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Dude!! This One Pot Pasta Is Seriously A One Pot Pasta - No Joke - No Lie - Weird...You Gotta Try This!!!

10/30/2014

I have seen this recipe all over
internet-land for a year now.

I disbelieved this recipe.

I was a non-believer.
ONE POT...ONE POT!!! could deliver a delicious meal
IN UNDER 30 MINUTES??

I was wrong to question.

But dude...you gotta be quick with this meal!! It cooks quickly all together in this pot....like real quick!

When they say you can have dinner
in half an hour, they mean it!

Here's the fixins for this one pot meal....

Many people have posted this recipe with everything from spaghetti to other fancy-pants pasta. I used whole wheat linguine.

Fresh basil is a must!

Let's start by prepping the

andouille sausage, tomatoes,
onions,
and
garlic.

Throw everything into a pot!
Dudes, how easy is that!!

Don't forget the salt and pepper!
It looks like a crapload, but it wasn't.

Don't forget the 4 1/2 cups water!!!

Bring to a boil and reduce the heat.....
simmer uncovered until pasta is cooked through
and liquid has reduced...maybe 8-10 minutes.

Stir the pasta a few times, otherwise this dish cooks so fast, the pasta will stick to the bottom of the pan.

And here ya go,
supper ready in 30 minutes!!!!

Wait!!!
The parm, the parm!!!

Gently stir that yummy,
salty cheese into the pasta.....

Okay, now you can scoop up a dish....

Don't be shy, because you're going to go back for seconds. Guaranteed!

This pasta dish is creamy from the linguine cooking in
the liquid and releasing it's starches,
it is savory from the andouille sausage,
the tomatoes bring almost a sweet element,
and the basil pulls it all together.

Here's the recipe.
This recipe has been on so many sites, I'm not certain where to credit.

One Pot Pasta
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Found in many places on the interwebs including theslowroasteditalian.com and damndelicious.com

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti
1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cups halved grape tomatoes
2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
Serve immediately.

Click that teensy weensy Download File link below to print off!

one_pot_pasta.docx
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Okay, this was a QUICK post because that One Pot Pasta Meal was a QUICK dish!

so I will quickly show you a couple pictures of some visitors close to the property the last day or two...

Two bald eagles hanging out in the east trees,
sca-reeeeeching while talking to each other.

And look at these bucolic sheep in
Marvin Miller's bean field from last night....

Oh hello there, you little personality filled,
cutie patootie!! I love you too!!

C'mere handsome, I want to kiss you on the nose.
You won't nibble my face off, will you?

And lastly, here is Tim, explaining to Angie that the lead sheep there, in the middle of the field, wears a bell around it's neck and all the other sheep will follow the lead sheep.
That's how the sheep owner knows where all his sheep are.

?

???

Angie had never heard of this before.
This was completely new information to her.

Angie be like

Hunh?

That was almost too much for Angie's pea brain to process after a long work day and she had so many other questions of course:
Is there always a lead sheep?
Is it usually a girl or boy?
How do you decide the lead sheep?
What is that based on, what qualities must a lead sheep have?
Does he/she know they're the leader?
Is that annoying to them, to have a bell around their neck?
Are cows the same way?
What if you pick the wrong leader and they all end up in Vegas?

See, so many questions.

Tim just stared at Angie.

Completely serious.
Just.
Stared.

It became apparent Angie's questions were not going to get answered that evening.

So Angie and Tim called it a night and went inside and ate homemade chicken noodle soup.

Now THAT Angie could wrap her head around.

Okay, tis all I got for today!
Looks like it's gonna be another beautiful Fall day here as long as the rains stays away.

Have a good one today, guys!
Talk at ya soon!

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Ain't It Weird How Places From Your Childhood Are So Much Larger In your Memories Than The Actual Reality?

10/28/2014

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Saw this sign while driving by my old childhood stomping grounds the other day and just knew I had to check it out .....after 45 years.....(shut up, I know I'm old!)

The church was down a long lane.....

When I drove up, it looked much smaller than what I remembered....

I had forgotten it was tucked in a grove...

I remember lots of nice people pouring in on
Sunday mornings....

But I don't remember the entrance being so small...

I remembered the windows....and the steeple....

So I peered in.

The church pews look the same.
It all just looked...smaller than I remembered, is all.

I wonder if everything from childhood is larger in our memories?

Okay, that's enough introspection!
Let's move on to some other pics I took back at
me old stomping grounds from days gone by!
I remember these long gravel roads....

And the Angus Farm signs....

This was an interesting piece of art in someone's
front lawn.
I used the zoom on my camera to get this picture
and then quickly got back into the car...one never knows when a dog is around to take a bite out of a neck!

This bridge has always intrigued me
to no end, when I drive by.
I love the metalwork and rust
and contrast with the puffy clouds, floaty sky.

And I've always wondered where this
roads ends.
I know some wisecracker is gonna say "probably in Mediapolis."
SHUT UP!
I prefer to think it never ends, thankyouverymuch.
:)

And the old metal bridge actually crosses a babbling creek....

Now we move onto this super cool garage I have passed for years and drooled over!! I wanted to take a picture of the front of this awesome 70s style house but was afraid...you know...that a dog would come out and greet me by my
Adam's apple!

Who loves this artistic mailbox???? Who?????
ME!!!!!

Okay, I likey little cottage style houses,
but I gotta tell ya...something about this house spoke to me! I love everything about it!!
Including the punch of color on the front porch!

As I was traveling through ye olde stomping grounds,
I decided to take a quick ride through Grandview.
Downtown Grandview seems to have changed a bit
since 1970.
*sigh*

I really loved the naturalness of this old house though....

And Grandview Elementary School...
my two older siblings went here.
I think my Letts grade school bus stopped here sometimes.

Of course the school's been closed for some time now....

But oh my, look at this, the flagpole had it's own special walkway....

Nothing stays the same though,

it seems....

YES I'M OLD!!!

NOW GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!!

So as I was driving Hwy 92 between Grandview and Letts, I'm looking...
...and looking
...and looking
for this...
the Graffiti Barn!!!!
The barn has been like this since the late 60s/early 70s at least,
just down the road from my childhood farmhouse.

After further investigation, I discovered this quirky, iconic building was burnt down by crappy little half brained nitwit arsonists in 2011.

Nothing stays the same.
*sigh*

So naturally after driving through Grandview, I wanted to see my old elementary school in Letts.
I could NOT find my old school!!
Was it tore down??
I went exploring for answers but didn't get too far because there's not much left in the town that I remembered...

This kind of, sort of, reminded me of my elementary school.
Do you think it was?

This was part of someone's farmstead.
I put the zoom on in my camera....

Now if this wasn't the elementary school, then what was it originally??!!

And where did that old huge brick elementary school from
1970 1st and 2nd grade go to???
Why can't I find anything online about it??

***********************************************************************************************
As I was taking these pictures that day,
an old farmer in a pickup truck stopped and asked did I want to take his picture too.
I responded,"Of course, you're a
nice looking gentleman!"
He just laughed and drove away.
I should have asked him if he knew where my old school went.
Crap!

*****************************************************************************************************

Okay guys, after days of googling,
I finally found out what happened to my
elementary school in Letts...

Little half brained, crappy, dim witted arsonists burned it down in 2005.

*Siiiiiiiiigh*

Nothing ever stays the same.

On my way back to interstate, I saw this cool barn style house. This was the closest I could get to it though, CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOME DOG WILL BE DOTTING HIS MOUTH WITH A NAPKIN AFTER HAVING JUST ATE YOU FOR LUNCH WITH A SIDE OF KETCHUP!!!

No, I don't need therapy.

Why do you ask?

Lastly, I saw a fun Halloween display outside this mobile home off the highway. I inched my car up as close as I could and put the zoom on in my camera.

You really can't see the
cool Halloween display,
but if you think I was gonna step out of that car and get Cujo'd all over my fat .....
well, you get the drift.

I told you earlier I don't need therapy.

Why do you keep asking?

Okay, that's all I got for today, kiddos!!
I've been cook cook cookin' away in the kitchen and will be sharing some yummy dishes yet this week!
I'm hungry now in fact :)

Hey, have a great Fall day and we'll talk at ya soon!!!

3 Comments

Angie's Chili with Pickle Juice

10/22/2014

1 Comment

Chili.
It's what's for lunch.

And dinner.
And the next day's lunch.
And dinner two nights from then.

Until you open up the fridge one day,
and you're like,

"What??!!
No chili??!!???
Who ATE it all??!!"

My chili has a secret weapon.

See that
V8 juice?

That's not the secret weapon.

See these jarred jalapenos?

Nope.
Not that either.

The Fire Roasted Tomatoes
are key,

but not the
ancient
Chinese secret.

Nah....too easy.

Not even going there.

It's
Bread & Butter pickle juice!

Yes! THIS is the
secret ingredient!!!

So, why do I like my chili recipe so much, you ask?
Okay, I know you didn't ask. I'm just trying to keep the convo going folks...keep up with me.
Welllllll,
My chili:
1. Has that touch of sweetness and zestiness with that pickle juice.
2. Has some spiciness/slight heat with those jarred jalapenos without having to hose down your lips after every bite.
3. Doesn't use 35 million billion ingredients.
4. Can be made up on the stove and ready to eat in half an hour. Or you could let it simmer all day in a crockpot too.

Here's the Fixins for Angie's Chili....

Okay, let's start this recipe by dicing up the onion and bell peppers!

Now start browning up the ground beef and onions for a few minutes....

Add in the
bell peppers
and cook for another few minutes, until just browned.

Now add in the chili powder and the cumin and the salt and pepper...add this directly onto the meat...I've noticed you get more flavor this way rather than adding it into the liquid...

Okay, let's add in our other ingredients....

Fire Roasted tomatoes.

OHOHOHOHOH!! IMPORTANT!!

Make sure the tomatoes are
Fire Roasted...
they give this chili a subtle
smoky flavor.

Whip those beans in there!

Now add the V8 juice and the pickle juice!

Whatever you do,

don't forget the roughly chopped jalapenos!

Now bring this to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for however long you want.
See! That's it!

Now ladle some of this
soup up....

Check out the charred fire roasted tomatoes and the milder green jalapenos in there.....

What are ya waiting for?
Dig in!

I interrupt this blog to bring you a very important
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!
The recipe calls for 1/3 cup pickle juice.
While experimenting with one batch, I used 1 cup + pickle juice.
Don't do that.

The recipe also calls for 1/3 cup chopped jarred jalapenos.
While experimenting one time, I put in a whole jar of jalapenos.
Don't do that either.
You're welcome.

Angie’s Chili with Bread & Butter Pickle Juice
Courtesy of Angie!! With Turnkey Quality Cars
Recipe author: Angie, again!!
This is a nice, flavorful chili without the 5-alarm heat. The pickle juice gives it just enough sweetness while the jarred jalapenos give it a bite.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef, as lean as possible
1 large yellow onion, diced
½ of green bell pepper, diced
½ of red bell pepper, diced
2 full Tbsp of chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper
1-46 oz. can V8 vegetable juice (I use the hot and spicy)
1-16 oz can of Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
3-15 oz. cans dark red kidney beans, undrained
1/3 c. Bread & Butter pickle juice
1/3 c. chopped jarred jalapenos, roughly chopped.

Directions

Brown ground beef and onion for about 4 minutes, until beef starts turning brown. Add in the diced peppers and cook for another 5 minutes, until beef is fully browned.
Add the chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for another minute or two.
Pour in the undrained beans, the V8 vegetable juice and the fire roasted tomatoes. Stir.
Now add the pickle juice and chopped jarred jalapenos.
Bring to a full boil, then turn down heat and simmer for at least a ½ hour or more.
Serve with caramel rolls or shredded cheese and tortilla chips, sour cream, avocados…you know, the fixins. Or eat the chili just by itself which is darrrrrrn good too!!

angies_chili.docx
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Question.....
Now, will my chili soup far exceed YOUR current recipe you use now?

The answer is probably not, your recipe works for you. My chili is just a little different spin that maximizes the smoky, the sweet, the tangy, and the meaty without putting a hole in your gut.*
*although I do like those kinds of recipes too :)
There's nothing special about my chili recipe, it just has a nice balance.

Okay, hope you make the chili sometime...if you do, let me know what you think about it! Unless if you think it was gross, then remember what your momma always told you...if you can't say anything nice...uh huh. :):)

So chili and the crispness and colors of Fall go together, right?
Well, I was at one of our fave customers house just this afternoon,
a very sweet retired pastor who, like me, loves the old and gnarly stuff.
I thought his yard was so casually beautiful, I just had to share!

I love his tree...it shone an amber light on the
whole lawn! Ethereal.

His style
is
so casual,
so quirky,
so effortless...

Just part of the front porch as you walk up...

My favorite thing in his yard,
a broken crock he uses as a planter, on a funky frame....

I love how the pinks of the impatients coordinate quite nicely with those gorgeous falling leaves.

Lastly, every
heart shaped
tree trunk
needs a proper planter in it,
don't ya think? This reminds me greatly of his super awesome wife.

Okay, that's all I gots for today, pals!!! Thanks for checking in!!!
Enjoy the beautiful, crisp weather and the bountiful colors of the season
and we'll talk at ya soon!!

1 Comment

So This One Cookbook Author Calls This "The Best Whole Chicken in a Crockpot" And Seriously Dudes, The Chick Ain't Lying

10/19/2014

1 Comment

Hi Hi Guys!!!
I have a super great,
whole crockpot chicken recipe
to share with you!
I am soooo glad I found this recipe!

It's called
The Best Whole Chicken In A Crock Pot.

I'm always dubious when someone titles their recipe "the best" or "best ever" or "absolutely incredible."
Aren't you?

But this whole chicken in a crockpot really is THE BEST whole chicken in a crockpot!

And look at that awesome broth in the bottom that can be refrigerated or froze
for upcoming soups and dishes!

I used this crockpot chicken for an apple, black bean and rice recipe one night that called for rotisserie or cooked chicken. We made panini sandwiches out of the leftovers the next day and day after.

So this recipe is from www.100daysofrealfood.com

100 Days is one of my favorite websites, ever!
This chick, Lisa Leake, is completely
down-to-earth and she shares all real or whole foods recipes.

Lisa has a new cookbook.
Her story of how and why she started a website is just so normal....she just wanted her family to start eating better by cutting out
processed foods.

That could be any of us, right?
We all want to eat better.

So this is the
line up of the spices. You probably have all of these in your cabinet.....
Black pepper
salt
cayenne
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
thyme.

Mix 'er all up!

Cut up an onion...
I used what I had in the fridge,
1/2 red and 1/2 yellow...

Throw the onions in the bottom of the crockpot first....

Then rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin of the breasts and inside the cavity...and set the chicken on top of the onions in the crockpot.
Cook on high for 4 hours.

And here's what four hours looks like!

Okay,
I have to say,

this was the first time I made this chicken,

and it had a nice scowl on it.

Now,
this is a picture from just TODAY
(YES, I made it again today!)
and the scowl isn't there this time,

but the flavor is still the same!

See all that saucy, brothy flavor and onions up above there????

Well,
stick the broth in the fridge and let the fat form to the top ...

Now skim that bad old fat from the top and throw
the fat away!

The broth on the left there will be frozen for future use
in a soup.
The chicken, pulled out of the refrigerated broth, will be used for sandwiches or soup yet this week.

So out of this one chicken comes a bunch of pulled white and dark meat chicken and about a cup or cup and a half of yummy chicken broth.

I went ahead and froze the chicken broth...

will use that in soups and other recipes here in the next few weeks.

Recipe: The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
Straight outta the website www.100daysofrealfood.com
Lisa Leake, recipe author

Ingredients

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Instructions

Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don't forget to make your homemade stock with the leftover bones!

100_days_crockpot_chicken.docx
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Okay, this was just a quick post today!
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.....

just a minute there
Speedy Gonzalez!!!!!

I would like share

that if anyone has seen the cover of this magazine...

...um, well, feel free to make me up any of these desserts and bring them over.

I'm not picky, swear!

HA!!

Okay. Lastly, our adorable, awesome, sweet, amazing, super duper little cutie pie of a grandson (our one and only grandchild!!!) had a 3rd birthday party yesterday!!! Now how cute is Little Boy Blue...
he's getting sooooooooo big!!!!

He was so excited to have candy! and goodies! and cake! and gifts! He loved his ice cream cake his mommy and daddy made for him!

Deer Reederrs of Gramma Angee's Blog,

It impotant to yick frosteeng
off kandels.

Kandels should never bee thrown away with frosteeng on them.

Yuv,
Yittle Boy Blue

After ice cream and cake,
Little Boy Blue got to go outside and play,
just special,
on the trampoline, with his Auntie and Uncle,
who love him soooooo much!

Okay, that's all I got for this week, guys!!

It's been a big week of sales, service, getting 7 new vehicles delivered...

All we have to say to that is...

TOTALLY AWE-SOME!!!!!
:):):)

Hey!!

Have a good night, Y'ALL

and we'll talk at ya this week!!

1 Comment

A Yummy Sweet Potato Loaf That Will Make Your House Smell Delicious, Groovy Kitchens and Dottie West

10/16/2014

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Sa-weeeet Potato Loaf!!!

And by loaf I mean bread.....

DE-Lish is what this bread is.
BONUS, your house smells
autumnal awesome while it's baking.

Better Homes and Gardens

Can't you just see and smell this Sweet Potato Bread baking away in this gorgeous yellow kitchen??

How about in this gorgeous kitchen that belongs to Tim's cousin Peaches and her partner Herb??! Coolest kitchen ever.
That's all, just coolest kitchen ever.

To see more of Peaches and Herb's kitchen, click here.

Herb is from England and made a Yorkshire Pudding meal for Tim and me a couple years ago. Out-of-this-world fantastic is what that meal was!! Click here to see the pictures.

So anyway, let's start with the fixins for this moist, tasty Sweet Potato Loaf!

Pretty simple baking ingredients, eh!
By the way, this recipe came from thug kitchen vegan facebook page.

First,

shred up that sweet potato!

Next, mix the milk and apple cider vinegar together.

This creates a thicker liquid, similar to buttermilk.

In a large bowl,

mix the oil,
vanilla extract
and ground flaxseeds.

Now pour the milk liquid into the large bowl with oil and add the shredded sweet potatoes...

Pour the flour mixture in with the wet ingredients and stir 'er up!....

Scoop the ingredients into the loaf pan and level the top....See!! Wasn't this super simple so far?!!

This smells heavenly even before it goes in the oven.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.
Your house will smell like a lovely autumn day, by the way.

I baked mine for 55 minutes until the toothpick came out clean.

Let the loaf cool,
then release from the pan......
yum, I can smell it now!

Don't be shy, slice some up!!!
See the steam rising? Mmmmm....

Oh crap, I forgot to mention, I kept this loaf nut free but oh me, oh my, this would have been even more awesome with the crunch and taste of almonds or walnuts!

This loaf is super moist and paired very well with a slather of butter on top
and a hot cup of coffee, of course.
Two days later, it was just as moist, too!

Okay, here's the recipes to download!

thug_kitchen_sweet_potato_loaf.docx
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Hey Guys!!!! I made a super duper fantastic French Onion Soup that I will be sharing hopefully this weekend...I think it's the best French Onion soup recipe out there! Also, can you say gruyere cheese....creamy, rich, tangy and yummy...it is perfection with this soup recipe.

Anyway,
I just want to show you my perfect kitchen....I know you'll agree...

wait for it...

just a minute....

it's coming.......

HELLOOOOOOO AVOCADO!!

QUIT LAUGHING!!!!
I'm serious!!!

You can take the girl out of the 70s but you can't take the 70s out of the girl.
:):):):):)

THAT KITCHEN IS

YOU KNOW....I LOVES ME THE
CLASSIC COUNTRY FROM THE 70S too!!!
The other night I was listening to Dottie West
and Porter Wagoner......

On my
state-of-the-art,

high quality,

stereo system.

You remember Dottie, don't you??

Dottie was born in 1932.

She was a close friend of Patsy Cline.

This is Dottie's album from 1964 with her breakout song Here Comes My baby.

And this is Dottie
from the late 70s in her Bob Mackie designed outfit.

NOW do you remember her?

Dang, she look good!

In the 80s, Dottie had success singing duets and touring with
Kenny Rogers.

A couple of their hits were
Every Time Two Fools Collide and
What Are We Doing In Love.

This is their song
What Are We Doing In Love.

One of Dottie's most famous work was in the 70s, writing and singing the very popular jingle and song for Coca-cola, Country Sunshine.

Remember this commercial, guys?

Okay, I know it was rural America in the 70s , but don't you think Ma and Pa looked 90 years old here, or it just me?? :):)

This is Dottie singing the song she's most famous for.

Dottie sure had her ups and downs in her personal and professional life.
Her life was tragically cut short by a freak car accident on the way to a performance
at the age of 58.

In 1995 a movie was made about her life called
Big Dreams & Broken Hearts starring
Michele Lee.

I actually remember watching this movie on tv. Anybody else remember watching that movie or reading about her?

She was one tough lady,
no wonder her and Patsy Cline got along so well!

Okay y'all, that's enough 70s reminiscing for today....gotta get back to work, just had five vehicles delivered this afternoon and this 70s chick has to go out and clean on some very groovy vehicles now!! :)

Hey, have a good night Guys, and we'll talk at ya soon!

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Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas-A Healthy Crunchy Snack....and A Drizzly Fall Day That Requires Slippers

10/13/2014

1 Comment

Today (Sunday) was a drizzly day,

so I ran outside at 5:30 tonight and took a few

Fallish shots.

I looked really, really awesome too,

in my decades old
lounging pants,
big, fat brown slippers,
and a crumply shirt that I may or may not have slept in the night before.

And also wore the day before.

Shut up!! No judging!

I probably looked a bit like the one mum plant on the right there....

...only less put-together.

I rather enjoy these kinds of days every now and again, though.

This is the kind of day where one sits down with a cup of tea if one can find the time, there were years or two decades really where there was no such thing as tea time for Tim or me, we were so busy raising kids, coaching ball, working, working, always something going on, never enough sleep, you get it, right?

Anyhoo, I actually sat down with a cup of tea and browsed through two new cookbooks I picked up.

And I made a delicious
Sweet Potato Loaf, whose aroma filled the whole entire house.
(Course my house is tiny, so....)

I will be sharing that recipe yet this week, hopefully.

So anyway,
with the Fall weather, my thoughts turn to my favorite,
all time favorite food
in the whole entire universe.....

Yup, I am a chip gal.

BRING.
IT.
ON.

As we all know though,
chips are meant to be eaten as an occasional snack,
not on a daily basis.

Looks more like Mad Angie with crazy eyes,
but you get my drift.

So what's a gal to do who craves the salty and crunch?
What?
No really, what?
What's a decent alternative?

Thinking beyond that, what is actually a
healthy alternative that can cure the
salt and crunch craving?

Why,
Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas
of course!

And they can be
stored on the counter top or pantry...just like chips!

Heeeeeeeeee.

The recipe author is Sommer Collier of ASpicyPerspective.com

These are the the fixins for this most excellent healthy snack.

The spice in the clear bowl up there is
garam masala.
I usually throw together my own from this recipe off allrecipes.com.
Easy Garam Masala
Sbmitted by: KitchenBarbarian

These are the spices used in the garam masala recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
1.Mix cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.
Angie's Note: This makes an awful lot. For the recipe, I cut this down to 1/6. That makes ONE tsp. Other times, I just keep and store the extra in my spice drawer.

So let's get started on this
easy peasy snack!
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and dry them out on towels. Remove loose skins.

Throw the chickpeas on a lined baking sheet.

Drizzle them up with olive oil.....

Now take
that garam masala
and add the curry powder,
garlic powder,
white pepper
and sea salt in....

Now spread the spices over the chickpeas and shake the pan to spread them around.
By the way...the following time I made these, I actually stuck all of the chickpeas in a large bowl, then gently drizzled with the oil and spices,
THEN I stuck them on the lined sheet.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then toss the chickpeas....

By the way...these smell awesome roasting in the oven!!

Bake another 15 minutes and pull them out....

Now I brought these out after the full 30 minutes and we ate most of them that day.

They weren't completely dried out, so I stored the small amount of leftovers in the fridge,
not the counter top.

Look how delish they look!
They are crunchy and all that great Indian spice goodness gives it a super healthy kick!!!

We ate these as a side with Guy Fieri's Turkey Burger which I have made a hundred thousand times this summer and fall!

If you want these to be extra crunchy, just turn the oven off after the half hour and keep the chickpeas in there an
additional 20-30 minutes.

That's what I did the second time, and we munched on them all week out of a resealable tub on the counter. YUM!!

Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas
AUTHOR: SOMMER COLLIER FROM ASPICYPERSPECTIVE.COM
CUISINE: INDIAN
SERVES: 12 - ¼ CUP SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Rinse the chickpeas and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Remove any loose skins.
Pour the dried chickpeas out onto the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Shake the pan to coat the chickpeas in oil.
Sprinkle the curry powder, garam masala, garlic powder, white pepper, and salt over the chickpeas, and then shake the pan again to evenly distribute the spices.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then toss to mix the chickpeas and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. *If you want your chickpeas to be extra crunchy, turn the oven off and leave the chickpeas in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
Remove and cool before eating. Store in an air-tight container.

If you want to print the recipe out,
click on the bottom right side page icon down below,
then right-click Print.

You can also click on Download File to print off the recipe.

indian_spiced_roasted_chickpea1.docx
File Size:	15 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Or access this recipe from the 100 Days Of Real Food website
that featured this recipe.

Okay, to close out today's super exciting post, here are more Fall drizzly day pictures, but these are cute cause they weren't taken at my house :)

Anyone need a mum off a trailer?
This cute display is out on Hwy 1 between Frytown and Iowa City.

I got the biggest kick out of this basket sitting by the hitch for some reason,

too cute!

And how about this adorable gazebo out on Hwy 1 just a bit farther down the road.....

This cute vignette is worthy of more
close-up pictures!
It's just dripping of a Happy Halloween, eh??

And there's little ghostly friends inside wishing you a festive Fall as well....

Okay, that's all I got folks.
If someone does make the Indian Spiced Chickpeas, it would be nice to hear what you thought about them!

Have a great night
and
we'll talk at ya soon!!!

1 Comment

A Nourishing Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

10/12/2014

1 Comment

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables
This soup surprised me!!!

The chicken flavor came forward first,
but I was most surprised by how the butternut squash, sweet potato and carrot was a perfect complement
in that savory broth. Really fantastic stuff.
I think it's the first soup I've called nourishing.

I found this recipe from
Danielle Walker's website againstallgrain.com.

Danielle is a popular food blogger and this is her cookbook.

If all her recipes are this spot on, I am sold!

Okay, let's get started!!!
Here's the fixins!!

The best part of the ingredients list is...
you use whatever leftover chicken you have
in the fridge!!!!
So I had a leftover rotisserie chicken and some chicken breasts pieces from the freezer and they worked wonderfully in this soup!

So let's start by chopping up the carrots,
onions,
butternut squash,
sweet potatoes
and
garlic.

(By the way, I used THREE cups of the butternut squash
instead of ONE.)

Toss the veggies in a bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper....

Then throw the seasoned veggies on a tray and roast for 20-30 minutes...mine took 25 minutes until tender.

While the veggies roast in the oven....start simmerin' the chicken broth in a stockpot...
I had some of my own homemade chicken broth so I used that too.

Add the spices into the simmering broth...

the parsley,

the salt (DO NOT OVER-ADD TOO MUCH SALT!!!!),

thyme,
rosemary,
oregano,
and pepper...

Now add the leftover
roast chicken.

Cover
and simmer while veggies are finished roasting...

OH LOOKY!
The vegetables are all tender now!!
Well, pull them out of the oven!!! Quick!

Add only HALF.....JUST HALF of the roasted vegetables to the soup....

The other half,
including ALL the onion pieces,
are going to be pureed in the blender....

...a blender like this one...my NEW blender!!!

Ring a-round the blender, a pocketful of a new blender, ashes, ashes, the blender is still mine and ain't nobody gonna be takin' it from me. (Unless you need it worse than me, then I would give it to you, but otherwise, IT'S MINE ALL MINE GET YER HANDS OFF!)

That's right girls and boys!!
I got a new blender
after 31 years!!!

Okay dudes, I'm only 50. I got married at 19 and have had the same blender since 19. I'm not like 120 years old...just 50. 50. Hence the 31 years of marriage and 31 year old blender. Crap, it doesn't matter, 31 years still sounds like a long time to own a blender though, doesn't it??!!! Crap.

Anyhoo, throw half those roasted vegetables into the blender....

...add a cup of water to the blender...

Blend all the veggies and water and you get this wonderful orange puree...

Pour that vitamin packed puree
into the simmering soup!

Okay, time to add the spinach!
(I used regular spinach instead of baby spinach, tis all I had in the fridge.)

Simmer until the spinach is wilted,
about 5 minutes, and you're ready to go!!

Let me tell ya, this soup was shockingly smooth, savory,
just the right amount of spices....

The contrast of the sweet roasted root vegetables with the savory of the chicken broth was not extreme, the chunks of yummy chicken....this all melds so perfectly.

When the sweet potato and squash and carrots are roasting in the oven, it fills the house with a wonderful warm aroma too.....

The flavor is savory (DO NOT CHANGE UP THE SPICES, THEY ARE PERFECT!) with a hint of sweet from the roasted vegetables.
The broth almost is buttery-tasting for some reason.
Very warm, very nourishing. And I loved the chunks of leftover chicken in there.

If you click on the page icon in the lower right corner of the document below, the recipe will go full screen. Then if you right click, then click "print", it should print on your printer.

If that doesn't work for printing, you can click on the Download File below...

Click on the itty bitty download file over there to print.....

danielle_walker_leftover_roast_chix_soup.docx
File Size:	15 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Or you could go directly to the recipe author's website and print from there....

Okay, that's all I got for today.....the blogging has been a little sporadic lately....been busy meeting new customers, seeing former customers and having fun chat, chat, chatting with everyone!!
Shocking I know,
Tim and I are sooooo shy :):):) Ha!!

Thanks so much y'all,
for checking in!!
Have a great Fall day.....

...and we'll talk at ya soon!!

1 Comment

Dude!! This One Pot Pasta Is Seriously A One Pot Pasta - No Joke - No Lie - Weird...You Gotta Try This!!!

Ain't It Weird How Places From Your Childhood Are So Much Larger In your Memories Than The Actual Reality?

Angie's Chili with Pickle Juice

So This One Cookbook Author Calls This "The Best Whole Chicken in a Crockpot" And Seriously Dudes, The Chick Ain't Lying

A Yummy Sweet Potato Loaf That Will Make Your House Smell Delicious, Groovy Kitchens and Dottie West

Indian Spiced Roasted Chickpeas-A Healthy Crunchy Snack....and A Drizzly Fall Day That Requires Slippers

A Nourishing Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

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