black bean soup

I have been craving this soup for a couple of weeks now. This weekend I finally had a chance to make it for dinner. It is a perfect winter time meal. Great for dinner and perfect left overs for lunch. It is a quick and easy recipe to make, and oh so good. We had french bread on the side tonight, I also like it with cornbread.

Gather your goods:

one onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

2-4 carrots, chopped

10 slices bacon, chopped

1 can diced toms, I like the ones with other goodies, the hubs doesn't

1 tbls katchup

1 tbls Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tea chilli powder

1 14oz can of broth, chicken or veggie

4 cans of black beans, not drained

salt and pepper to taste

For garnish:

limes

cilantro chopped

green onions chopped finely

shredded cheese

sour cream

hot suace.

Here's what you do:

warm a pan and add in the bacon, stirring occasionally until it starts to let go of the fat

add in the onoions, saute until translucent, about 4 minutes

add in the garlic and carrots,

add the toms, katchup, worchestershire sauce, chilli powder beans and broth.

bring to a boil and then turn temp down to a low bubble.

allow to cook for 10-20 minutes

While the soup cooks:

wash and chop the cilantro and green onions

grate the cheese and slice the limes (I like about 1/4 to 1/2 lime in my bowl)

ENJOY!

You gotta frittata

I made a point to do some meal planning before going to the grocery store this weekend. Part of this is in an effort to save money, part is so that my brain doesn't have to think too much when I get home from work. I have been fried by the time 5:30 rolls around and could easily have a glass of wine, popcorn and ice cream for dinner.

But that doesn't really set a good example for or work for the kids.

Speaking of what works for the kids, Fifi scarfed every little bit of this that I put on her tray.
I could hardly keep up with her!
 The older kids (my best friend was over with her girlie) weren't so into it.
Two and half year olds don't know what they are missing out on most of the time.
That's okay, more for us!!

I was a tad worried that it was going to be too hot for me to turn on the oven, but a little summer rain storm blew in last night, so it wasn't pure torture to turn on the broiler to add the finishing touches on to this dish.

I like that the recipe is more of a template, allowing you to throw in what ever you might have on hand or is sitting in the fridge needing to be used up. I tossed in some mystery greens that my sister brought from her garden, in an effort to sneak some chlorophyll into our diet. I also like that there isn't a boat load of cheese in this recipe, just a 1/4 cup to the top and your good. 
(Maybe that's the difference between a quiche and a frittata,
 other than the no crust thing?)

Last night we ate our frittata hot out of the oven.
Today I threw it in my lunch box with a big handful of salad and ate it cold.

Here's what I did.....

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

teaspoon dry thyme

9 eggs whisked

1/4 to 1/2 an onion diced finely

1-3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 pkg sweet sausage either crumbled or sliced small

(I used sweet because the kids were going to eat this, but spicy would be awesome too)

1-1.5 cups chopped greens, (spinach, kale, etc)

1 can cannelloni or other bean of your liking

1 cup cherry toms, halved

1/4 cup grated parm

What to do:

Beat the first five ingredients together and set aside.

Heat an oven safe pan (I used our big Dutch oven one) with a bit of oil

Add your onions and garlic until translucent.

Add sausage and lightly brown

Add chopped greens and allow to saute a bit so they wilt

Add can of rinsed beans and halved toms

Stir and distribute ingredients evenly in the pan

Pour the egg mixture over and cover

Allow to cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle parm on top, slide under the broiler, (uncovered) for 5 minutes or until set.

Serve and enjoy!

Turkeys

I got pictures of these turkeys,

this pretty turkey,

and this turkey too.

But I some how managed to not take a picture of the actual bird. But trust me when I tell you that it was big and juicy (and done much faster than we had expected). We had a really nice thanksgiving. The kids had a blast running around together and the icebox cake that O helped me make was yummy, as always.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out around the house, a little bit of thrifting and fabric shopping. Some time in the sewing room and some time brewing a new batch of beer. It was cold and a bit snowy, so we really just hunkered down and enjoyed one another. And isn't that what it is all about this time of year?

a bag of apples

When life (or your in laws in my case) hands you apples, you make um...

You make all sorts of stuff that is full of Autumn goodness and probably a bit of cinnamon and sugar too.

behold the apple galette

the apple bread

and the plane old apple of course.

but don't forget apple-carrot-ginger juice to wash it all down.

yep, hand me apples any old time and I will hand you back something yummy.
and i f you find that you can't eat all of the apples you have been gifted, we have a few four legged friends who are happy to reap the left overs.

cinnamony good

If you know me, you know that I have a little thing for cinnamon rolls. There right up there with an apple fritter or a slice of pie or cake in the morning with my coffee when I am feeling the sweet tooth call.

ooh-ee, goo-ee, yum.

A while back when Michelle, aka Glitzy Purse Girl posted pictures of 'easy' cinnamon rolls on her Flickr stream and then Shona Leah did the same thing I had to make them. I woke up early Saturday morning because I was feeling just a little bit antsy waiting for this baby to show up (Saturday was the estimated due date) and made them. the dough comes together really easily, but they take a bit of time since it has to rise for about 2hrs before you can roll it out and add the cinnamon and sugar goodness. Here is the recipe. Thanks again to Michelle and Shona Leah for the early morning sweet tooth and for sharing their recipes with me!

Cinnamon-y Good

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

4 cups flour

1 t salt

2 1/4 t yeast

Melt the butter in the milk while it warms then add it to 1/2 the flour and sugar in a bowl, then mix in the eggs and salt, then the yeast and remaining flour, usually comes together and seems too wet, but only add enough flour to get it out of the bowl and knead it about 5 minutes on a floured towel, wipe the bowl with the butter wrapper and then form the dough into a ball and coat it in the bowl and let it rest in a warm space about 2 hours covered with that floury towel.

Punch it down and roll it out into about 12" x 20" rectangle

coat it with

1/3 cup butter (room temp)

1 cup brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

1/3 cup flour (helps keep filling in place)

Roll the rectangle into a normal roll or for hearts each side to the center, and slice into 8-15 rolls, depends on how thick you like them I tend to like em thin

Wipe butter wrappers on a baking pan to coat and then sprinkle the with whatever cinnamon/sugar flour fell out during cutting, place the rolls with room to swell while they bake and before putting into a 375 degree oven

Optional: pour 1/4 cup whipping cream in the spaces of the rolls and i brush the tops with egg

Bake for about 20 minutes rotating pan halfway through,

Icing recipe

1/4 cup cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 t salt

1/2 cup butter (softened) room temp!

Whip the icing up and ice rolls when they are warm and let it drip into the crevices

the sweet stuff

So I can't possibly put all that savory, yummy food in the freezer without doing a little bit of time with chocolate and butter and vanilla, can I? Since I put an APB (all points bulletin) out on the facebook for some local zucchini I had to test out Krista's recipe for her zuc brownies. So that is exactly what I did this weekend...  I shredded and mixed and made oooie-gooie yum brownies with that hint of healthy. It was good. really good.

Here is the recipe for the Zuc Brownies... um, yeah. Don't say I didn't warn you once you pull these bad boys out of the oven you will find them hard to resist. Oh, and I made these on Saturday morning and today, Wednesday, they continue to be 'just taken out of the oven' moist and chewy. I love. (um, I sort of can't believe they lasted thru Wednesday!) I never quite got to making the frosting for these, and though it probably makes them that much more 'over the top', I really like them without it! So if you just can't wait, don't worry about the frosting.

Inspired Zucchini Brownies

(thanks to Krista for the original recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I kept these out)

ICING

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup butter

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. At this point it is going to seem like you forgot something- but you didn't just stir until everything is mixed and moist. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Freezer Food Friday (on a Monday)

Sausage, Kale and White Bean Stew

This dish became one of our favorites in late winter and throughout our very cool spring season this past year. It is crazy quick and easy to make and has a fantastic flavor. We have tried out several different kinds of sausage in it and haven't quite settled on one we like more than another. My only recommendation if you know that the sausage you are using is a little more on the greasy side, you may want to cook off the sausage in a separate pan and drain the grease so that your soup isn't an oil slick. This soup could easily be converted into a vegetarian dish by using a veg-head sausage.

I think we usually add a little bit more lemon juice than the recipe calls for once we are at the table and great a little parm cheese on top for fun. I like the side of cheese bread to dip in the broth as well - but plain 'crunchy bread' with butter would be yummy too.

 I can easily make this soup on an evening after work (something I have done several times in the past) as it is super quick, even with the chopping of the greens and opening the cans of beans :).

Cannellini Stew W/Sausage and Kale

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

• 4 (2-ounce) sausages of your liking, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (above in the picture I am using a chicken sausage)

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

• 2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

• 4 cups bagged chopped kale

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

• 6 (1-ounce) slices French bread baguette

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sausage; sauté 1 minute. Add water, broth, and beans; bring to a boil. Stir in kale, black pepper, red pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

While soup simmers, sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over each bread slice; broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Serve toasts with soup.

If freezing, poor soup into a heat resistant bowl and place in the fridge until cool. Transfer to a zip lock baggie, squeeze out extra air and place in the freezer. To thaw, place in fridge (placing the zip lock bag in a bowl just in case there are punctures in the bag) and then reheat on the stove.

Freezer Food Friday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

The butternut squash is such a pretty color in this dish, what a wonderful pop of orange! Surprisingly, I followed the recipe on this one. It comes from an old Cooking Light and I can't believe I never gave it go before. Between the smell of roasting butternut squash and rosemary and then the bacon in the oven a little later; I had a grumbling and hungry tummy by the time these were heading into the freezer. I wound up using three tin foil 'cake' pans to hold all the past this made instead of the single dish that is instructed. And I have no doubt that each of those will be perfect for feeding Daddy-O, MrO and myself for dinner when the time comes.

As before, I wrapped the pans with plastic, pressing out as much air as possible then covered in tin foil (with written instructions on how to prep) before putting them into the freezer. I am going to guesstimate the cooking time here that will be needed when we go to re-heat. probably between 15-20 minutes w/ the foil on and another 5-10minutes with the foil removed. I did remember to spray the pans down this time prior to filling them... easy to forget when you aren't throwing them directly into the oven.

~~~

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients:

¾ tea salt, divided

½ tea dried rosemary

¼ tea fresh ground black pepper

3 cups (1inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

Cooking spray

6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)

8 ounces uncooked mini penne

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 cups milk

¾ cup shredded sharp provolone cheese

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. (I actually gave the 'baking the bacon' method a try here and I think I am a convert. I lined the baking sheet with foil, placed my cooling racks on top and then lined the racks with the bacon. Set the oven at 400 and let cook for about 10 minutes. I flipped the bacon over at that point and cooked for another 5 minutes.) Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. (see my instructions above for how I froze and will reheat. I will update once I have given one of these a go in the re-heating process to get you all a more definite time for this part).

Presto-pesto

We heart pesto in this house. MrO will eat more pasta then you think is manageable for such a little dude when it is covered in the yummy green stuff and Daddy-O and I could probably have it at least once if not twice a week and be okay with it. Over the weekend we were visiting Daddy-O's sister and she had a ton of basil that needed trimming in her yard. We cut a bunch and brought it home with us.

After a good washing and plucking the leaves off the stems, I placed the pile (probably about 2 loose cups full) of the basil into my food processor along with 2-3 cloves of garlic and a pile of shredded Parmesan cheese. I gave it a good whirl while slowly pouring in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil and made the green paste that we love.

I placed the pesto into ice cube trays, covered them with plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. Once they are solid I will pop the cubes out and put them in a zip lock bag for later use. I don't use any nuts in my recipe (often pine nuts are used in pesto recipes) due to the fact that we have some nut allergies in the family and I just don't really like the flavor it gives. I also don't leave out the cheese even though I am freezing it. I have read that freezing with the cheese makes the pesto bitter, but this is the way my mom always made it and I have never noticed a bitter flavor before.

Enjoy over pasta, spread on a sandwich or drop a cube of pesto into your soup or risotto- yum!

Mushroom Madness Monday

A Triple M Monday for you- this week is a veg head friendly set of recipes or at least a bit more friendly to those who don't eat red or ground meat. Next week's installment of Triple M will be anything but vegetarian friendly, as I take you down the Meat Madness road with (meat)loaves and (meat)balls, stay tuned...).
This week though, this weeks Triple M is all about Mushrooms-
Mushroom Pasta Bake and Mushroom and Chicken casserole.

I must say that my house smelled amazing this Sunday morning as I made these two dishes that I am going to share with you today.
A-maze-ING.

I can hardly wait to dig into these. My freezer is getting pretty full and I think I maybe nearing the end of my cooking spree- but I like that I have been able to crank out quite a number of meals for us and I might have to make a habit of doing this in the future. So satisfying.

I think I might be confusing MrO though, since Saturday morning, as he ate his requisite 'two-berries' (blue berries) and butter and jelly toast he was watching me chop and saute and said, "Dinnnnnnner TIME". um, well.... sort of kid.

So are ya ready for the Mushroom madness?

 I will start you off with Mushroom and Chicken Casserole.The original recipe is from a Thanksgiving issue of Cooking Light and calls for turkey (as a means to use up all those t-day left overs). But since I only had chicken around I swapped it out, poultry for poultry, I figured. I used a canned turkey gravy that I happened to have stashed in the pantry (from who knows when) and I really like the Farmhouse brand rice (we use the Mexican and Spanish rice all the time) instead of Uncle Ben's. Pairing this with the recommended cranberry sauce when serving sounds just about perfect. Next time I might add in some artichoke hearts or something fun like that.

Mushroom and Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice (such as Uncle Ben's or Farmhouse)

• 1 ounce French bread or other firm white bread, cubed (I used pre-made bread crumbs, about 1/3-1/2 cup)

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and divided

• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken

• 1 cup turkey gravy (I used canned)

• 1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

• 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage (omitted this ingredient because I didn't have it handy)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Cooking spray

• 3/4 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°. (if you are making this to freeze you can skip this step)

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting fat and seasoning packet. Set aside.(I left the seasoning in...)

While rice cooks, place bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Add 1 teaspoon butter to processor; pulse until combined. Add cheese to processor, and pulse until combined. (skipped this step since I was using pre-made crumbs)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of butter, onion, garlic, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients (through pepper). Add cooked rice; stir.

Spoon rice mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.

If freezing cover in plastic wrap and press out as much air as possible. Cover thoroughly with foil and make sure to put prep instructions either directly on the foil or on a note along with contents of the baking dish for later reference. (Thaw completely in the fridge, remove plastic and replace foil. bake covered for 30  minutes and remove foil cook until bubbly, 10-15 more minutes)

If making for eating right away, bake at 325° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with cranberry sauce.

The second recipe I am going to share reminded me of making a basic mushroom risotto, but instead of using the risotto pasta I used regular noodles. This recipe could probably be added to, zucchini, artichoke hearts, or asparagus, for instance would all be a really good fit. You could probably add in chicken, I had some extra cooked bacon that needed to be used so I chopped that up and tossed it in- ruining the vegetarianism of the dish, but....

This will be really good with a green side salad and some crunch bread I think. Again, I must thank Cooking Light for the original recipe.

Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

8 ounces uncooked gigli or radiatore pasta

2 teaspoons butter

1/4 cup sliced shallots

8 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps

4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided

Cooking spray

Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Set cooked pasta aside.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Place flour in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring mixture to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until melted. Add pasta and mushroom mixture to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine.
Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
If freezing for later, cover in plastic, cover in foil and mark accordingly.
To prepare frozen casserole, thaw completely in fridge. Remove plastic and replace foil. Bake for 30minutes covered and 15-20 minutes uncovered.
If baking off right away, place in a 375° for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Freezer Food Friday: Breakfast Casserole

The original recipe for this came from cooking light. I modified a bit according to what I had in the fridge- I think you could totally add veggies and leave out the meat or add bacon if you didn't have sausages around etc. I also didn't have enough white bread to make the four cups so I cut up some wheat bread heals I had been saving for bread crumbs and added them to the mix. I think it will work just fine (I hope!).

~~~~

Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups 2% reduced fat milk

1 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped basil (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup green onions, I think you could sub in or add mushrooms shredded zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts...)

1/2 teas. dry mustard

1/4 teas. salt

1/4 teas. fresh ground pepper

8 large egg whites

4 large eggs

2-3 large sausage links (I used Italian Pork - we grilled it off since we were already grilling dinner and then I sliced it small)

4 cups (1/2 in cubed) white bread (~ 4.5 oz) This is where I used about 2 cups whole wheat bread heels and about 2cups crunch french bread.

Cooking spray

PREP:

(If you are going to just make these and not freeze preheat your oven now to 350)

Combine the milk, 1/2 cup cheese, basil/green onion and what ever veg you want to add, and next 5 ingredients (through eggs). stirring with a whisk

Divide sausage and bread evenly between 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray (ACK! I think I forgot this step... ut-oh). Poor egg mixture evenly between pans. Top each with 1/4cup cheese.

(if baking off now) Cover each pan with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare thru step 3. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in Freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw completely in fridge for about 24 hours, Preheat oven to 350 . Remove foil; reserve. Remove plastic wrap; discard. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350 for 40min. Uncover and bake an additional 50 minutes or until bubbly.

* I like to write on the foil what the contents of the pan are and how to prepare - you could also add this on a little note. This is especially important if you are gifting these meals to someone else. They are going to need to know what to do with it and how to properly prepare the food you have so graciously made for them.

Nesting: the kitchen phase

To market to market......

Okay gang, per my last post I am on full tilt "kitchen nesting" mode. On Sunday I made a giant list of freezer friendly foods. I copied all the recipes from the various sites that I found them on into a word document and then I complied a shopping list of the things I would need from the ingredients list. I figure many of the recipes were going to be calling for the same ingredients so I could guesstimate bulk quantities this way. I am also going to tackle freezer that is a mishmash of frozen peas and Popsicles as well as the pantry with its dreaded "Leaning Tower of Tupperware" one night this week. I can't take it any more...

Today Daddy-O and I braved the lunch time Costco crowds and got most of the meat/cheese and dry goods that will be needed to actually create all these meals. We still have to go to the regular grocery store to pick up things that are ridiculous to purchase in bulk or that Costco just doesn't sell, but I am feeling good that we are on our way to "investment" cooking for the late summer/early fall season. If this turns out the way I am imagining it, I will have anywhere from 15 to 30 meals plus a few snackie foods thrown in the mix for good measure.

I am probably a little crazy, but I just know how hard it was adjusting when MrO came along. Despite being crazy hungry because I was nursing, I usually didn't have it in me to prep and cook a meal. The food that was brought in from friends and family was beyond fantastic to have around and made things so much easier on all of us. Pull it from the freezer and toss in a warmed oven, open a bag of salad or chop up so fruit and BAM you have dinner at the ready.

So are you interested to see what I am going to make?

1. 
   
   Sierra Sue’s Meatball2
2. 
   
   Calzones
3. Pesto (2-3 batches) 
4. 
   
   Red Sauce (I also bought a couple of jars to help make things go more quickly)
5. 
   
   Pizza/Calzone dough (3 balls for pizza/2 batchs for calzones)
6. 
   
   Mushroom Rigatoni Bake 
7. 
   
   Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
8. 
   
   Meatloaf 
9. 
   
   Breakfast Casserole
10. 
    
    Chicken Tetrazzini
11. 
    
    Mushroom and Turkey Casserole
12. 
    
    Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup
13. 
    
    Black bean soup
14. 
    
    Twice baked potatoes
15. 
    
    Crispy Chicken Nuggets
16. 
    
    Chili
17. 
    
    Cereal Bars
18. 
    
    Granola Bars
19. 
    
    Granola
20. 
    
    Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (freeze the dough for cut and bake)
21. 
    
    Strawberry Fruit Rollups

I would like to make these recipes available for you guys (and to give myself a quick reference for the future) along with any tweaking I may have done to the recipe. So here's the plan,  I will try to get photos shot of the food as I am making it, as it comes out of the oven or the pre-freezing process and then I will post the associated recipe with the photos in a "Freezer Food Friday" series over the next few weeks. I will also make sure to create a link in the "Recipes" tab up there at the top of my page so you can do a quick reference to it later.

Hopefully, this will be a fun and easy resource for you should you want to do a little "investment" cooking for yourself or someone you love.

PS the calzones are already up there in the Recipe page if you want to get started there :)

Food

So my brain is on food right now. (yeah your pregnant, when aren't you hungry? you might be asking)
But what I am after is food that I can prep now, toss in the freezer and have easily at hand for when Deuce-baby arrives. For those lunch times and dinner times when have no energy to prep and cook, but are starving and need to eat.
I have a few good recipes (enchiladas, lasagna, calzones...) that freeze well but I am wondering if you guys out there have suggestions of favorite freezer-friendly dishes? I would love the recipes!

So, tell me friends, what do you like to make and freeze for later?

Chocolate and Carrots

I have a stack of old Cooking Light magazines in my 'cook book cuboard'. I used to get them monthly, devour them and the recipes inside. But then the stack kept getting bigger and bigger and recipes seemed to be redundant so I decided that should cancel my subscription. Which was a good idea-you can only have so many cook books in your cuboard and stay sain. I kept all the old ones though because I didn't want to have to rip thru the magazines for the recipes I liked at that moment and I also didn't want to have to organize them somewhere else- plus there is a recipe index in the back of each magazine, something I am just too lazy (or don't have the time to do).

Lately, I have taken to pulling a couple out for the month that we are in (hey it's June, I bet I have at least 2 old June CL mags that have great dinner, BBQ, desert ideas for the season). And every time I do this I find a new gem of a recipe. I like how that works.
This past Monday as I ate my breakfast with O. I flipped thru the pages, sticky note and pen in hand and found Carrot cupcakes with chocolate. I stuck my pink note on the page and added carrots to the grocery list.

On Tues. evening after O was down for the night and A was busy surfing the web, I got the recipe out, along with my bowls and ingredients. Stirring and grating and baking away. Next time I make these I am going to not add as much sugar- almost 2 cups seems like a lot and carrots are so sweet on their own. I might also give a go with using applesauce instead of oil and adding a little cinnamon to the mix. (talking to my mom about these changes is probably a good idea since she is the baker and good at modifications)

I added a cream cheese frosting (because that is how my mom always makes carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting) to the ones we were going to eat and stuck the others in the freezer for later. They came out moist and yummy and the chocolate is just a fun surprise when you take a bite. Enjoy!

These would make a nice Father's Day morning treat if you are up to baking this morning!

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Carrot-Chocolate Cupcakes from August 2003 Cooking Light Magazine

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
1 3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons veg oil
1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 once semisweet chocolate finely chopped

1. preheat oven to 350
2. place carrots into food processor; process until finely minced (you could also use a cheese grater for this- grating the carrots keeps them from turning green)
3. Combine carrots, sugar, oil, butter-milk, and eggs in a large bowl. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.Add flour mixture to carrot mixture; stir until smooth. stir in chocolate
4. spoon batter into 22 muffin cups (reg size) lined with paper liners. Bake for 22 min. or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on  a wire rack and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

If you are going to freeze these for later enjoyment don't frost, place in a zip top bag and place in freezer. To thaw individually place in microwave on medium 15-20 seconds or if you have more time let sit at room Temp until thawed.

You can either dust these with powdered sugar or do what I did and mix up a little cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar to create frosting.

food

Hi Gang!
So not sure if you noticed, but I added a few little fancy pieces to my blog lately. If you look just under the header photo at the top of the page, you will see a few new links:

Home
About Me 
Shop
Other Spots
Recipes

What I really want to call you attention to today is the last link, Recipes. I have gone thru and pulled together all my posts of the food we like to make around here. I will be adding a few more in the next few weeks. I added this link for a couple of reasons, When I can't find my hard copy recipe I will know where to find it and the other reason is to share with all of you.
Some of my favorite dishes are on those pages and I hope they make their way onto your table at some point. Food to me is a way to bring a community together, to make a family bond stronger and to not just nourish our bodies but our souls. So from my table to yours, CHEERS!

salad(s)

salad, originally uploaded by NessieNoodle.

So, I have been trying to meal plan here and there. Or at least have a general idea of what I want to make for the week before heading to the grocery store and just grabbing random stuff and throwing it into my basket. I decided last week would be "salad" week. Now befor you go and think I was eating only salad greens I want you to think again. I mean look at that picture above, that is not your average salad or 'rabbit food' now is it?

For inspiration and recipe ideas I headed over to Tasty Kitchen (If you haven't been there you should check it out. It sort of reminds me of Ravelry, only for the kitchen nerds instead of for the yarn/fiber nerds). I stumbled on this recipe and it reminded me of a salad I had a a local eatery earlier in April, sp I added it to the list. Plus there was steak involved so I knew Daddy-O would be game.

Let's just say MrO and I have been on a bit of a strawberry kick the past couple of weeks (I think I actually over did it and my tummy was not so happy with me for all those little seeds). Of course when I saw the berries on sale at the store I tossed them into the basket and knew they would be used up in some way or another- they fit in perfectly with this salad, adding just the right sweet to the savory of this salad.

I was a little unsure about making the candied walnuts, but I have to say I was worried about nothing, this was so easy and I could see adding a few other seasoning to them in the future (maybe some spicy goodness?) So don’t let this part of the recipe scare you!

I had this salad prepped and on the table in about 20-30minutes. MrO loved the steak,the 'bob-itties'(strawberries) and the avocado and Daddy-O and I loved the entire yummy mess and felt satisfied and full after one big plate full.

I am sharing my adapted version of this recipe from the original one I found via dagny21 on Tasty Kitchen... (I hope that is the right way to credit someone for a recipe?!) Just to give credit where credit is due, I copied and pasted their instructions with only a few additions of my own- I don’t want anyone thinking I am pirating things from others out there. Thank you dagny21 for sharing your yummy recipe!
~~~


Ingredients:

1 whole Steak, Not Huge
1-1/2 cup Walnuts Halves or pieces, raw
1/2 cups White Sugar
1/2 bags (about 6 Oz. Bag) Salad Mix, or your favorite lettuce (we used romaine because that looked good in the store when I was shopping)
1/4 cups Crumbled Blue Cheese
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into bite size pieces
6-12 fresh strawberries, sliced into bite size pieces
1 avocado, sliced into bite size pieces
Italian salad dressing to taste (I used Newman's Own)

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lay out the walnuts on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and put in a bowl. Lay a piece of parchment or waxed paper out on the pan.

Pour 1/2 cup sugar in a pan over medium heat. Allow melting, stirring once it really starts melting. Keep cooking and melting until all sugar is dissolved and the liquid is an amber color. Quickly pour in the walnuts and stir to coat. As soon as they are coated, dump them out onto the parchment paper and quickly separate the pieces. Once separated, I like to let them sit for at least 30 minutes, or even make them a day or two ahead. Once thoroughly cool, place about 2/3 of the walnuts in a bag for another use, and set aside the remaining 1/3 for your salad.

Cook the steak. We grilled ours (because that is how we cook most of our meat, even in the winter when there is snow on the ground) with a bit of salt and pepper on it to medium rare. While it is resting, prepare the salad. Just pour your salad greens onto a salad plate, top with the crumbled blue cheese, and sprinkle with the walnuts and chopped fruit/veggies. Slice the steak into thin strips and place on top of the salad. Drizzle with dressing to taste.

Enjoy and pretend you are eating at a sweet, but slightly pertinacious eatery on CalAve in Reno, NV.

Rib Rub

We had an amazingly nice weekend, with the weather in the 70s and lots of time in the garden and yard. We got a few tomato plants that are haning out in the kitchen window for now and Daddy-O got a few little things fixed in the yard. We found a big leak with the hose bib that needed to be fixed, but the sprinklers are on and things are defenitly looking green around here.
All this nice weather and time outside got Daddy-O in the mood to do a little bbq (or grilling, if you are from the south since bbq doesn't have the same meaning there as it does here).



Not only did we have tri-tip and yukon gold potatoes done on the grill on Saturday, but some really yummy ribs on Sunday. Daddy put them in the oven for about 6 hrs and then finished them off on the grill for about 1/2hr. The meal was complete with a side of fresh corn on the cob and coleslaw.



Daddy-O got a little help from his "shadow" while prepping the ribs. I love having O help in the kitchen. I am hoping it not only peeks his interest in cooking, but also in assisting him in being a good eatter since he is a part of the preperation process.



I like to think of food in our family is not just sitting down to eat, but usually an entire event (especially on the weekends when we have more time to make it so). I really think when everyone (even the littlest of us) is helping, the food is filled with more love and tastes better as a result.



If the taste of this meal is any indication of that idea and philosophy then we are off to a great start!
~~
Today we are back to snow flurries and wind. Ah, spring you are a fickle friend. I owe you all an update on Deuce-baby since we had our 20wk utlra sound on Monday. (this week has sure been full already!) I will do my best to get the picture scanned tonight so I can post about it tomorrow. Until then, be well!