Blog Archives

I Love You More Today Than Yesterday Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

5/31/2012

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms.
I made these two nights in a row.
Cuz they're so goooooood!!
And super dupery (it's a word, look it up) easy!!

And guess what...
I love them even more today than yesterday.
But not as much as tomorrow.

Just like how Spiral Starecase (not staircase) sang in 1969,
"I LOVE YOU MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS TOMORROW!"

I dare you to listen to this song without singing along to it.

In fact, I DOUBLE DOG dare you!!!

Did ya sing to it??? Did ya? Did ya?
Yeah, so Spiral Starecase was a one-hit wonder band from California in the late 60's. Wish there was more interesting stuff to relay about this band but there isn't.
Yup,one-hit wonder about sums it up.

Anyhoo, this Pizza Stuffed Mushroom recipe uses Baby Bella or Crimini mushrooms.
Baby Bella and Crimini aren't the large portobello caps I used for the Vegetarian Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms from several months ago.

In fact, they're about this size over to the left there.

Here's the fixins for these super tasty, meaty explosions of the mouth called Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms.

OH! This recipe calls for pepperoni.
You can make this vegetarian by using fake meat pepperoni.
They taste just the same!!!

So start by removing the stems off the mushrooms and patting them clean with a damp cloth.

Next, chop up the red onions, green pepper, black olives and pepperoni.

I'd dice them pretty small.

Now get that softened cream cheese in a bowl and start adding the Parmesan and spices...

Then add the red onions, celery, olives and diced pepperoni...

And this is how the delicious deliciousness
of this mushroom stuffing mixture turns out.

Go ahead, stick your finger in there, I won't narc.

So spray your cast iron skillet (or baking sheet, whichever one you use) with Pam.

Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the mushroom caps...make each one heaping.
There's plenty of the mixture so grab a huge spoon and scoop yourself up a large amount and start licking away.

Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about Little Boy Blue narcing on me about eating all the cream cheese mixture,

cuz he was too engrossed in trying to figure out how to eat that airplane propeller.

I wonder if Peaches, of the fantastico traditional English meal with Yorkshire Pudding post, ate a bunch of the cream cheese mixture when she made these?
Or did she just spoon it all into the mushroom caps?

Peaches is the one who forwarded this recipe to me by the way; and I thank her endlessly.

In fact, I love her more today than yesterday as well too :)

So bake the mushroom caps for 20 minutes.
This is what they look like out of the oven.
The mushrooms with toothpicks are the vegetarian ones.

You will then put them under the broiler and brown the tops of the mushrooms.
Now pay attention here.
Angie is stooopid in the kitchen and learned a lesson.

Angie's lesson #549876644 learned:

If you forget about these under the broiler and broil these for eight minutes, they turn, hmmmm, what's the word....

OH....

BURNT!!!

Although honestly they tasted great, you couldn't even tell.

So the next night when I made these again,

I only broiled them for like one minute.

And they came out less,

oh what's the word?...

BURNT.

These are awesome!!
Each one is like eating a little slice of pepperoni and mushroom pizza heaven. YUM!
They make excellent appetizers!!!

Peaches mentioned in her email not to be surprised if these mushrooms show up at family functions from here on out.
Yeah right Peaches, they'll be showing up all right, but in MY TUPPERWARE CONTAINER sucka!!!!

The second night I made them,

I plated them up as a side with whole wheat pasta and this marinara.

Really, what more can I say about these?

Scrumptious maybe.

Bueno.
Muy bueno!

Okay, I'm running out of descriptors, but you get the drift, yes?

Here's the recipe:

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms
From the cool foodie website laurenslatest.com
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
10 whole Baby Bella Or Crimini Mushrooms
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
¼ cups Grated Parmesan Or Mozzarella Cheese
¼ teaspoons Dried Basil
⅛ teaspoons Dried Oregano
Garlic Salt And Pepper, To Taste
¼ cups Finely Diced Pepperoni
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Green Pepper
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Red Onion
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Black Olives

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray two mini iron skillets with non stick cooking spray and set aside. (A sheet tray will work just fine, too!)

Wash mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems. (They should just pop out!) Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir cream cheese, parmesan, basil, oregano, garlic salt and pepper together until combined. Stir in remaining ingredients, excluding the mushrooms.

Spoon into prepared mushroom caps by the heaping teaspoonful. Place 5 in each skillet and bake 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, switch your oven from bake to broil and brown the tops of each mushroom. Remove and serve hot.

Okay, I think that's about it

for today!!!
Hope tomorrow's bright and sunny but we sure needed that rain today huh!

Okay, see ya next time!

Don't be a stranger :)

Mad Master Gardener Skillz

5/29/2012

Hidey Ho everybody!!
Hope ya'll had a fun, relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

So it's like, what, Monday May 28th?

Almost the first of June, right?
Well, I was looking around my property and thought I would share some of my master gardening skillz with you so far this year.

I just ask that you not get too envious and never visit my blog again.

Let's start with an 8 foot long gate hanging out by my garage, framed at the bottom with fern thing plants.

Kind of cute if you like rustic

garden art, yes?

Look real closely and you'll see a crock by that fence....

...just barely peeking out of the fern things.

This is my personal relaxation space.
I hide out here and think and dream and write sonnets and solve world peace issues.
Of course that's not true. You know that, because there is no place to put cheesecake. If Ima solve world peace issues, Ima need cheesecake!

Oh hey!!!
Keep following me...I want to show you some pretty green foliage I planted in my blue planter out by the barn.

Isn't it pretty???!!!

This foliage is soooo cheap!!!

The technical name for this greenery is "weeds" I've been told.

And what do you think of the pretty plant by the white wooden chairs down below??

Again, this plant was soooo cheap. It was cheap because it's invisible.
These kind of invisible plants are hard to find at the garden centers cuz they're hard to spot.
Cuz they're invisible. Duh.

Hey, I do love these barbed wire boots hanging on my barn pole though!!
Can you see them?
They're barbed wire, shaped like boots.

One time when I was twelve, I was chasing a cow in a field at dusk and there was a barbed wire fence about waist height.

Guess how I found out the fence was there?

Yep,you guessed it.

By hanging upside down on it.
*sigh*

Moving on, I'd like to show you the flowers I have displayed with this vintage vignette in front of the barn.

Except I don't have any flowers yet.

I do however, need to repair that window. Note to Tim, repair window. Hehehe.

And just to prove that I'm not a total slob...the one side of my barn is not junked up at all.
It's rather organized I would say.

It needs painted, yes.

But it's not junked up. Course I am aware everyone's definition of "junked up" is different :)

And that green foliage called "weeds" in the blue planter by the barn,
oddly spread to this sandbox.

I think birds or butterflies drop those foliage seeds when they're flying.

How else can one explain this crappiness?

This
wagon wheel possibly could use a little attention,

whatch ya think?

Where's those darn kids when you need them to paint?

College, schmollege.

Married,
schmarried.

There's no loyalty with those kids.

I have no reasonable explanation why there is a coffee pot in this vintage bike basket.

Who rides a bike with a coffee pot?

Why does everything need constantly painted on this property?

Why are there birdhouses attached to this bench?

FINALLY!
Something pretty to show you!!!
Pretty yellow planters and a vintage wire flower cart.

Do you see those beautiful yellow, orange and pink gerber daisies?

Aren't they gorg??!!

Don't see them?

Well look closer then.

Photocredit: quadcitymomsblog.com

Well, NOW do you see

them??!!

They just happen to look real tiny in those yellow planters up there, that's all.
You just have to look hard.

The pink horse trough does need some attention though,

I must admit.

But don'tcha love these textured orange and lime green planters?

And this oldie crock by the summer kitchen is just sca-reaming to be filled with a pretty floral arrangement.

Or sauerkraut.

Finally,

I'm on the fence with this one...if those weeds get tall enough in this flower box, I can just hang Christmas bulbs off them and not have to worry about decorating come Christmastime.

Whatch ya think?
Who's with me now?

Well, hopefully the next pictures of all these planters will look much better.
You know,
with plants in them and such :):):)

Thanks for checking in gals and guys!!!

Hope everyone has a

good Tuesday!!!

See ya next time!!!

Clean Eating Turkey with Roasted Vegetables

5/22/2012

Clean Eating Turkey with

Roasted Vegetables.

Yes sir-ee Bob!!

Sign me up!!!

Yer Darn Tootin!

Let's start with these hee haw fixins for this clean eating, tasty meal
shall we?

Simple enough for the ingredients huh!

Turkey with Roasted Vegetables
From the Glycemic Index Cookbook, Gina Steer, Sian Lewis, and Charlotte Watts
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 skinless turkey breast fillets, about 4 oz each
1 fresh red chili, seeded
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 zucchini, cut into chunks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thick strips
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. vine-ripened cherry or small plum tomatoes
1 tbsp shredded fresh basil
Pepper
10 oz. freshly cooked fettuccini or pasta of your choice

Directions
1.       Preheat oven to 375. Lightly rinse the turkey breast fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Finely chop the chili and crush two of the garlic cloves, then mix together and rub over the turkey. Place on a plate and cover loosely with parchment paper, then let stand in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2.       Cut the remaining garlic cloves in half and place in a roasting pan with the remaining prepared vegetables except for the tomatoes, then drizzle over one tablespoon of the oil. Grind over some pepper.

3.       Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, turning the vegetables over occasionally. Place the turkey steaks on top and continue to roast for 15 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and roast for an additional 10 minutes, or until the turkey is thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with the shredded basil and serve with freshly cooked vegetables.

So lets start by finely chopping the garlic and red chili and mixing together.

Next,

pat the turkey fillets dry with a paper towel.

Gobble, gobble.

Cut up all your red and yellow bell pepper, onions into wedges, the garlic and zucchini....

Throw them into your fire roastin' pan.

And drizzle with olive oil.

Then add some pepper...

Don't they look yummy already. You just know this is gonna be healthy eatin'!

Roast the veggies for 15 minutes, then place the turkey fillets which you had already rubbed the garlic and red chili on even though I neglected to take that picture, nonetheless,
rustle up those cattle thieves, I mean turkey fillets and place them on the vegetables.

Roast for 15 more minutes and then add the tomatoes and cook for an additional ten minutes.

That's it...how easy is that Cowboy??!!

Plate 'er up!!!

This is such a fresh, light meal that really fills you up.

This dish has no added salt in it, so you may need to add some salt at this time. But that red chili and garlic rub is pretty tasty.

And look at these roasted vegetables. So sweet and flavorful.

I think it just might be time to eat.

Pull up a chair pardner!

Let's dig in!

Tombstone, Arizona 1882. Legendsofamerica.com

Hey, with all this cowgirl/cowboy talk, I just thought I would leave some parting words, those of which were known in Tombstone, Arizona among other places....

Don't squat with your spurs on!
:):):)

Okay, that's it for now.

Hope you try this clean eating Turkey and Vegetable dish!!!

Have a good Tuesday today ya'll!!

See ya soon!!

Scooby Doo and Mindy Too

5/20/2012

picgifs.com

Scooby Doo says,

"Rood Runday Rafternoon!"

Mindy Peaches says....

"Ditto!"

Here,
sit a spell on this here bench in the shade.

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk about
Mindy Peaches.

Mindy Peaches is
9 years old
and she is blind.

She went blind at the age of 7.

You can read about it here.

You can't tell right away that Mindy's blind.

She's a Beagle though.
A Beagle's life is their nose
and they are constantly sniff, sniff, sniffing, nose to the ground.

Constantly.

Mindy used to be on a real long chain where she could roam the driveway,
shop,
barn
and partially into a cornfield.

Here, she's burying one of her chew toys by Tim's shop.

But then she would also do this.

And dat not good.

Dat gets doggie kerplunked.

And we did not want our Mindy to get kerplunked.
So,

What to do? What to do? What to do?

Well,

we built a nice picket fence around the yard so Mindy could be safe and never have a near miss with a car again.

And then we kept building fence

and building fence...

Until she had an acre and a half to frolic in, out of harm's way.

We even left a 10 foot buffer strip around the property full of tall grasses and weeds....

so that she can feel like she's in
The Great Beagle Wild.

Roar.
I mean woof.

And we started a large brush pile
so that little critters can hibernate in there....

and all those little critter smells would gives hours of sniffing enjoyment to a nose sniffing Beagle.

There's plenty of shade to run around in...

And sun

to roll in.

When Mindy gets bored being in the field,

which is often,

she can freely meander up to the house and yard.

And she stays safe here because of this sign on the front gate.

If she doesn't want to come in the house or hang in the yard, she can freely snooze away in the summer kitchen.

But most of the time,
all Mindy Peaches wants
is to break free of the expensive (for us)
acre and a half playground.

And beg to be on the chain so she can go stare longingly at freedom.

And ponder ways to break free.

Silly doggie.

Well, thanks for listening to

Mindy's Playground Story!!!

In closing, Ima show you a random peony picture.

Okay kiddos, hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!
Have a nice evening...talk at ya soon!!!

Fish Tacos For Everyone!!!

5/18/2012

So I have figured out that fish tacos are a newer thing, right?
Many people know about them and eat them wholeheartedly.

But other people are all like "Ewwwwww."

I'm only basing the "Ewwww" reaction on two people though.
Who shall remain nameless.

By the way, have I ever introduced you to my mother and mother-in-law?

Just wonderin'.

For no particular fish taco reason.

The Noble Fish Taco
From The North Coast Journal, Humboldt Co, CA (July 14, 2011)
There is no middle of the road with fish tacos. People who haven’t tried one furrow their collective brow at the idea. “Fish? In a taco?” Those who have tasted the truth revel in the delight that is the perfect fish taco. They tend to be gloriously dogmatic in their conviction that we should all eat them every day. If you’re one of the unconvinced you owe it to yourself to keep trying. Find (or create) one that is true to the external form and underlying romance that is the fish taco.

Okay, here's the scoop on the fish tacos I made...
They are gooood!!

Look!!!!

Oh crap. Wait.

That's the carrot cake I picked up at New Pioneer...wait a minute here....

Okay,

these are the fish tacos,

but it's hard to see the fish.

There!!

Now you can see the fish!

It was yummy too; coated in cayenne and corn meal and healthily baked in the oven instead of deep fat frying...yum!

This was a menu of Fish Tacos that included toppings of:
1. Coleslaw
2. Creamy Remoulade Sauce
3. Roasted Corn, Pepper and Black Bean Salsa

Ima just link to Paula Deen's Recipes here for you to print out instead of me a-cuttin' and a-pastin' at the end
this time, k?

Click on the links below for the full recipes...
Here's the Fish Tacos, Remoulade and Coleslaw recipes

Here's the Roasted Corn, Pepper, and Black Bean Salsa Recipe

I must profess, I took very few pictures. Crap.
Oh, stop your clapping and hollering and jumping up and down... it's embarassing. For me.

So my fish pictures consist of the cornmeal and cajun seasoning mixed together.

And the sliced Tilapia
(I used Tilapia instead of Catfish) thrown in.

Aaaaaand now we have the baked fish in the taco.

Yup, that's it.

That's all the pictures I have of that arduous process.

Hmm, I must have been hanging with a yittle tiny baby named Little Boy Blue or been socializing with guests more than taking pictures eh?

And these are the fixins for the coleslaw.

Now this coleslaw has no mayo in it.

It's super light and crunchy.

Hey, when I just typed "crunchy", this song just popped in my head.....Weird.

Moving on,
mix the coleslaw mix, red onions, radishes and cilantro together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey and salt and pepper.
Add to the coleslaw and toss. This smells wonderful by the way.

Looks nice and light and healthy eh?

Maybe that's how Olivia Newton John stayed so skinny, she probably ate lots of light coleslaw.

On fish tacos.

Let's move on to the Roasted Corn, Pepper, and Black Bean Salsa.

Oh my, this side or topping was such a nice complement to the crunchiness of the Olivia Newton John Coleslaw and the crunchy taco shells.

So line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Halve the roma tomatoes and the Poblano peppers. Place the halved tomatoes and peppers on the baking sheet. Spread the corn out amongst the peppers.

And then bake until the vegetables look blistered, about 20 minutes.

And here's what they look like roasted.

Oh it smells so good...those peppers, tomatoes and roasted corn...

Mmmm, serious good aroma.

So put those peppers in a plastic resealable bag and let stand for 10 minutes to loosen the skin.

Then take your kinfe and gently scrape back the skin so that all you have is the yummy smoky peppers.

So chop up the roasted tomatoes and peppers.

Add to the roasted corn along with olive oil, chopped green onions, black beans, garlic, lime juice and salt and pepper.

OH! I almost forgot...the Creamy Remoulade Sauce! Now all this is, is sour cream, minced garlic, green onions minced, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and fresh dill. That's all! This is fantastic! So make that up real quick.
Look at that freshly chopped dill, don't ya love it!

So let's put our fish tacos together shall we?

Start with the fish that was lightly coated and baked in that cornmeal and cajun seasoning.

Let's add some
Olivia Newton John Coleslaw.

Oh by the way, out of respect to sweet Olivia, please don't play B-17. It's kind of painful for her. So if you are ever at a diner/bar with a jukebox, have some consideration.

Now, we're gonna add that Roasted Corn, Pepper and Black Bean Salsa.

Startin' to look tasty, yes?

Well, there's one more thing we have to add...

Noooo. Not a big ugly man hand. Thankyouverymuch.

We're adding that Creamy Remoulade Sauce. Yes we are.

And then we is a-gonna dig into that crunchy yumminess with our mouths. Here goes.

Now did you really think I was going to show you a picture of me with that big honking taco and the fillings all slurped and dribbling down my chin?

Well, I thought about it but decided against it :)

So these are my final thoughts on these
Paula Deen Fish Tacos with all the fixins.

THUMBS

UP!!!

SCRUMPTIOUS I WOULD EVEN SAY.

Oh, be careful, don't overbake the fish.
Angie has a little problem with that one but I'm a-workin' on it.

Okay, that's about it for today

boys and girls!!!

Have a good Friday!

Enjoy the bee-u-tiful weather!!

Talk at ya soon!!!

A Day In The Life Of A Fish Taco Dinner

5/15/2012

We had a Fish Taco Dinner Saturday night.
I will post the "non-boring" (cough, cough, gag) photos, directions and recipe next post, eh?

Well, we had a few visitors for dinner,
including Little Boy Blue,
who came over with his Momma and Daddy and stayed overnight.

As soon as that ca-ute little family rolled into the driveway, I whisked Little Boy Blue out to the shop to go say "Hi" to Grandpa....

I'm so happy to see you Grandpa!

And then I propped him on the shop counter
where he met a new friend...

My Grandma needs to get a life.

They didn't engage much though.
They were both shy.

Grandpa, will you buy me a 1971 Chevelle Super Sport some day? It'll be our little secret.

When LBB's momma came to check on him, we made her hold the baby so he could watch his Gramps work.

The baby loves
Tim's shop!!!

Little Boy Blue is seriously entranced with his Grandpa's work and shop.

Well, I needed to start on the fixins for the fish tacos, so I brought Wee One into the house.

We were greeted by Auntie Sweetness...

Please Auntie, don't eat me up. I taste awful...like liver. Or kalamata olives.

Wee One pretended like his Auntie was an alien who wanted to eat him all up...

so he ignored her.

And then I started on the fixins for the fish tacos.

Did I mention I will be posting about that next time?

Oh stop it.
I know you want the
4-1-1 right now on the recipe and such, but I only have so much time.

In all seriousness, I have been busy...BUSY!

The cars are crazy I tell ya!
I'm a hard worker, but I've been having to work especially hard every day doing this.....

Credit: bestweekever.tv

Cleaning on...
aka detailing out...
lots o' cars!!!
That's me all right; that little monkey just a workin' away.

In fact Sweetness asked me today on my lunch what'd I'd been up to.
I replied, "Having my butt hang out of car trunks and doors. If there's a hinge, there's my butt hanging out of it."
I think she was horrified at first.
But then laughed uncontrollably.
Oh real funny Sweetness, real funny.

So anyway I set the table for this fish taco dinner.
And you know how I loves me the table settings and centerpieces and table decor and tablescapes and dishes and glasses and don't EVEN GET ME STARTED!

So I thought these nice chunky colorful pieces would make a nice centerpiece with chunky candles deposited in them.
All of these pieces were Tim's super cool,
classy Grandmother Marguerite's glassware...man, she loved to set a table and boy could she!!!

I added Marguerite's colorful water glasses to the table settings...

And then I added plates and cloth napkins...keepin' it casual though, after all, this is fish tacos we're talkiin' about here...

So while I was finishing up the fish tacos,

Great Grandma finished up feeding Little Boy Blue,

although LBB pretty much wanted to run the show on this one.

Mom! Dad! Can you buy me a toy like this; Grandma says they're called measuring spoons.

We set
Super Boy
up to the dinner table with some toys to keep him busy...

And then we started digging into the fish tacos...

But then I made everyone turn around so I could take a group shot.

And then we dug in and ate and ate...

Watch me blow bubbles and make silly noises Grandma. I can do it. Watch me.

The next morning, we were still stuffed and Little Boy Blue was in a fantastic mood.

So I put him out in his fun walker-gizmo-thinga-ma-job outside for a change of pace.

And I asked Tim to watch him while I cleaned up dishes from the night before...

Gramps, whatch ya doing? Wake up Gramps, pay attention to me.
Let's go out to your shop and I can watch you work.
Hey, I want to touch your facial hair and laugh at it. Hey Gramps, wanna play airplane? C'mon. Make those funny noises.
Why you tired Grandpa, you should have your sole attention on me at all times cuz I am adorable.
Oh FINE, I'll just sit here and bounce and play with these giranimal things. My super cool, young-lookng Grandma will come rescue me soon anyway.

Okay Guys, that's all I got for now.

Have a good Wednesday!!!

It's Tuesday night at 11pm and I think I just turned into a pumpkin. Only it's one of those pumpkins with warts and all.

Photo credit: Better Homes and Gardens (bhg)

Yup,

that about says it all.

:):):)

Catch ya soon amigos!

I Talked This Chicken In Red Wine Up So Much And Now You're Probably Like, Oh, That's It

5/11/2012

Okay, so I talked this Chicken In Red Wine up so much and now that I show the pictures, you're like....that's it??? Really? THAT tastes good?

But it does taste good....I swear!!!
You know what's really tasty though...the Lima/Butter Bean Puree up there that looks like mashed potatoes. But it's butter beans mashed up with vegetable stock, garlic cloves and scallions. YUM!!! Simple and Yum! Actually this whole meal is healthy, simple and YUM! How many more times can I say YUM?

So let's start with the fixins for the Lima/Butter Bean Puree.

This is it!
All that tastiness is right here.

OH! Make a double batch because this doesn't make much and your partner will take most of it and only leave a tiny tablespoon for you. Seriously.

I'm guessing anyway.

So take your butter beans, put them in a pan and add the vegetable stock and the sliced, not minced but sliced, garlic cloves.
Heat for 3-4 minutes until hot and then drain.

Mash the beans, then season with pepper. Stir in the chopped scallions and more vegetable stock.

And that's all there is to it!! YUM!
ACK! I said it AGAIN!!

Okay, let's start with the Chicken in Red Wine now...here's the fixins for that.

DO NOT buy cheap $5 wine for this dish. I tend to use Apothic Red when I cook, it's full bodied and adds a great dimension to dishes. It's around $10 a bottle.

So chop up your onion into wedges, thinly slice the garlic, and cut the red pepper into strips...I also halved the olives.

Oh, by the way...did ya notice my new pretty purple cutting board? I think I got it at HyVee for maybe $6 or something.

So anyway, sear the chicken breasts in olive oil in a pan until browned on both sides. Then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

It's starting to smell good, isn't it??!!

Okay, next return the chicken to the skillet with the red bell pepper strips and the stock and the wine.

Season with pepper.

Now this recipe does not call for salt so you will need to add salt at the end, just before serving.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Cook 15 minutes but flip the chicken halfway through.

Add the olives and continue cooking.

Okay,
this doesn't look like it's anything special but something about that broth and wine and garlic slices with the olives is simply divine.

Not kidding.

Okay, plate up the meal with some steamed broccoli and the Lima/Butter Bean Puree...

You will need to add some salt at this point. But look at that chicken!
It's so smooth tasting, definitely not what Tim and I expected at all.

Nothing was overpowering and the flavors melded
so wonderfully, very smooth.

The wine, broth, olives and beautiful onions...Mmmm.

See, I didn't say Yum.

And those potatoes...
I mean Butter Bean Puree...such a nice complement to the subtlety of the Red Wine Chicken!

And much more nutritious and healthier than white mashed potatoes.

So there ya go...

a super tasty, healthy meal that came out of this cookbook.

Okay, I just HAD to show one of the pictures and recipe from this cookbook...this is Lentil and Asparagus Quiche. Look how simple yet beautiful this is!

Okay guys, that's all I got for now.

I will say the next posting may be the absolutely deee-licious fish tacos I made last weekend.

Oh my gosh, be still my heart, and every other cliche there is....in other words...

YUM YUM YUM YUM!!!!

:):):)

Talk at ya next time!

Have a great weekend!!!
Stay out of jail though :) No, seriously. Stay out of jail.

Oh! Here's the recipe...

Chicken in Red Wine
From Glycemic Index Cookbook 2010 edition, Gina Steer, Sian Lewis and Charlotte Watts
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into small wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin
strips
1 ¼ cup chicken stock
2/3 cup red wine
1 tbsp black olives, pitted (I also halved
these)
1 ½ -2 tbsp corn starch (Angie forgot this and it was fine)
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Pepper
Freshly cooked broccoli, to serve

LIMA BEAN PUREE
10 ½ oz canned lima or butter beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp water or vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
2-3 tbsp vegetable stock

Directions
1. To make the Lima Bean Puree, place the lima beans in a non-stick pan with the water and garlic cloves. Heat for 3-4 minutes, or until piping hot, then drain. Mash, then season with pepper. Stir in the 4 trimmed and chopped scallions and the stock.

2.  Heat the oil in a large
non-stick skillet and sear the chicken over medium heat until browned all over.
Remove and set aside.

3.  Add the onion and
garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Return the chicken to the skillet together with the red bell pepper strips, the stock, and the red wine. Season with pepper to taste.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. Add the olives and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

5. Blend the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water to a smooth paste. Stir into the skillet and cook, stirring, until the liquid thickens. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with
the lima bean puree and broccoli.

I Got Distracted with Patrick Swayze and His Dancing Partner Jennifer So there Is No Chicken in Red Wine and Butter Bean Puree Yet

5/10/2012

I was driving in the car last week and this came on.

Remember this song?

DO YOU LOVE ME?!!! Do you love me?

It's from 1962!!!

Can you believe it?

The group's name is The Contours and
Berry Gordy with Motown signed them.

This was The Contours only hit song.

I kept trying to figure out how I know this song so well.

Then it occured to me.

Do You Love Me is from the Dirty Dancing movie and soundtrack!!!

Remember
Dirty Dancing with
Patrick Swayze and
Jennifer Grey?

Jennifer looked all cutie-cute-cute and Patrick Swayze looked awesome like he always did.

Well, I wanted to show the video of the

"Do You Love Me" song

from the movie Dirty Dancing.

But this is a G-rated blog and that video is,

uh,

not G rated.

It's kind of PG+, not R or anything, just not necessarily "G" :).

But the lyrics are completely fine!

Plus they talk about mashed potatoes and you know how I am a starch gal!!
Hehehehe.

Do You Love Me

You broke my heart, cause I couldn't dance
You didn't even want me around.
And now I'm back, to let you know, I can really shake 'em down.

Do you love me? (I can really move)
Do you love me? (I'm in the groove)
Do you love me? (Do you love me)
Now that I can dance
Watch me now HEY!

Work, work Aw- work it out baby
Work, work Well you're drivin me crazy
Work, work Just a little bit of soul now - Work!

I can mash potato (I can mash potato)
I can do the twist (I can do the twist)
Well now tell me baby (Well now tell me baby)
Do you like it like this? (Do you like it like this?)

Tell me! (Tell me!) Tell me!

Do you love me? (I can really move)
Do you love me? (I'm in the groove)
Do you love me? (Do you love me)
Now that I can dance...
Watch me now! HEY!

Work, work Aw- Shake it up baby
Work, work Aw- Shake it down baby
Work, work Just a little bit of soul - Work!

I can mash potato (I can mash potato)
I can do the twist (I can do the twist)
Well now tell me baby (Well now tell me baby)
Do you like it like this? (Do you like it like this?)
Tell me! (Tell me!)

So instead, I'm playing my favorite scene in

the Dirty Dancing movie...

Where Patrick Swayze jumps off the stage at the end and turns his head around.

I love it.

Here it is!

CRAPOLA...Update...Okay, guess not!!! I believe You Tube disabled my video of the final scene of Dirty Dancing with Patrick and Jennifer Grey...oh well, copyright, shopyright :):):)

Hey, do ya think I should start talking about

the Chicken in Red Wine and

Bean Puree now??

Nahhhh!!!

Ima show you my living room closet that is

still full of crap.

I have no

reasonable

explanation

for this

closet.

Or for showing you a picture of my messy closet.

Except for it's my

blind beagle

Mindy Peaches's

fault this time.

Min loves to throw blankets and crap in that closet without folding them or hanging them up; with no regard for orderliness or cleanliness. Duh.

Lazy dog.

Uh-huh.

Oh my, there's already too many pictures and videos in this post to make room for 30 more picutes of the Red Wine Chicken, so I'll close out this post for now and blog next time on the actual recipe, probably later today, okay?

But before I do that,

I must share with you my

#1 movie

of all time which I've seen probably 40 times and I'm probably gonna make
Stud Muffin watch it with me again tonight....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"I ain't drawin' against ya Harry."

"Get off the nuclear warhead."

Okay see ya probably later today with exciting (be still my heart!!!) pictures of this Red Wine Chicken that you're already tired of hearing about :):)

Have a great Thursday ya'll!!

Talk at ya soon!!

Hey! Just went outside to take the trash out and saw my peonies are starting to bloom.....lucky you!

Cuz you know there wil be another picture or two to bore you to tears in the coming week :)

And remember some of my siblings and I are doing a Biggest Loser contest???

Well, it's 6am and I really need to get outside and run the open field...7 times around is a mile in case you were wondering.

It might help

if I tie my

shoes.

AND get out of my pajamas.

*sigh*

See ya later today probably.

If I'm still alive after running 1/7 of a mile.

Don't worry. I'll tie my shoes but I'm not changing out of my pajamas!

Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls

5/7/2012

We had some activity at the Ponderosa

this weekend.

First, I made Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls.

THAT'S RIGHT, Me! Can you believe it????

I DID!!!

ME!!

ANGIE!!
Your old savings and loan pal. (Know what movie that's from?)

ME ME ME ME ME!!!

But we'll get to the Thai Rolls in a minute

cuz we just know a disaster was

in the makin' with those things.

Other activity around the Ponderosa this weekend included these yellow butterflies that were all a-buzzin' on these purple plants...

Meanwhile,

Sweetness

arrived from

Providence,

RI..

YAY!!!
HI SWEETNESS! WE MISSED YOU!!!

She immediately picked up yittle tiny babeee
Little Boy Blue
and put her nephew in a trance like state for ten minutes with her warmth and smile and sweet words of love.

But then he

broke the

trance and

started eating

his feet.

Okay, since the kids were all back and they all eat healthy, (whateeeevah) I decided to make

Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls

for Sunday morning breakfast.

Now I've never made anything like this in my life.

Do you know what Spring Roll Wrappers are?

Well if you do not...then let me give you some advice.

Do not put all 25 paper-thin, rice

Spring Roll Wrappers in hot water to

soften them like this.

Cuz

they

turn out

like this!

Gooped up and all stuck together!!!!!!!

When they

should turn

out like this.

Each individual piece a piece unto it's own.

Not gooped up or stuck together with the other 24 wrappers.

See, cuz if you soak them like how I did intitally, you will have to throw away $4.99 of gunked up, stuck together Spring Roll Wrappers!
And then you'll have to go out and buy another package and try it again only the
correct way!

CRAP!
CRAP!
CRAP!

So here's the fixins for the Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls.

Oh! See that bag of rice over on the right hand side there?

I actually made sure to buy Chines rice from the Asian aisle.

Okay, here's the recipe....the printable version of this recipe is at the end of this post...

Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls
Unable to locate the credit for this recipe
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Servings: approximately 20-25
Serving Size: 2-3 per person

Ingredients:
1 Package of Spring Roll Wrappers
1/2 cup bean sprouts
3 large eggs beaten
1/3 head of Napa cabbage, chopped
5 scallions, chopped
1 cup thin noodles, pre-cooked (use rice, Chinese or bean thread noodles)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (use cilantro, basil or mint, your choice)
1/4 cup carrots, grated or julienned
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional)
½ tsp red chili flakes

Preparation:
Place a non-stick skillet over low heat and pour beaten eggs along with a tablespoon or water or milk. Stir eggs until they begin to scramble. Remove eggs from heat and let cool slightly. Toss together all ingredients including eggs together except wrappers in large bowl. Submerge wrappers in hot water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Place about 2 tablespoons of mix on wrapper and wrap. Combine lime juice, soy sauce, ginger and chili flakes to make a dipping sauce and enjoy!

Note: If your guests don’t eat eggs you can substitute firm tofu in a small dice.

Okay

chop up

all your

vegetables.

Oh, and that cabbage in back chopped up? That is SUPPOSED to be Napa cabbage, which is a cross between lettuce and cabbage.

Yup, guess who didn't read the recipe right and just threw a good old regular head of cabbage in the cart?

BUT, it was okay...just made the spring rolls a bit more crunchier is all.

So put all your chopped veggies in a bowl.

And mix 'er all up!

So now beat up your three eggs and scramble them.

Remove from pan and let cool a bit.

Mix yer eggs in with the veggies and then soak an INDIVIDUAL wrapper in hot water for fifteen seconds.

So set your pliable rice wrapper on a plate.
Spoon two tablespoons of filling and then roll up.

The first roll I

did was the

best.

It went downhill from there in terms of aesthetic quality

but I did manage to get a bunch of rolls made, probably
18-20 in all.

OH! the dipping sauce is the lime juice, soy sauce and fresh ginger (be sure to use FRESH ginger) and red pepper flakes.

So plate the Vegetarian Thai Breakfast Spring Rolls up.

Okay, this isn't the greatest picture at all of the inside but it does give you a somewhat idea of the healthy yumminess.

I asked the kids what they thought of the Spring Rolls:

Sweetness said she liked the eggs in them, they were fresh and crispy, and yet not too flavorful for first thing in the morning. She also liked that the rolls weren't packed full of mainly rice.

Her sister, Goodness, was feeling less descriptive and said she "really liked them", "they're good" and I should have made more dipping sauce.

So I would definitely make these again.
The dipping sauce was a nice compliment to the vegetables.
I would definitely use napa cabbage next time as recommended instead of regular cabbage. If I did use regular cabbage again, I would probably use the red cabbage for more color.

Okay, so that's all for now.

Hey, just curious...have you guys been doing a lot of this

too????

Cuz I haven't but Stud Muffin has. :):):)

Can you believe how fast the grass is growing and how much hay is being left behind??!!

Okay, catch ya on the

flip-flop.

Whatever that means.

But I think it's good :)

Have a great Monday!!!!!

Se ya soon!!

OH! Almost forgot, here's the printable recipe...

Totally Awesome Mega Meatball Pizza That Has No Meatballs But It Does Have Meat

5/3/2012

The first cooking show I ever saw was like

five years ago and it was Rachael Ray

making this Mega Meatball Pizza.

I was mesmerized by this recipe.

It seemed so simple.

I made this Mega Meatball Pizza that evening and it was delicious and a family favorite and I've been making it
ever since.

So let's git right to it shall we, cuz I am hungry just looking at all these pizza pictures again. Gahhh!!!!

Here's the fixins!

*Simple ingredients
*Easy to make
*Fantastic flavor
*Quick cleanup

Wait!!!

While I'm writing this, Ima get out something to munch on...see, some of my family members and I are a doing a Biggest Loser contest.
You know, who can lose the most weight in three months.

Now, I figure I have an advantage because I have experience at being a loser.
Uh huh.
Don't let my charming wit and propensity to post big food pictures fool you.
I am often times a loser.

P.S. I don't know what a force field is, I just thought it sounded funny.

See what I mean. Case in point.

L - O - S - E - R.

So
moving on,

let's slather some of that olive oil and cornmeal on a baking sheet.

I use a cookie sheet with this particular recipe. I like the crust texture better than when I use my bakng stone.

Then use your magic finger mastery skillz (while blurting out a few frustrating words) and attempt to spread the refigerated pizza dough evenly on the sheet or bakng stone. OH! I use 1 1/2 rolls of refrigerated pizza dough. One roll does not quite do it and two is too much dough.

By the way, the dough is the important part of this pizza,
so DO NOT skimp on any ingredients.
Wel, now that the dough is on the baking sheet, take a fork and poke holes in it. Then add your chopped rosemary and salt and pepper.

And this is what the crust should look like before popping it into a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.

So while the crust is cooking in the oven, throw your ground sirloin in the pan with a couple drizzles of olive oil.

Add the

onions

and

garlic.

OKay, now add your tomato paste, parsley, parmesan, and salt and pepper.

The meatball mixture should look something like this when it's all mixed together.

Mmmmm. Smells awesomely and heavenly!

Pick a few bites of meat out of the pan and eat them.
No really, do.
It's that good.

Check on the crust in the oven,

remove after ten minutes.

Oh how

lovely!

Lovely,

lovely, tasty

rosemary

pizza crust.

It's just waiting for it's toppings...

Go ahead and spread the ground sirloin onto the piza crust....

See how this looks?

And that's even BEFORE putting the mozzarella on!

Now let's put the fresh balled mozzarella

on...YUM!!!

DO NOT use shredded bagged mozzarella.
Just.don't.do.it.
Spring for the fresh stuff, in the ball, you can find this in the section by the delis at both HyVee and Fareway.

So throw the pizza in the oven just until the cheese melts and is golden...oh, maybe seven L O N G minutes.

And
TA-DAAA!!!!

We have the Mega Meatball Pizza masterpiece.

Care

for a

corner

piece?

Go ahead, have a seat...

I'll get ya a piece.

Will this do?

Have a napkin ready, cuz guaranteed you will have some of that tomatoey beef goodness dribble on your lap.

Mmmmmmmmm!!!

The sweet rosemary crust with the savory meat is fantabulous. And the fresh mozzarella takes it to the highest level.

Well, I hope you will try this recipe out

sometime!

OH crap! I need to embed the recipe.

Here, just a sec....

Mega Meatball Pizza
I saw this on Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals show like five years ago on the Food Network www.foodnetwork.com
Check out all of Rachael’s cooking shows and recipes on the Food Network
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
1 pizza dough, store bought or from your favorite pizza shop
A palm full all-purpose flour or cornmeal
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons – 2 turns of the pan
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves, a couple of sprigs
Coarse salt
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Black pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella or brick mozzarella, your choice, sliced or grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a round pizza stone or pan or on a rectangular baking sheet, using flour or cornmeal to dust the dough, spread out the dough to form your crust. If you are using a baking sheet, drizzle pan with extra-virgin olive oil then set crust in place. Poke the pizza dough in several areas with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the dough with extra-virgin olive oil then season it with finely chopped rosemary and a little salt. Place in oven 10 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, then the meat. Brown and crumble meat a couple of minutes, then add onions and garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper then work in the tomato paste using the back of a wooden spoon to combine. Stir in the cheese, parsley and oregano.

Remove pizza crust from oven and top with meat. Arrange cheese over the pizza, working to edges. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.

Oh hey,

look!

It's a bird.

It's a plane.

Wait,

It's

Super

Boy!!!!!!!

Little Boy Blue really enjoys his Grandpa's airplane rides.

I'll bet he'll enjoy eating Rachael Ray's Mega Meatball Pizza too.

Well,
once he gets teeth anyway.

Okay, catch ya'll next time!!

Will be posting some super good recipes out of that $5 Glycemic Index cookbook I picked up a couple weeks ago. And those recipes are tasty and super delicious!

Have a great Thursday guys!

Nice weather eh???!!!