You say tomato, I say...Sauce!

Before...

After...

I am SO tired!

Halloween Feastivities

Check out these fun bread bowls I made! We stuffed them with chili, cheese and sour cream- Sloppy Jacks!

This was our Halloween Eve meal/Mike's Birthday Meal #2...

Salty Bones (puffed pastry w/ seasonings)
Blood-shot Eyeballs (meat loaf balls)
Witch Fingers (carmelized green beans with pine nuts)
Apple Bites (apple slices with slivered almonds)
Vampire Blood (tomato soup)

Chocolate Chipotle Chili

Okay, I saw this on Our Best Bites and didn't think much of it. My friend made some and gave it to me. At first I thought it tasted like any old chili, but when I had some the next day (today) I loved it so much that I came in and am posting it.
Even if you have a tried and true chili recipe, this is really worth giving a try. I love the chipotle flavor!
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/10/chipotle-chocolate-chili.html

Rockin' Leftovers

What do you feed 3 ravenous kids, 1 exhausted husband and 4 hungry rockers? A feast!!!

Chicken, red onion and sausage BBQ kebabs

Carrot and spinach Risotto

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Eggplant Foccacia Bread

Apple Crisp with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

The best part about this feast...LEFTOVERS!

The next day I took the foccacia bread and covered it in the roasted veggies, sprinkled some Swiss cheese on top and broiled it until golden brown. Boo-yah! (that's for you, Trixi Legassi)

Searcy meals

I'm beginning to think I should start doubling my recipes- these kids are hungry little caterpillars! I used to be able to have a leftover night mid-week, but we don't have anything leftover. Here's our menu for the week:
Last night was spinach omelets/toast/fruit
Wednesday: Chicken and Dumplins!!!! (my fave)
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: Pizza
This pizza dough recipe was from the Oct. Family Fun Magazine...recipe entitled "Stuffed-crust Veggie Pie." I use the leftover spaghetti sauce from the night before and add different veggies on top. So good!
Dough:
1 1/3 c. lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
1 pkg. yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c. rolled oats (quick or old fashioned)
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour



Pour water into large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir in the sugar, oats, and set aside for 5 min. Stir in the oil and salt, then add 2 cups flour and beat (I use my stand mixer). Add remaining flour 1/3 c. at a time until pliable. Knead about 8 minutes (or use your dough hook). Let rise 1 hour. When you shape your pizza, you can get REALLY crazy and are a ring of cheese around the edge of the dough, then fold over (creating the stuffed crust). Pretty tasty!
Add your sauce and your cheese, the your veggies and a tiny bit more cheese. Bake 25 min at 425.

I also have to give a plug to my new favorite butcher shop. They are awesome!!! I have been buying all my meat products there and am amazed at how much better the overall taste and quality is. Plus, the staff are super nice and know their stuff. If in town, check them out!

Lunch Time

1. grow okra

2. cook it

3. feed it to your baby

4. increase happiness!

Veggie Hash on Grits (for one and a half)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1/4 sweet potato, peeled and diced

kosher salt

pepper

'Spike' gourmet seasoning

5 okra pods, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup water

* Saute the carrot and sweet potato in oil over medium heat until softened (about 6 minutes)

* Season with salt, pepper and about 1-2 tsp. Spike

* add okra, cook about 2 more minutes until okra softens

* add tomato paste and stir into veggies, add water to make a sauce.

* Serve on top of grits and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

This was so delicious, I definitely should have made more.

Mini Mushroom and Sausage Quiches

Mini Mushroom and Sausage Quiches
8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces1 tsp. olive oil8 ounces mushrooms, sliced¼ C. sliced scallions¼ C. shredded swiss cheese1 tsp. freshly ground pepper5 eggs3 egg whites1 C. milk
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6-8 min. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 min. transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 min. stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 min. let cool on a wire rack for 5 min. Place a rack on top of the pan , flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Cool completely.

Spaghetti sauce served over spaghetti squash

We have recently started Southbeach Diet and I wanted to share some of the fabulous yummy, healthy recipes we've had.

Spaghetti Sauce served over spaghetti squash

1 Tbs. Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 c. canned, diced with juice (6 ripe med tomatoes chopped)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
4 zucchini, chopped
¼ c. fresh basil leaves or 2 tsp. dry basil
2 T. fresh oregano or 2 tsp. dry oregano
¼-1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Heat oil in pan. Add onion and cook until softened (5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook (2 minutes). Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Can be frozen up to 2 months.
Serve on noodles or spaghetti squash.

around the world...on a budget!

Okay- I'm not getting fancy with these meals, but I had to get a little creative this week since summer is almost over and I feel like I haven't done a thing! Here goes:
Monday: {America} Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches w/bacon
Tuesday: {Asia} Stir-fry honey chicken w/veggies
Wedensday: {France} Omelettes
Thursday: {Italy} Pasta with meatballs
Friday: {U.K.} Irish Meat Pies

Sunday Dinner

We've been traveling and need an easy and light dinner- this tortilla soup does the trick!

First Harvest!

We are back from a thrilling trip to the beach and were excited to see that our garden really blossemed while we were gone (thank you, Hoods, for watering it)! We are already harvesting some of our veggies and using them in our meals this week. You should see this okra!!! Next week I'm going to try to duplicate John and Julie's okra and tomatoes from the beach (please feel free to post that recipe, J&J).

This Week's Menu:

Monday: pasta with basil pesto, grilled portabellos and zucchini/foccacia bread

Tuesday (lunch): pesto chicken salad and foccacia panini

Tuesday (dinner): sausage, egg, cheese, potato burritoes/grits and orange slices

Wednesday: pizza (cheese, olives, and leftover sausage)

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: sweet pork tostadas (Melany's recipe for the pork...I'll update with pics and recipe later)

Saturday: Turkey Joes/roasted cauliflower & sweet potatoes/fruit salad/S'MORES! (I'm going to attempt the homemade graham crackers)

Sunday: Pork & Veggie Stew (crockpot) with corn cakes

next project

This recipe for homemade graham crackers is next on my list!

Strawberry Pie

I made this fresh strawberry pie for Mother's Day (yeah, I'm a little slow)...
So, so, so good. I just bought a frozen pie shell, which made it really easy. But I am sure it would taste twice as nice with a homemade crust.

Heavenly Granola

This stuff is good! It got munched up so fast, I couldn't get a picture of it. Izzy and I made blueberry and yogurt parfaits with it for snack yesterday...try it!!!!

1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup butter
4 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add oats, stir and cook for 5 min until browned. Remove from heat and cool oats on a rimmed baking sheet.
Melt butter in same pan over medium. Stir in the honey, brown sugar; cook, stirring, until bubbly. Return oats and add almonds and fruit. Cook and stir another 5 minutes.
Pour onto foil-lined baking sheet and BROIL in oven for 3-5 minutes, until golden (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn!).
Pull off the granola with the foil and cool.

Chicken Licken

We had some leftover rotisserie chicken and I'm thinking about putting this pot pie together- OR maybe just making the filling and putting it into "hot pocket" pies. What do you think I should do?

A Week of Searcy Dinners

Okay, I have moved in and can now focus on food!

Sunday: Turkey Tacos. I even made Callie's salsa (the best!) with cilantro from my new garden!

Monday: Red Beans and Rice (recipe below)

Tuesday: Pizza with Nana!!!

Wednesday: Pancakes and Fruit

Thursday: Freezer night (I'm thinking nuggets)

Friday: Chicken Tikka Masala (sorry, you have to subscribe to Cooks Illustrated to get this recipe BUT it is worth it!)

Red Beans and Rice

½ lb. small red beans, dry
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb beef smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch chunks
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

In a medium crock-pot, add all ingredients. Cover with water and cook on High for 6-8 hours. Before serving, add 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Serve over rice.

This week

Here's my menu for this week:

Sunday: Honey Nut Chicken and BBQ Succotash (the chicken is way easy and tastes great, the BBQ Succotash was just okay)

Monday: I am trying the crockpot lasagna that has been mentioned many times (I thought if you make regularly, it must be good!)

Tuesday: Chicken Taco Salad- there is no real recipe for this. All you need is tortilla chips, chicken (I often use leftovers from grilling), lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, ranch dressing, and salsa

Wednesday: homemade pizza (I rationed out some of the sausage from the lasagna for topping) and if anyone wants to share recipes for pizza dough, I would love a new recipe.

Thursday: Mexican Style Shredded Pork (this is done in the crock pot and is great in burritos, tacos, on chips... I always get lots of compliments on this, but is soooooo easy)

Friday: I think we're going out.

So that's our week. Can't wait to try that lasagna cooking right now!

Bean Brownies....

Doesn't that sound scrumptious?!! Well, they are. And, since I was added as an author just so that I could add this, here goes:

1 Brownie mix (any variety will work, I'm sure -- I usually use Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines -- my favorites are the kind with chocolate chips in the mix)

1 can of unseasoned beans, I prefer navy or black, but you can use any variety, from what I've read -- dump the beans, undrained, into the blender. Puree them until they are as smooth as you can get them. (They will still have some texture and that's okay.)

Now, make the brownies according to the box directions, EXCEPT, use your new bean puree in place of the oil... if the recipe says 1/2 cup oil, use 1/2 cup beans. I also use just the egg whites to lower the fat and cholesterol a little more.

I cook them at the temp on the box, but short the cooking time by a LOT. I usually start with 10 to 15 minutes and add 2-5 minutes at a time. You want them to be very underdone or they are really dry. Most of the time, I find they are best after about 18 minutes -- it just depends on the size of the pan. I have also found that cook more evenly, if they are thinner.

I did read on one blog, as I was looking for ways to use beans in recipes, that if you use 1/2 the oil and 1/2 beans, you get a much more normal brownie texture. Personally, I prefer just undercooking them.

I have also used this in cake mixes and it works just as well. Just match the bean color to the mix color. One can of beans is enough for about 3 mixes. I usually make all of them into cupcakes and freeze a bunch, so I don't have to bake so often. Again, short the cooking time dramatically! The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

So, there you have it! A super easy, sneaky way to add a great food to dessert and still have something any normal child (or adult) will eat. (And it makes a brownie much less damaging to your health...) At our house, we don't even have to keep it a secret. We call them "Bean Brownies" and all five of our kids love them!

This weeks menu

Travis made Greek Chicken pitas on Sunday. We ate leftovers on Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday: Bean Burritos (previous post) Love the frozen leftovers! Also, my very ripe bananas had to be made into Banana Cinnamon Chip Bread (with no added fat!) that I found on Two Peas and Their Pod.

Thursday: Stuffed Shells from Martha Stewart Kids. I love that I am doing searches for recipes I tore out of magazines years ago and finding the links online. Nice that I don't have to type them out. Also, a salad and maybe my favorite breadsticks that you can't mess up.

Friday: Zucchini Frittata, a crustless quiche I found on Everyday Foods I have been making for years! Great with a salad and maybe some cheesy scones.

Saturday: Greek Chicken Pasta (previous post)

Most of these recipes are vegetarian and light enough for hot summer meals.

Moving Meals!

We're moving this week, so my cooking routine will be a bit disrupted.
Monday: Sweet, Sticky, Spicky Chicken (on rice with broccoli; check previous post)
Tuesday: Quiche with leeks, spinach and bacon
Wednesday: Slow-cooker Lasagna (previous post)
Thursday-Saturday: leftovers/frozen pizzas while my kitchen is in transition

Easter Sunday Meal

We decided to go non-traditional (and cheap) for our Easter meal.
We tried a chicken fajita marinade from Our Best Bites. It was really tasty. Also, as a special treat I made Brazillian Lemonade from the same site. I have been wanting to try this, because I have heard a lot of good things. It was delicious!
I made muffins for breakfast. I had ripped this recipe out of Wondertime magazine years ago and never made them. I substituted canned pumpkin for the yams and craisins for the cranberry sauce. They were really tasty. In fact, I made them again today with the leftover pumpkin.

Menu, etc.

Max and I made some play dough today. He chose the color.

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp. cream of tartar

1 Tbsp. oil food coloring of choice

Mix all in a pot over low heat until it starts looking like play dough.

This Week's Dinner Menu...

Monday: Burger Beef Cups (made with 1/2 turkey+TVP)

Tuesday: Hoppin' John! (for all you Yankees that's black-eyed peas, bacon, scallions served on rice with a side of corn cakes)

Wednesday: Ham and Egg Croissant-wiches (we have a LOT of leftover ham)

Thursday: Irish Meat Pies (recipe on previous post)

Friday: Bacon, Leeks and Edamame Pasta (recipe on previous post)

I think I'll do the slow-cooker lasagna for Sunday.

Strawberry Cheesecake Icebox Pie

I am excited to be trying this recipe for Easter dessert-

Ingredients:
1 cup plain fat free Stonyfield Farm Yogurt1 8oz. package of fat free cream cheese3 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup strawberries, diced1 9" Graham Cracker Crust

Directions:
In a medium-size mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Blend yogurt and vanilla extract into this mixture. Fold in Strawberries, and pour filling into graham cracker crust. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until set. Top with whipped cream if you like, and allow pie to warm slightly before serving.
Yields 8 Servings

Nutrition Facts
Calories 150; Calories from fat 35; Carbohydrate 23g; Protein 6g; Fiber 1g

Breakfast Biscuit Bites

Okay, so I can't take the credits on this one, but it's a winner! My friend Melany told me about a biscuit recipe that Rachel Ray was raving about (one of the employees on her show came up with this one) and I just had to try it. I couldn't find the recipe, so I just improvised. I was going to take a picture of the result, but the biscuits were all gone before I could even get my camera!
I only made a small batch (about 8-10) so you may want to double.

Ingredients:
2 Scrambled eggs, cooked and coarsely chopped
4 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Biscuit mix (I made mine from scratch using 1/2 recipe from the BHG cookbook)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients of biscuit recipe in a large bowl; add cheese.
Mix in the milk from the biscuit recipe (or water if using a mix) until combined, but DO NOT over mix.
Add cooked scrambled eggs and bacon.
Spoon about 1/8 cup scoops of the dough onto the cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.

This weeks menu

Monday: Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken (pictured) from allrecipes.com. This turned out so good. It was easy and quick and really yummy. Also, the leftovers were awesome the next day for lunch.
Tuesday: tried and true Taco Soup
Wednesday: Chicken Greek Pasta Actually a friend made this and brought it over. It was amazing! I only got a couple bites, but since I LOVE Greek food, this will be seen again soon on our table.
Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie I won't even share the recipe. I belong to a freezer meal group and I don't love it. But it is easy.
Friday: Cafe Rio Sweet Pork (this recipe makes tons, half can be frozen, or only make half) Leftovers for Conference weekend so I don't have to cook!

3.5 lb pork roast
rub:
2 T. brown sugar
1.5 cayenne pepper
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt

Mix together and rub into pork roast. Place meat in crock-pot with 1 cup water the night before, cook on low all night.
The next day shred meat and add:
1 can Coke or Dr. Pepper
1/2 C. chicken broth
2 minced garlic cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 C. brown sugar
Cook on low for at least one more hour.

Dressing:
combine the following in blender
1 avacados
4 oz. ranch dip
1/2 can 7 oz. tomatillos with juice
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. dill
salt and pepper to taste

Make a burrito or salad with any of the following:
tortillas
meat
black beans
cheese
lettuce
dressing
salsa
sour cream
lime juice

Gougere

Sounds fancy but there're just cheese puffs. I'm not a baker but these are so easy & so good. Great with soup or beans.

1 cup water

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1 cup gruyere or sharp cheddar cheese

Heat water & butter in pan until boiling, add flour & stir quickly with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. Beat in the eggs. Don't get discouraged, it looks like it won't work but just keep mixing , it will look like mashed potatoes. Stir in the cheese. Arrange in small mounds on a baking sheet & bake for 30 45 minutes at 425.

You can add other ingredients like herbs, roasted garlic or olives in the center.  Great party treats!

This weeks menu

Saturday: Bean Burritos We ate these Saturday and I froze the rest. They are almost gone! They are so great to send for lunches or to grab when you need a healthy, fast lunch.

Sunday: Mini-Turkey burgers (as featured in Amie's little green cookbook)

Monday: Pasta and roast vegetables (pictured) I also made a cheese sauce for the kids to add to their noodles. The veg are so flavorful when roasted it hardly needs anything else.

Tuesday: Chipotle Sloppy Joe's from Cooking Light. Must have pickles. I didn't make cole slaw with it but I think it would benefit from having some on the side (or on the sandwich)

Wednesday: Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Thursday: left-overs

Friday: whatever the babysitter cooks (chicken nuggets?)

Most of these were ideas from Amie! from this blog. Don't you feel like it is paying off, now?

Creamy Chicken Stroganoff

1 large can Reduced-Fat Cream of Mushroom soup

1/4 cup sour cream

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 medium red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

8 strips cooked bacon

1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

garnish: parsley and Parmesan cheese

Saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until caramelized; pour 1/2 onions into bottom of crock pot. Top with chicken.

Mix soup, sour cream, thyme and bay leaf together and pour over chicken. Top with remaining onions.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add bacon the last 30-45 minutes.

Serve over whole-wheat egg noodles or brown rice.

Saucy Stir-Fried Pork

This stir-fried pork recipe is from Kraft foods. I don't usually use much from their magazine, but this one actually tasted good. You can use variations on the vegetables included, and I usually double the amount of the soy sauce mixture. I also add in some fresh grated ginger root.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake lovers beware! This is a really moist cake (maybe not so healthy either...) and can be served up with your choice of icing (I prefer without), ice cream, whipped cream, and even your choice of chocolate sauce (Good ol' Betty Crocker's is good).

The Perfect Buttermilk Chocolate Cake Recipe
2 C flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C Hershey's Cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1 C buttermilk
1 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 300 F
2. Lightly grease and flour 9 X 13 pan
3. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl
4. Mix at medium or medium high speed until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
5. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour.

Open-faced Veggie Melt

Homemade bread+layer of mayo+baby spinach+layer of sliced jack cheese+sliced mushrooms+orange bell pepper+parmesan+garlic salt; broiled=heaven!

Spring Break Menu

Last night: Sausage and Grits Casserole

Tonight: Breaded Pork chops and Spinach-Green bean Casserole

Tomorrow: Smoked sausage and Roasted Veggies- Hobo style!
Wednesday: Noodle Stir-fry

Thursday: leftovers!!!

Friday: Tandoori Kebabs, Roasted Veggies and Naan

Roasted corn soup with jalapeno chicken sausage

When I grill, which is often, I like to make extra corn for soup or salsa. 

2 or 3 links of sausage

Corn removed from cob

1 roasted poblano pepper, skin removed

Onion, chopped

Garlic, minced

Chicken stock

Olive oil

Cream (optional but really good)

Brown the sausage in a heavy pot (preferably cast iron) & remove, then the onion & garlic in the same pot with a little oil. Add the chicken stock, corn, peppers & the sausage. Let that cook for about 20 or 30 minutes on low then cut up the sausage into smaller pieces. Add about a tablespoon of cream to individual bowls to make it really rich. Freeze whatever is left in the pot for future use.

Southwest Tuna and Black beans

Good ole Betty Crocker quick, pantry meal. Serve with rice and your favorite corn bread recipe.
Also can be used as a burrito filling.
Southwest Tuna and Black Beans
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 C.)
1 chili, chopped or 1/4 C. canned green chilis
1 Tbsp. grated lime peel
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 medium tomato, chopped (or more)
2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (6 ounce) white tuna in water, rinsed and drained
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, chili and garlic in oil about 2 minutes, stirring constantly until onion is softened.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Meals for the Week

Monday: Pasta with leeks, peas and bacon

Tuesday: Cheesy Hash brown Bake

Wednesday: Pizza and salad

Thursday: leftovers!

Friday: Rice and Bean Tacos (I make the "filling" for the tacos from this burrito recipe, then heat a single taco-sized flour tortilla on a skillet, top with cheese and a pile of the filling)

Pumpkin Enchiladas and Tomato, Corn, Avacado Salsa

I had a menu ready to post for the week then we all took turns getting sick and I didn't end up cooking any of them, except this because we had some friends over. I know the pumpkin sounds really scary but it works. One of our all time favorite main dishes.

PUMPKIN ENCHILADAS

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can drained, rinsed, black beans
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno chili, quartered (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
1 tsp. Chili powder
8 corn tortillas
11/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425°. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
In a blender, puree pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 21/2 C. water, 2 tsp. Salt, and ¼ tsp. Pepper until smooth. Pour 1 C of sauce in the bottom of an 8 in. square baking dish.
Put down a layer of tortillas, chicken, cheese, then sauce. Repeat, finishing with tortillas then, pour remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet; bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips if you think it needs a little crunch. Also, sour cream and salsa.

The Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salsa I found on Allrecipes.com I could actually bathe in it, it is so good. It is a great compliment to any Mexican dish.

Irish Meat Pies

I made a batch of these on Sunday afternoon and stashed them in the freezer. We baked them last night, right out of the freezer, and they were SO good!

I tweaked the original recipe by replacing the beef with ground turkey and using homemade pie crusts. There was a lot of filling, so next time I will make a little extra pie dough (or only use 1/2 lb of turkey). Enjoy some of these on St. Patty's!

Ratatouille! Not sure I spelled it right but it is my new fav. Eggplant is a natural detoxifier & I can use leftover veges as well, fresh of course & also with herbs from my garden. I'm putting my summer garden in now so I will make it with whatever is available in the future. I read recipes but I am always ready to deviate for whatever is available ( or left over ). Tonight, it was frozen, I do that a lot for future use & I added some penne pasta because thats what I had in the pantry. I thought it was delicious after a hard day in the yard.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I made this last night out of my ever-trusty "Everyday Food" magazine and LOVED it! I was honestly surprised at how tasty it was and that the noodles didn't crust up. Mike suggested that we add zucchini next time. Here's the link to the recipe.

Muffin Man

My little boy is a true muffin man... what kid isn't? I found this recipe when I was trying to find ways to incorporate more fruit and veggies in his diet, without him exactly realizing they were there. (If anyone else has great recipes for picky eaters- please share!) And don't be fooled by the "sugar-free" in the title- my husband is all about flavor in his food and even he loves them. They are very moist and yummy.

(Sorry- no pictures!)

Healthy (Sugar-Free) Pumpkin Muffins

1&3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C canned pumpkin
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C applesauce
1/2 C honey
1/3 C water
3/4 C raisins or coconut or choc chips (or all if you want!)

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix together until combined. Bake in muffin cups at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Startin' Off Right!

We had this delicious meal for dinner tonight: pan-seared {chicken} in wine sauce, roasted cauliflower, salad greens and quinoa*

recipe for the chicken:
1 small boneless, skinless turkey {or chicken} breast half (about 2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Cut turkey, skinned side down, into 8 cutlets (see note). Cover with plastic wrap, and lightly pound cutlets with a meat mallet or bottom of a heavy skillet until inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Working in batches, cook cutlets until browned and opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side (add 1 tablespoon oil when needed). Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with foil.
Add wine to skillet, and bring to a boil. Cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in Dijon; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Top turkey with sauce.

*Here's an article on quinoa http://www.wholeliving.com/article/power-foods-quinoa?autonomy_kw=quinoa

Bean Week in Indiana

Maybe it's that we're still experiencing sub-zero wind chills this week that beans are still a big part of our meals. Winter just keeps coming back, so perhaps we need a week of frijoles to get sick of them to truly get ready for all things spring. Our culinary week begins on Monday and tonight, we had Huevos Rancheros (as pictured). Later this week we'll have the following (I'll hyperlink some of the meals to what I can find online):

• Tom Ka Gai
• Pasta with Lentils and Arugula
• White Bean and Kale Soup
• Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
• Sweet & Sour Mixed Bean Hot Pot

I think we're set for the week. You can see that Mothering Magazine and Martha Stewart really represented this week. Also in the menu is a reuben festival of sorts this week with some friends, so if any of you have made rye bread or know of any kind of reuben additions, please let us know.

Here we go!

Okay, so I'm just trying out this blog and we'll see if it takes!
Here's the premise:
* we'll share food ideas (recipes, meal plans, culinary tricks, etc)
* we'll post our weekly meal list (so we can check out what's on the table in every one's kitchen)
* we'll yada yada over food and cooking!
Enjoy!