. Just keep repeating the same process once every hour or so.

Within that hour my son wakes up SCREAMING his left ear red as ruby on fire. 2 days before he had the beginnings of pink eye, he typically gets this ever other month bc of a tear duct issue, he will get it lanced as soon as he is breathing freely enough to tolerate the anesthesia, I drained the ducts as I usually do and make sure it stays gunk free...

Then his temp spikes to nearly *105/106...scary!! *{DON'T ALLOW YOUR CHILD'S FEVER TO GET THIS, HIGH IMMEDIATLY GET MEDICAL ATTENTION IF TEMP SPIKES THIS HIGH!!} I remember reading in one of my old home remedy books I downloaded from amazon to my kindle originally published in the 1700/1800's:

"...  the feet are ice cold and the head raging with a fever to wrap the feet in a thin cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar and rub the feet until they were warm... "

by the time his feet were warm his temp was down to 102, then within 5-10 min he was in the 99 range...

Since then I have heard several other remedies:

• To place a cut potato cut side down on forehead to draw fever
• Slice an onion and place on soles of clean feet and put on clean socks-by the time onion turns brown fever is gone- don't know if I would do this to my young children, but I would try it with me and hubby 
• To use cloth soaked in egg whites on forehead and on feet as well as a burn soother/healer and purportedly will prevent scaring
• Cool bath, which i remember with some ice being done to me as a young child.

Then I read a site that included nearly all the remedies on EHow

• 4 eggs
• 1 small white onion
• 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar
• Socks
• 2 washcloths or handkerchiefs- I used old diapers I only used for burp clothes not prefolds but the thin ones you would have to fold into prefolds, perfect texture for lintness clothes

1- Separate the yokes from the egg whites carefully and discard the yoke.  

2- Chop the white onion finely and mix the pieces into the egg whites.  

3- Add 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar and stir gently.  

4- Soak the handkerchiefs or washcloths in the mixture. While a bit messy, you want the cloth to be dripping with the liquid allowing plenty of absorption into the skin. Be sure some of the onion pieces remain on one side of the washcloths or handkerchiefs.  

5- Wrap the washcloths or handkerchiefs around your feet with the onion touching the skin and place socks over the cloths. This natural remedy will quickly pull the temperature down to your feet, where it can do no bodily harm, naturally relieving a fever.

Monitor the fever carefully to watch for changes. Reapply the soaked cloths to the feet if the fever begins to return.

Tips & Warnings

• Egg whites are also a natural and helpful way to reduce pain and scarring from burns. Coat the affected area with a light layer of egg whites, and reapply once dry. You will feel instant relieve from the heat of the burn.
• If the fever reaches above 104 degrees Fahrenheit and does not break, see a doctor.
• I would coat the foot in light neutral oil to protect a child's skin before I applied the mixture and wrap in plastic wrap to further press the cloth into skin and help with the mess a bit, 
• Plus lay a towel under the feet to protect from egg white contamination issues even with socks on I would still lay a towel under the feet...

WHAT I have learned:

1. Before seeking medical attention, it is good to give a child a cool bath, to try to bring down the body's temperature along with the poultices. The water should be lukewarm; not cold, and they should respond by telling you it feels good to them. However, if after the bath their temperature begins to rise again, it is time to seek medical attention.
2. A temperature of over 104 degrees F is usually considered very high. You should also seek medical attention if you experience confusion, painful urination, a stiff neck, convulsions, trouble breathing, or severe vomiting or diarrhea.
3. Fevers as high as 103-104 degrees should be dealt with immediately by a medical professional. If this event occurs during the night, the child should be taken to the emergency room. At the hospital, a doctor will evaluate your child visually, and will often perform various tests to make sure they are not suffering from a more dangerous illness, such as meningitis. They may take a urine sample to make sure they do not have an infection, or a strep screen, to make sure tonsillitis or strep throat is not the issue. 
4. Never treat a child's fever with aspirin. It can trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye's syndrome.
5. If your child is not able to keep liquids or solids down and is vomiting, this is not a good sign. They are in danger of dehydration, especially when they are not able to urinate or defecate.
6. If they experience difficulty breathing, or their heart rate becomes unusually fast, this is also a symptom of a dangerously high fever.
7. A rash on parts or all of their body, or "blotches", which is also in response to a fever.
8. In some rare cases if the fever is very high, a child may experience what is called "a febrile seizure" or convulsion; which can be extremely dangerous.
9. At the hospital, a doctor will evaluate your child visually, and will often perform various tests to make sure they are not suffering from a more dangerous illness, such as meningitis. They may take a urine sample to make sure they do not have an infection, or a strep screen, to make sure tonsillitis or strep throat is not the issue.
10. Some infections to not appear right away, and may be difficult to detect. It is important to watch your child carefully and return to the doctor or emergency room if their symptoms return.

I don't think I will EVER allow my children especially mini-moose with the CCM issues to have a fever this high again, it could have triggered the above mentioned " febrile seizure" or convulsion; which could have be extremely dangerous & life threatening especially to him.

We didn't go to hospital, his temp was reduced within minutes with the ACV soaked litness cloths, I would be willing to try the above mentioned remedy plus use the cut potato on forehead...
Plus good to know about the egg whites for burns...will file that one away for reference. But I doubt I will ever allow his temp to go that high again.

I feel like the bacteria went from his eyes to ears to  his ears 

it took 2 applications of the oil to calm him.

I dropped the oil in his ears, he was still inconsolable 

so it took him 2 more applications and about 60 min to calm him down 

and remove the red from his ears, 

I think point 10 mentioned about was what we saw happen in Izak.

All weekend I have been using onion,garlic, and ginger poultices on the children,

PIC From this site

1. Applying a light coating of EVOO on backs, chests, and feet. to protect delicate preschooler/toddler skin. 
2. I sliced an onion, smashed up 3 cloves of fresh garlic, and grated 3 T fresh ginger 
3. Placed in pan with a little water.
4. Saute on low until veg starts to steam and very warm--do NOT over-cook, only open up juices and enzymes, really heating up a light simmer.
5. Then I placed the mixture in a thin cotton cloth (old dipes not ever used as dipes, the old fashioned kind you had to fold into a prefold shape)
6. Wrapping like a burrito.

I placed on back for up to 10-15 min as long as Kissi-cat let me, checking skin every 2min garlic can cause burns. I placed other poultices on chest and foot I placed a qt size freezer bag over to hold in place. Mini-moose wouldn't allow me longer than 2 min of application.

-------------------

Kissi-cat still has lingering cough, but sounds a lot better. Mini-moose was so bad I had to to admit...

WHEN IT WAS TIME TO SAY WHEN  

and take him to doctor.

I could feel the rattling in his chest as I held him that past few nights as he miserably moaned and groaned and gasped...I was so torn, my gumption wants to hold out for the poultice to draw the mucus out as it has for Kissi-cat, but I can hear the weak cough tinged with the mucus, non-productive cough that surrenders in defeat.

The pediatrician heard the rattling in his chest and now Mini-moose is on breathing treatments, within one treatment his breathing improved and for the first time in 8 nights we have a quiet night, no one is hacking, coughing or gasping. {We did this for  one  month and has yet to need another treatment}

Kissi-cat is still phlegmy so as I read her night time story 

I applied the "Why does it smell like Garlic in here?" poultice as we call it now-a-days in my house.

 It is working for her, so...

I have learned sometimes u have to use your intuition and go ahead and use what you know and sometimes you have to know when seek help.