Category: Vegetarian

Angie's Show and Tell Day with a Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Soup, 70s Toys That Would Poke An Eye Out, Inappropriate Candy Cigarettes, and a Beautiful Kaffe Fasset Quilt!!

1/7/2017

So this week turned out to be a
little frosty, eh?!

Always nice to drink a warm comforting tonic first thing
in the morning though.
This is a mug of warm water with:
Juice of One Lemon
3/4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbsp. Raw Honey
One dash Cayenne Pepper

Something else warming up the inside spaces is this dehydrator with beef jerky drying in it.

Here's the recipe I used.
It's called Jerky Lover's Jerky - Sweet, Hot, and Spicy

Quick note: The recipe as written will handle
THREE lbs. of meat, not just ONE lb.

I made 26 lbs of beef total this season.
26 lbs!!!!

After all that beef dried in the dehydrator, it netted like 18 pieces.

Exaggeration a bit but still,

they shrink like the old Shrinky Dinks from the 70s.

Remember those??? Remember burning yourself on the oven and pan?

Frankly I don't remember my Ma (or anybody's Ma) ever being this excited to help kids shrink dinks in the oven in the 70s. :)

But hey, at least those same 70s parents made up for it by letting us kids blow giant super elastic bubble plastic balloons that I'm sure had
no toxicity in them whatsoever.

And what about the Click Clacks...aka Clackers.
Man, I LOVED THOSE THINGS!!

Did you know they were banned? Cause they broke up into little shards of glass. Probably poked someone's eye out, too.

But I digress, let's get to what this post is really about:
Roasted Red Pepper Soup!

Do you like spicy? This soup is spicy!
It's also super healthy, has delicious flavor and is packed full of red peppers.
Red peppers are full of vitamin C and are an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

The spiciness comes from that ONE lone jalapeno,
which gets seeded and deveined even.

If you want less heat, just use ***HALF*** a jalapeno.

This recipe is
from the
Better Homes and Gardens Publication
Soups & Stews.

This mag is on newstands right now.

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Soup
From Better Homes and Gardens Soups & Stews Publication 2016
Ingredients

2 whole garlic bulbs
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large red sweet peppers
1/3 cup firmly packed stemmed fresh parsley sprigs
1/3 cup firmly packed stemmed fresh basil leaves
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped* Angie's note: Use only 1/2 jalapeno for kids
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Bottled hot pepper sauce
1 32 ounce carton chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream
Shredded fresh basil (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut off the top 1/2 inch of the garlic bulbs to expose ends of individual cloves. Leaving garlic bulbs whole, remove any loose, papery outer layers. Place bulbs, cut ends up, and onion in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with rosemary; drizzle with oil. Quarter sweet peppers lengthwise; remove stems, seeds, and membranes. Place peppers, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast garlic,onion, and sweet peppers for 20 to 25 minutes or until garlic feels soft when squeezed and peppers are charred and very tender.
Bring foil up around peppers and fold edges together to enclose. Let stand about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Using a sharp knife, loosen edges of skins; gently pull off skins in strips and discard. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic paste from individual cloves. Discard skins.
In a blender or food processor combine garlic paste, onion, sweet peppers, parsley, basil leaves, jalapeno pepper, black pepper, crushed red pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Cover and blend or process until nearly smooth. Add 1 cup of the broth; cover and blend or process until smooth.
Pour pureed mixture into a large saucepan. Stir in the remaining broth and the half-and-half. Cook over medium-low heat until warm. If desired, top servings with shreded basil.

So let's start this soup by roasting two full heads of garlic and an onion.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh rosemary and pop in the oven.

After about 20-30 minutes the garlic bulbs and onions are roasted.

Okay, so I should have kept the bulbs in longer cause when I popped them out of their paper,

they certainly weren't of a
"paste" consistency,
but they were roasted and soft.

I threw the quartered red peppers in to roast and
blister up...

I stuck the roasted peppers in a plastic baggie for ten minutes so it would be easy to remove the skins...

A bowl of yummy smoky, roasted sweet peppers
just waiting to go into soup.

I prepped the remaining ingredients...

Because I have attention issues, I arranged everything on the counter in an effort to stay focused when blending the ingredients in the correct order.

So basically all that arranging was a waste of time, you pretty much throw everything in the blender at the same time except the chicken stock.
By the way, throw the stock in the blender at this time too, otherwise the blender will just gum up with the peppers and such.

And this is the base for your soup!

Throw
the soup base into a pan on the stove on medium-low heat.

Pour in the remaining chicken stock (I used vegetable stock cause I wanted this to be completely vegetarian) and the
half-and-half (I used whole milk).

Heat until warm.

The soup will regain it's sharp red color as it heats up.

Fill up a bowl and grab a couple biscuits
to dunk.

Now this recipe as directed is SPICY, due to the whole albeit de-seeded jalapeno. Tim and I loved this!!
HOWEVER if you have little kiddos, DIAL DOWN THE JALAPENO SPICE BY HALF!!

This is such a super healthy soup.
If made with vegetarian broth instead of chicken broth,
this is a completely vegetarian dish.
Having said that I do think chicken broth adds a
wonderful warming flavor addition.

I hope you try out this soup recipe sometime!

So remember when we were discussing the toys of the 70s our moms bought us?
Well...
Remember these??

And of course we played with all those toys up above with these hanging off our childhood lips.

Now, if you were a girl in the 70s,
besides playing Rock em Sock em Robots with candy cigs hanging out of our mouths,
does anyone remember wearing these capes???

This is me. In my pink cape.
c 1972 ish
My mom made this. It was lined with a white satin type of material if I remember correctly.

Oh how I loved it!

I mean LOVED it.

Wore it everywhere.

Look at those buttons, so cute!!

It looks like I have a button on the end of my nose and am hoarding them in my cheeks too.

Anyway, this isn't the 70s anymore,
so my Ma makes me QUILTS instead of capes now!
This quilt is in the guest bedroom.

This is the quilt opened up.
Isn't it gorgeous??!!!!!!!

I love the jelly roll pattern, so fun and fresh.
I asked mom for bright oranges, turquoises, yellows, greens, you know, happy colors!

She nailed it with this Kaffe Fassett fabric!
I LOVE Kaffe Fassett fabric!!!!! It feels sooooo rich, luxurious, and the
different patterns and colors he designs is visually breathtaking!
Modern, fresh. Speaks to his many travels.

Here's the real kicker though,
Ma does all her own quilting, too!

Now my Ma is not a flashy or flamboyant person at all,
she's very modest and humble,
especially when it comes to the beautiful work she does.

Dear Ma,

IT'S *MY* BLOG AND I CAN SHOW PICTURES OF MY BEAUTIFUL QUILT IF
I WANT TO!!

So there.

Love,
Angie

P.S. I burned the top of my hand on Kim's Easy-Bake Oven one day when I wasn't supposed to be playing with it.

P.P.S. That yellow and orange Barbie camper was the best all time present ever. I can still smell how the plastic smelled on the back fold-down table.

P.P.S. Um. Candy cigarettes? ???? ?????

Okay Friends, that's all I got for today!!!!
Stay tuned for another riveting blog post where I share a baked chicken thigh recipe that tastes JUST LIKE fried chicken out of a pan!

I know, right!!

Thanks for checking in!!!!

Have a good rest of the weekend y'all
and we'll talk at ya soon!!

Rare Photo of Clean Sink and a Corn & Scallion Salad with a fresh Cilantro Mint Dressing

8/24/2016

Woke up the other morning to this.

I felt like I was dreaming still. Could it really be?
Clean dishes? Done up the night before?
An actual clean sink??

Well, I'd decided to turn over a new leaf and do my dishes up every night instead of letting them
stack
up
for
days.

Sooooo that lasted a whole
8 loooooong hours.

I figured, well, this new leaf I turned over would require me to actually "do dishes"
"every day" and well,

I have enough green and leafs in my life already!

There's green on my cutting board.

Green AND a leaf in my kitchen window.

Green couch.

Green footstool.

Green cat.

Wait, wrong picture.

Green tissue box,
I meant.

With leaves.

Green pillows.

Green dishes.

I even have green carpet.

Well, technically it's
teal.

And lastly a green stool that becomes
less and less green
every year.

So see, turning over a new leaf was

redundant
boring
interfered with my gift of procrastination

However I did make up a delicious, addictive LEAFY GREEN salad in that loooooong 8 hour time span.

Say hello to this
Corn and Scallion Salad with Cilantro-Mint Dressing!!!

The
Cilantro-Mint Dressing

is the star of this dish!

The grilled Sweet Corn
kicked the flavor up a notch
as well!

Once again, this is a
Bobby Flay recipe.

Here's the fixins for this fresh,
sweet and tangy salad!

I like how the amount of actual lettuce shown is small. Angie not shiniest bulb on Christmas tree, obviously.

Corn and Scallion Salad with Cilantro-Mint Dressing
Straight outta foodnetwork.com Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction show
Barbecue Addiction is one of my favorite shows!

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large ears corn, husks and silks removed
1/4 cup light olive or canola oil
Canola oil, for brushing
2 cups baby mixed greens
6 scallions, green and pale green parts thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta or farmer's cheese

Directions
Combine the mint, cilantro, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the honey and some salt and pepper in a blender, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Taste, and then add more honey, salt and pepper as desired. Set aside for later use.
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
Brush the corn with some canola oil, and then season with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, until charred on all sides and the corn is tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cool slightly and remove the kernels from the cobs. Combine the corn, greens and green onions in a bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add some of the dressing and toss to coat. Top with the cheese and another drizzle of dressing. Serve immediately.

Just click HERE to go to Bobby's website where you can print off the recipe.

Let's start with the fresh minty mint mint!

Chop up the mint and cilantro and slice up the scallions.

Shred up that beautiful
semi-soft white
Farmers cheese.

By the way.........

Farmers Cheese
+
Angie
=
>>>>>>>>>>

So get out your blender and throw that
cilantro,
the minty mint mint,
white wine vinegar,
a tsp of honey
and salt and pepper in there.

Let 'er rip!

Pour in the olive oil
from the top...

Now I did a taste test and determined one more tsp of honey was just fine.

Let's get started on grilling up this corn!

T

Brush the corn with oil
and salt and pepper.

Typically when a recipe calls for canola oil
(usually due to high heat),

I use avocado oil.

Get a good char on this beautiful corn.

Cut the corn off the cob using this double bowl method so the corn kernels don't end up on shelves and counters and the tops of oven hoods and plastered to the ceiling.

This grilled sweet corn is just waiting to go on a salad!

Assembling the salad with the baby lettuce, scallions and grilled corn...

Let's add that Farmers cheese and Cilantro-Mint dressing!!

Creamy
farmers cheese,
sweetness of
grilled corn,
tangy dressing, savory scallions....
this salad is perfect!!

And because the dressing is so addictive, I added extra, just because!!

Hope you enjoyed one of the few salads I've ever posted on here!
If you make it, let me know what you think!!
I do know that salad dressing is definitely going to be made weekly in
my house!

Okay, so in closing I just want to share what Tim's and my daily morning drink looks like.
(I had read last year that lemon water was good for you for prevention so we drink this first thing in the morning, before breakfast.)

Juice of one lemon ( good for digestion)
3/4 Tbsp of raw honey (alleviates allergy symptoms)
2 tsp Turmeric (anti-inflammatory)
Two dashes cayenne pepper (calorie-burning and lowers blood pressure)
Warm tap water (aids in digesting the lemon)

Remember to drink this warm mug with a straw because the acid of the lemon can hurt the enamel on your teeth. (I am going to be buying glass reusable glass straws. Right now we just rewash the same plastic straw to be more environmentally friendly.)

Okay, thanks for checking in guys!!!!
I appreciate it!!

Have a great Wednesday and we'll talk at ya soon!!
Notice how I used fall colors there??
Doesn't it just feel like the start of football weather??!! Hut hut hike!
:)

Pretty Pictures and a Super Fantastic Pasta with Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash!

8/6/2015

Hi Guys!
THE FOLLOWING PICTURES MAKE ME HAPPY AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THEM.

This is a picture of Tim's Grandmother's kitchen window in Albuquerque about 30 years ago,
one of my favorite pictures ever.
Marguerite would change the glass out seasonally.

Can someone come to my house this weekend and lay this exact sidewalk by the summer kitchen, please? Hello? Bueller? Bueller?

artpeople.net

mariakillam.com...check her blog out, she's a fantastic designer and colour expert.

This entryway intrigues me. Even the carpet,
but especially that railing.
I want to tour the rest of the house.

Maria Killam is a designer and colour expert.
This is her living room. Talk about put together!

On the other hand, this entryway intrigues me too.
I'm nosy.
I want to know what's upstairs and what's on the main level here.

I saved this picture because I think the walkway might be realistically doable for me down the road.

mariakillam.com

This is gazpacho. Doesn't look like any gazpacho I've ever seen. Yes please, I'll take two bowls, er I mean glasses.

And when I get tired of that porch, I will retire to this other porch, also attached to my imaginary dual-porched house.

I'll eat that gazpacho out here on my pretend porch, by the sea.

Something is driving me crazy though....um,
WHO has floors that clean?? In a kitchen??? Who???

And I will wash up those gazpacho pedestal glasses in this here kitchen in that imaginary house by the sea.

Okay, now we get to a delightful dish that makes me super happy too.
This light refreshing dish is full of flavor and just a delight to eat.
Pasta with Kale Pesto and
Roasted Butternut Squash.

Lottery Hill Farm in Vermont.

This dish is one of the top five things I've made and devoured!!
In fact I made it for breakfast the other day, I was craving it so much.

So this dish is from
Melissa Clark with the
New York Times!

And here's the fixins for this
refreshing pasta dish!

Also, I used a whole wheat,
locally made pasta.

Oh gosh, I think this style is called corkscrew or twizzler or something...I'll remember before I'm done with this post.

Rotini, maybe?? Oh heck, I'll just google...
Okay, just googled,
it's either fusili or rotini.
Anyhoo, use whatever you have in the pantry.

Here's the recipe....Just click HERE to go directly to the New York Times recipe.

Pasta With Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash
MELISSA CLARK...straight outta cooking.nyt.com

Time 45 minutes
Yield 2 to 3 serving

Here is a one-pot meal designed explicitly for the hungriness of a long-distance runner, with garlicky kale pesto and sweet roasted butternut squash. Making the pesto with kale instead of basil gives it a structure the basil-rich original lacks, and it interacts beautifully with the crisp-and-soft smoothness of the roasted squash. A terrific dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ pounds butternut squash
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more for squash
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch (about 1/2 pound)lacinato kale, center ribs removed
8 ounces pasta (penne rigate works well)
⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel squash, then halve it lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Dice squash flesh into 1-inch pieces, place on a baking sheet, and toss with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread pieces into an even layer, making sure there is space between them. Roast, stirring squash pieces once or twice, until golden brown and tender, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; have ready a bowl of ice water. Drop kale into boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Use tongs or slotted spoon to transfer kale to ice water. Bring water in pot back to a boil, adding more if necessary so there is enough to cook pasta.
Drain kale well, then wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel and squeeze thoroughly to remove any excess moisture. Roughly chop leaves. When water in pot comes back to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.
In a food processor, pulse together kale, nuts, garlic, salt and lemon zest until mixture is smooth and salt has dissolved. With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil until fully incorporated. Taste and add more salt dissolved in a little lemon juice, if necessary.
Drain pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Toss pasta with kale pesto and some pasta cooking water if necessary to help it coat pasta. Add cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve topped with squash and more cheese.

So we'll start by toasting the pine nuts in the oven for
10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Angie's Public Service Announcement:
Do not,
I repeat
do not
have heart palpitations when you see how much pine nuts are at the grocery.
Just
#1 Breathe
#2 Cover your eyes with your hands and
#3 Buy them, they are essential here...

Just wanted to mention that I bought Lacinato kale,
or what is commonly referred to as
Dinosaur kale,
instead of the more traditional curly kale.

Either one works fine, for sure!!

First, prep all your ingredients.
Cut, chop, toast, grate and shred.

Olive oil up that yummy cut butternut squash, and salt and pepper them and bake
for 30 or so minutes....

Now get your boiling water in a pan ready for the kale

and then have a bowl with Ice cubes and water beside....

Throw that kale into the boiling water for
45 seconds or so...

...And then throw the kale into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking...

it should look a gorgeous bright green!

Drain the kale on a paper towel and squeeze dry.

Throw the pasta in the boiling, salted water...

Now chock the kale, toasted pine nuts, the garlic, and lemon peel in the food processor and pulse away!

Now drain your pasta...

you're getting close!!!

It should smell heavenly,
just heavenly,

and look like this.

Toss
the pasta with the kale pesto....

Add a tiny bit of pasta liquid, if needed, to keep things nice and coated...

Looking good, yes??
Also, you can not even imagine how wonderful this smells with the toasted pine nuts and lemon peel, garlic and kale....fantastic!!

Oh my goodness gracious,
now add the roasted butternut squash...

Shred some of that fresh Parmesan on top....

I can still smell the lemony pesto
with the sweet butternut squash
and the saltiness of the Parmesan.

Like I said earlier, I made this twice in one week cause it was so light, refreshing, delicious, a perfect combo of everything summery.

OH! You can eat this warm or eat it for
lunch the next day cold.
Either way it's terrific and I really hope you try this recipe out sometime!!!

Okay, so closing out, I would like to share a couple of other pictures that make me happy (none of the pictures showcase potato chips or cheesecake though, that's for another day :)

So the weather last week was
a-changin' to the south there....

Tim was sitting on the deck...

rather
enjoying himself with a
cigar,

a glass of wine,

and the Bible,

his usual evening
accouterments.

I looked over at the sitting area off the deck, under the tree,

and stated how peaceful it looked that night,

with a newly mowed lawn.

So Tim decided that would be a good vantage point to watch the storms in the southern skies.

At least one cat thought so too,

and joined us as well.

And the sky that night was quite lovely to see, when you're far, far away...

Okay, so that's all I have for today!
I really do hope y'all try out the
Pasta and Kale Pesto recipe sometime soon though!!

So have a good rest of the week kiddos,
stay cool,
and we'll talk at ya soon!!!

Man I Love This Tuscan Kale Salad!

4/19/2015

Tim says,
"This kale salad is fantastic. Darn near like eating candy."

Angie responds,
"Well, I don't know about candy but this salad
definitely wowed me."

This
Tuscan Kale Salad
is an excellent side with pasta.

This Kale Salad is straight outta
Dr. Weil's website.

But let's clarify what kind of kale...
this recipe calls for
LACINATO kale,
otherwise known as
TUSCAN kale.

Tuscan Kale Salad
Straight outta Dr. Weil's website...check it out!
Ingredients
4-6 cups kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves of Italian black (Lacinato, "dinosaur," cavolo nero) midribs removed
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
salt & pepper, to taste
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan
1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs from lightly toasted bread

Instructions

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes.
Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well.
Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again.
Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.

Let's set the record straight on the difference between Curly kale (of which is the norm for most of us)....
looks totally familiar, right?...

And now this is Tuscan Kale, more commonly known as Lacinato Kale

They also call it Dinosaur Kale.

But I say,
yeah no,
that is stoooopid.
We will just continue to call it
Lacinato Kale.

Lacinato Kale
will say it's specifically "Lacinato"
on the tag.

Tuscan or Lacinato Kale is different from
Curly Kale
by
color
and
taste.
Tuscan or Lacinato is a darker green (almost a blue green) and it is a bit more bitter and earthy tasting.
It's Delicious!

Okay, so here's the fixins for this fine salad...

First,
remove the midrib thingies from the kale.

Slice into ribbons...

I interrupt this exciting Tuscan Kale Salad post to bring you pictures of the marinara I threw together for the pasta that we were going to have as well. I chopped up red and yellow peppers, red onions, garlic, carrots and basil and threw them into organic diced tomatoes with a little bit of red wine and salt and pepper..

Okay, going back to the topic of today's post, the Tuscan KALE SALAD, anyhoo, get your lemon juice ready, olive oil, red pepper flakes, parm and garlic.

Mix the olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, pepper flakes and salt and pepper. This smells great!
It is at this point that you KNOW this is gonna to be a nice, light, tasty salad.

Mix that lovely dressing in.
You will want to make sure to toss the kale with the dressing, toss good, toss it real good.

Leave no stone unturned here.

Throw that freshly grated Parmesan
on top.

Toss.

Together. 

Not out.

Duh.

Ta-Daaa!!!!
I present to you a blurry picture of this yummy kale salad!

Saddle up this salad next to some pasta or a steak or veggie burger...just about anything!

As I said at the top of the post, Tim said this is darn near like eating candy.
(This coming from a man who would never touch a vegetable to save his soul
just 5 or 10 years ago.)
This Kale Salad is flavorful, a little sweet, a little savory, a tad spicy and light and refreshing.

To print the recipe, just click on the link and go to
Dr. Weil's website. (I had to cut and paste recipe.)
Dr. Weil's Tuscan Kale Salad.

So the other morning,
the sun was just perfect about 6:30am and I went out to snap a few shots with my craptastic $100 high dolla camera....

I've finally comes to terms that every picture I take out here,
SOMETHING always needs painted.

I'm convinced little hobbits and gnomes live in this tree. And woodpeckers.

I was genuinely excited the other day to show Tim of a picture of a grain bin just like ours that had been converted into a cute, girly woman cave.
He did NOT find it amusing one bit.

Looking to the west with the early morning east sun casting shadows.
The only time I'll ever be tall and skinny in my life.
It was fun while it lasted :)

Okay, tis all I gots for today!!
(Remember, gots is a word....in the Pretend Word Dictionary)
Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Thanks for checking in and we'll
talk at ya soon!

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls and Batman and Cats...Yeah, Just The Normal Stuff At This Casa

4/12/2015

Oh my goodness gracious!!
It has been almost
THREE MONTHS
since I last posted!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE blogging and have missed posting all
the good (yum yum)
the bad (NOT so yum yum)
and the ugly (blech-worthy) dishes
I've been making.

But I have been soooooo busy with
#1.
Work

And #2.
Life

Um. Yeah. Don't ask. This is just between you and me, K??!!

And #3.
Hanging out with our #1 and only grandchild
Little Boy Blue!!!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

#4.

Shooing cats out of the year-end records boxes...

Gino
says,

"Now you see me..."

"...now you don't, sucka!"

Giblet Pearl-Thanksgiving Day Kitty
is smart,

she knows that humans
never give much attention to the lids.

Gino, however,
continues his
stare-down with
"The Man"
(aka Angie) .

In fact, Gino recruited sweet Noodle to assist him in his defiance of
"The Man".

Noodle says:
"The Man can kiss my grits! Wait, what? The Man is my human momma, Angie?? I didn't mean it, Mom! I love uuuu Mom!!! Pick me up and love on me, moooommmm!"

"Dude.
I'm just here for my twice daily treat,"

says the always elegant Baby.

"Although it will always be my job to investigate every empty box that enters my kingdom."

Gino, unflinching to the repeated requests to
GET THE HECK OUT OF THE BOX, reiterates his defiant stance.

"Listen lady, if I told ya once, I told ya a million times, I ain't goin' down without a good paw whack."

So yeah,
not much has changed in three months.

Except....

SPRING!!!!!

Toys on the sidewalk.

First sign of Spring, eh?
:)

Pots waiting to be potted.

Green peeking through
brown soil.

Llilies that will
bloom orange.

And a Christmas wreath by the barn that needs put away.

Course,
the wreath has been there about five years.

What?

Clearly I have an inability to follow through on boring tasks,

like putting things back where they belong.
*Sigh*

Okay, let's get to some serious food
stuff now.
LOOK AT THESE!!!

Oh my!
These are cute little
Butternut Squash and
Spinach Lasagna Rolls.

I've made these five times in the last two months and Ima make them again tomorrow night!!

These are little nuggets of individual lasagna rolls, filled with a creamy spinach ricotta mixture and topped with sweet butternut squash and a dollop of cheese.

Here's the fixins for these Lasagna Rolls from skinnytaste.com!

I was out of shallots so I subbed a white onion. Worked great!

Whether you boil or bake this butternut squash,

it all comes out awesome.

Nice and earthy bake here...

Boil up your lasagna.

This dish makes 9 lasagna rolls so I usually cook up ten strips.

I use this brand because its whole wheat.

Prep up the garlic, shallots, parsley and I added some chopped sage leaves this time.

Defrost the spinach and wring out the moisture.

So the recipe calls for an immersion blender to mash the cooked butternut squash. I didn't want to get mine out so I got out my regular blender.

Dear Readers,

Do NOT do this. It's ridiculous. Just mash with a potato masher, takes like one minute and
NO MESS.

Love,
Angie

Saute up the shallots and garlic.

I added additional garlic and chopped sage for added flavor as this can be a tad...missing something.

Add the butternut squash into the skillet.

If the squash mixture is a little too thick, add some liquid or some of the pasta water. I added wine according to some recipe reviewers.
Add salt and pepper and a bit of the Parmesan too.

In a separate bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, Parm, egg and salt and pepper.

Will look like this when combined...creamy but maybe missing just a tad flavor, that's why I added the garlic and sage to the butternut squash topping.

Lay out your lasagna noodles.
I laid them on wax paper that had been sprayed with olive oil spray so they wouldn't stick.

Spread the ricotta and spinach mixture evenly over
the nine noodles.

Spread some of the squash mixture on the bottom of the dish.

Roll up those lasagna sheets, they roll up very nicely in fact, each and every time.

Top each roll with the squash mixture and cheese.

They look delicious just like this, don't they?

But throw them in the oven for 40 minutes and this is how these little cuties come out.

I really liked these!
At the first bite, you might be expecting a big burst of flavor but that big burst is not there. The sweet and savory and creamy flavors are subtle here and that's okay.

I keep making and making these,
I don't know why, they are kind of addicting though.

These are cute too, with the ruffly edges.

Mmmmmmm, creamy ricotta spinachy goodness.

Okay, I drizzled some maple syrup over each roll for a bit more oomph so that's a nice option too.

Here's the recipe!
(Remember I added some chopped sage and extra garlic.)

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Staight outta the Skinnytaste.com website...go there for full recipe and directions!!!

Ingredients:
For the Butternut Parmesan Sauce:

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Lasagna:

9 lasagna noodles, cooked (use gluten free noodles for gluten free)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, heated and squeezed well
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
salt and fresh pepper
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim shredded Italian Blend Cheese (I used Sargento)
1 tablespoon parsley, minced

For full directions, click right here to go over to the exact recipe on skinnytaste.com for all the directions!! It's worth it!!

Or go to Epicurious where the recipe and directions are posted and people give great advice on the reviews!

Okay guys, that's all I got for today!!
Hope I didn't bore you too much with all these pictures of cats and a Batman man and a displaced Christmas wreath.

Little Boy Blue (who is now 3 1/2 yrs old) says...

"My young,
very hip,
cool
Grandma Angie
hopes you come back and visit her blog again soon.
My Grandma makes yummy bacon and oatmeal!"

For full disclosure purposes, the words
"young"
and
"very hip"
and
"cool"
uh, may have been the blog author's words.
Wink, wink.

Hope to get another post or two up
this week!!!!
Have a great week!!
Talk at ya soon!!

Hello Black Bean, Farro and Avocado Meal...You Are Healthy AND Tasty!

6/2/2014

Little Boy Blue says HELLO!! Look how big he is getting!!! 

Hello also to this healthy and
totally yummy
Black Beans,
Farro and Avocado meal!

This recipe is from the Reluctant Entertainer website.

This dish is soooo healthy,
but the thing is.....it's so tasty!!!
And filling! Who'd thunk?

Leave off the queso fresco and this would make a
nice vegan dish!

These are all the fixins for this quick and easy,
super healthy dish. Remember, it's vegan if you leave the queso fresco off. :)

So this is farro. It's a grain.
A bit expensive.
I think this 1 lb. bag was maybe $7.99.

I'm like, really dudes? $7.99? Get the price down on this please.
Farro is becoming more mainstream and not so exotic anymore, so I think they can get that price lowered eventually.

Now this is the salsa I used,
a local Iowa City salsa.

La Casa was a locally owned restaurant in Iowa City for years.
Mercy Sueppel, the owner, closed the restaurant but continues to make this fantastic salsa among other authentic Mexican products.
Very yummy!

Anyway, we start this dish by boiling up the farro.
By the way, I had to google to see how long to cook farro because the package
doesn't tell you...I had to search a little bit to find out.
35 minutes is how long I cooked mine.

Red Alert!
OHOHOH!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION,
I HALVED THIS RECIPE...it makes a ton!!!!

So anyhoo, I chopped up
the mixture of onions, shallots,
and garlic.

I did use all three, which I think factored into the layered flavor of this dish.

Now drain those beans!

BTW, Could this picture be any dumber?

Saute
the onion, shallot, and garlic mixture in olive oil.

Can you smell the aroma?
It smells heavenly!

Now throw in those beans! Do it, do it, just DO IT!!!!

Now stir in that corn and salsa and cumin and salt and pepper....

Okay,
so this is just waiting to be layered onto the farro.

So we plate this dish by layering the *warm* farro onto a platter...

Now layer the bean mixture on top of the farro...

Next, layer the avocado, queso fresco and chopped cilantro...

What a masterpiece on a platter!

Let's plate 'er up and see how it tastes....

Looks a
little messy on a plate......

...But look at those yummy avocado slices! And the fresh queso fresco!
And the hearty farro but most importantly, the tasty bean, corn and onion mixture!

Okay, something was spicy about this dish, I wanted to keep eating it. Tim asked what was so spicy and I said I just didn't know.

Tim calls this dish "deceptive." It seems as if the flavor is going to be boring but it is deceptively delicious and super filling as a main dish.
Gotta tell ya, the cilantro really finishes off this dish,
don't forget the cilantro!

Okay, so below is the recipe....you can click on the recipe document and then print it out OR you can click on that teensy tiny Download File thingie right below and print it out too.

black_bean_with_farro_and_avocado.docx
File Size:	13 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Well I hope someone tries out this recipe and follows back up and lets us know what they thought of it,
or if they changed it up!

In the In the meantime, I think Ima try and be as carefree as a yittle 2 1/2 year old toddler boy sporting a dimple, joyous spirit,
and plastic airplane.

Okay guys, that's all I got for now :)
Have a great week, stay cool and we'll
talk at ya soon!!!!

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

2/2/2013

Cauliflower.

Osborneseed.com

Orange, white, purple and green cauliflower.

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

It's like candy.
Only way more healthier.

Okay, this is the normal spot I usually reserve for some weird fact or story about the dish I cooked.
Or ridiculous pet picture.

But you know,

there's absolutely nothing interesting about cauliflower.

It's a cruciferous whoop de whoo whoo bloop whatever I want cheesecake I got bored reading about it.

This Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower
is so tasty though...onions, garlic, cauliflower, FRESH thyme, olive oil and yummy fresh PARMESAN!

This recipe came to me via the Facebook page of the facility I work out at: Performance for Health.

Facebook page Performance For Health, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, and Kalona

Uh Okay, it's the place I, uh, possibly need to haul my behind to a lot more than I do possibly.

Is being lazy so bad, in the whole scheme of things,
really?

Performance is an awesome workout facility though...professional athletes even use the facility in the off season.

I know that to be the case cuz I was working out next to a professional football player a couple times last year. Uh huh.
I KNOW this NFL football player was impressed with my awesome weight lifting lifting of the weight thing and bar thing, but was just too embarrassed probably to ask for guidance from a girl, but whatever. His loss.

WHAT???!!!
You don't know. You weren't there.

Anyhoo, let's get back to this Roasted Cauliflower dish.

Not many ingredients for this super tasty side dish.

So cut up the cauliflower, onions,
and smash that garlic in the skin.
OH! I halved the recipe by the way,
since there was only two of us,
and only one of us eats cauliflower.

I figured something out,

if you use the knife to cut the cauliflower,

you get clean cuts and the vegetable will lay flat on the pan.
And look prettier too.

So take the
cut cauliflower
and onions
and smashed garlic

and spread them out on a cooking tray.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and throw the sprigs of thyme on there.

Now throw the tray in the oven for 35 or so minutes, tossing occasionally.

You're not done yet...
don't get too antsy,

after taking out the pan....

...SPRINKLE THAT YUMMY PARMESAN CHEESE ON TOP!

Roast for 10 more minutes...

And remove from oven.

By the way,
the smell of the roasting cauliflower and onions and garlic is amaaaazing!

The roasted cauliflower and the melting Parm with the caramelized onions...
you want to start eating it right off the tray.
No kidding!

But don't be a heathen.

Plate some up for real.

I'm not exaggerating when I say this was like candy.

Okay. I am definitely making this again and again...
so easy
and so flavorful
and especially so healthy.

Here's the recipe...printable is on the right hand side.

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower
From www.bonappetit.com
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
    1 head cauliflower
    1 sliced medium onion
    4 thyme sprigs
    4 unpeeled garlic cloves
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    Kosher salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Cut 1 head cauliflower into florets.

Toss on a large rimmed baking sheet with 1 sliced medium onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roast, tossing occasionally, until almost tender, 35-40 minutes.

Sprinkle with ½ cup grated Parmesan, toss to combine.

Roast until cauliflower is tender, 10-12 minutes longer.

Okay guys, that's all I have for today!

Giblet Pearl has a few words she would like to
share though...

Dear Humans,

So what.
I like to hang out inside my Dad's shirts and my Mom's zippered hoodies.

Is that so wrong?

Love,
Gibby

P.S. Mom asks that you disregard any pet hair you ever see on her clothes, it is a losing battle she says.

Have a good weekend guys, I may be posting an earthy quinoa and mushroom casserole recipe later today.

Doesn't a quinoa mushroom casserole sound super exciting??
*yawn*

It was oddly satisfying though.

Okay, we'll talk at ya soon!!!!

Spiced Lemon Rice

11/4/2012

Spiced Lemon Rice with Roasted Cashews!!

This Spiced Lemon Rice
is super healthy and has lemon peel, fresh lemon juice, turmeric, chili pepper, onions and garlic oh my!

Oh, and cashews!

fineartamerica.com

So this got me to thinking...
WHY ARE lemons so good for you?

Now,
I know why turmeric is good for you, but what about lemons.

Apparently lemons contain a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals, it's rich in vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Lemons also aid in digestion and it helps you fight
hunger cravings. SOLD! :):):)

comunity.travelandleisure.com

Isn't this a pretty lemon orchard?

It's in Sorrento, Italy.

Sorrento is a
small town
(population 16,500) located in
southern Italy.

It is located close to Naples and Pompeii.

telegraph.uk.com

Part of the town sits high on
sea cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples.

sorrentotourism.com

Sorrento is known for it's many lemon orchards.

rachelruthbuchweitz.blogspot.com

In fact,

the region supplies 85% of the lemons used in Italy.....

...lemons used in cooking and baking...such as this Olive Oil Lemon Cake and the most popular refreshment in Italy; Limoncello.

wiu.edu

The town looks awful pretty at night too, yes?!

Anyway, getting back to this SPICED LEMON RICE...

Here's the fixins...

just a note,

I used brown rice instead of white rice!

So begin by doing the prep work...chopping the onions, the red chili, slice the garlic and peel the lemon.

By the way,
peel the lemon. Use a real lemon, take the peeler and peel the strips as directed.

No. Don't try to just use all lemon juice.
Peel the lemon.

Heat up the olive oil and add the mustard seeds and that healthy turmeric and cook,

shaking the pan,

until the mustard seeds pop.

The mustard seeds will ACTUALLY POP.

Out of the pan.

Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Out of the pan and onto the recipe page on the counter.

Okay,

add the fresno chili
and garlic
and onions
and saute until onions are translucent.

See that yellow turmeric coloring in there?

SO GOOD FOR YOU!

Now add the rice....

...and the lemon peel...

...now add the 3 cups of water.

Okay,

so let the rice simmer for the correct amount of time...I used minute brown rice.

And eventually the rice becomes this texture and color...

near perfect!

Now add the roasted cashews and plate it up!

By the way, the nuttiness of the roasted cashews with that turmeric and onions...
Really, a great combination!

I served this with a roasted chicken. So fantastic together. This Spiced Lemon Rice would complement any fish or poultry dish.

With this recipe,
there were leftovers since there are only two of us here.

We had this nice healthy dish for several days as a side and it was so easy to grab and heat up for a quick lunch too.

And with all this talk about lemon,
apparently one should drink a warm mug of
lemon water every morning for good health.

mindbodygreen.com

So Ima try this and see if I can feel or see the benefits.
I'll report back to you :).

I actually started doing this Saturday and today (Sunday). I took a large glass of warm water and squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon. It's definitely different to incorporate that into my morning routine but on Day 2 here, it seems as if I'm doing something good for myself. And I think it will help in me drinking less coffee.

Although
I would much prefer drinking some lemony tea or water out here at this cliff side restaurant in Sorrento.

But that's okay, I have my own outdoor seating that's almost just as nice....

Or not.

Okay, that's all I got for today!!
Have a good Sunday,
enjoy the rest of the day!
Talk at ya soon!

DRATS! I keep forgetting to post the recipe!! If I ever forget, email or comment and let me know ARGH!

Spiced Lemon Rice
From Bon Appetit / April 2012 via epicurious.com
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 50 minutes

Serve this fragrant, Indian-inspired side dish with all things chicken.

Ingredients
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 1/2 teaspoons black, brown, or yellow mustard seeds
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
    1 small onion, minced
    2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño,cut into thin rings, seeded if desired
    2 cups long-grain white rice
    4 2 x 1"strips lemon peel (yellow part only) plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1/2 cup roasted cashews

Preparation
Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and turmeric and cook, shaking pan, until mustard seeds pop, 1-2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and chile and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add lemon peel, salt, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice. Cover and let stand off heat for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in cashews.

Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Black Bean and Root Vegetable Enchiladas

10/9/2012

Black Bean and Root Vegetable Enchiladas For Everyone

Plate a vegetarian enchilada up...it's pretty yummy!!!

There's black beans and parsnips and carrots and sweet potatoes and fire roasted tomatoes...yum!

Here's the fixins for this delicious enchilada dish.

This recipe calls for assorted root vegetables, such as parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, sweet potato and/or carrot. I used sweet potato, carrot and parsnip.

Aaaand once again, this recipe is out of this Holiday Recipe magazine by Better Homes and Gardens.... because I don't have an original bone in my body but you know what???!! These recipes haven't been too bad so far...and I'm takin' the bullet and trying these out just in case you may want to try one or two of these recipes out around the holidays yourself.
Geez,

I have to do EVERYTHING around here!
I'm exhausted :)

Once again,
I introduce you to ancho powder,
which I looked all over heaven and earth in the grocery for.

And eventually found it.
It's a nice smoky chili powder.

So let's start by throwing the
FIRE ROASTED...
GET THIS NOW...
FIRE ROASTED diced tomatoes in a pan. There's a huge taste difference between regular and fire-roasted.

Now pour in a cup of your favorite salsa.

I usually use La Casa salsa. It's expensive but seems unadulterated for the most part.

I have no idea if I used the word "unadulterated" correctly up there by the way.
I leave proper English to my kids.

Now add the ancho and cocoa powder.

Bring to a boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Now this recipe calls for the tortillas to be stacked and wrapped in aluminum foil and heated up in the oven for 10 minutes. I don't know why.
But I did and the heat actually makes the tortillas easier to roll.

Okay so the sauce will be a little chunky so take a masher and mash to the best of your ability.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the recipe calls for fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic. Because my can of tomatoes did not have garlic added, I just went ahead and chopped up some garlic and added it at this point.

Now start sauteing the onions...

Add the chopped root vegetables...in my case, the carrot, parsnip and sweet potato.

Saute until crisp-tender.

Now add HALF the tomato sauce to the root vegetables....

Add the rinsed and drained black beans.

Throw in 3/4 cup of the cheese and the cilantro.

Just LOOK how yummy this all looks in the pan.
And it smells awesome!!!

Now spray up your casserole dish.
Hold your vintage Glasbake dish out like this and take a picture cuz you want to show it off.

Now get the tortillas out of the aluminum foil cuz you're gonna scoop up some deliciousness and fill them up.

See, told ya.

Scoop up some of that deliciousness filling into the tortilla...

By the way, I am having a real problem with spelling today. I almost just published this post with the word "deliciousness" spelled *delishisness* TWICE. TWICE! I even had to stop and think how to spell "deliciousness" and TWICE I decided it was *delishisness*.
Who is NOT dealing with a full deck today??!!
Delishisness...........really?

Arrange the tortillas in the casserole dish.
It took me forever to figure out why I took a picture of my finger pointing at the tortillas and I just now remembered. I was counting them and wanted to make sure I mention that these only made up 6 tortillas for me, not 8. One. Two. Three. Four. Seeee, I'm not a dork.

Okay,
so now scoop the remainder of the tomato mixture over the enchiladas.....

Spread the remainder of the cheese on top.

Niiiice hand Angie.
Whatev.

By now, I really think my brain wasn't functioning right cuz WHY would I take a picture of the casserole dish going into what clearly is an oven in need of cleaning.

However after baking for 20 minutes, these enchiladas came out juuuust about right!

The center was hot and the tops were warmly melted.

I actually did not over bake these!!
Yippee kie yay!

I did throw some cilantro on top for a finish.

Don't ya just want to dig in???

Well, go ahead...plate one up.....

Okay, I want to say this about the tomato sauce...I make a homemade enchilada sauce that Tim loves. The sauce has several steps and many ingredients.
This sauce tasted almost the same!!
I really, really like that smoky ancho powder. And fire-roasted tomatoes make all the difference too.

The black beans compliment the sweetness of the sauteed root vegetables in these tortillas.

In fact, I like these so much I think I'm gonna make them again tonight.

Okay, so that's all I have for today.
I hope one person tries out this recipe. CRAP, almost forgot to post the recipe!
Here it is...

Black Bean and Root Vegetable Enchiladas
From BHG Holiday Recipes Homemade & Delicious 2012
Magazine
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
14 1/2 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 cup salsa
1 tablespoon ground ancho chile pepper or chili powder
1 – 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Salt
Ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
8 7 - 8 inches flour tortillas
2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 ½ cups peeled and chopped assorted root vegetables, such as parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, sweet potato, and/or
carrot
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ¼ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or Monterey Jack cheese (5 ounces)
¼ cup snipped fresh cilantro
¼ cup Mexican crema or 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Salsa, Mexican crema, and/or shredded Mexican cheese blend (optional)

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan combine tomatoes, the 1 cup salsa, ancho chile pepper, and cocoa powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally and mashing with the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and black
pepper; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Stack tortillas; wrap tightly in foil. Bake about 10 minutes or until warm.

3. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 2 minutes. Add root vegetables and cumin; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in half of the
tomato mixture, the beans, 3/4 cup of the cheese, and half of the cilantro.

4. Divide bean mixture among warm tortillas; roll up tortillas.
Arrange rolled tortillas, seam sides down, in the prepared baking dish.

5. Spoon the remaining tomato mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle with the 1/4 cup crema. Bake, uncovered, for 5
minutes more. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa, crema, and/or cheese.

Make Ahead Tip Make-Ahead Directions::
Prepare as directed through Step 4. Cover baking dish with foil. Transfer the remaining tomato mixture to an airtight container; cover. Place the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and the remaining cilantro in separate plastic bags; seal bags.

Chill enchiladas, tomato mixture, cheese, cilantro, and crema for 2 to 24 hours

.To serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon the remaining tomato mixture over enchiladas. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle with the 1/4 cup crema. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes more.

Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. If desired, serve with additional salsa, crema, and/or cheese.

In closing,
how 'bout this sunset two weeks ago??
Beautiful fall sunsets lately, huh!!!

Okay kiddos, have a good Tuesday!!!
Talk at ya soon!!!

Warm Potato Salad That Is Best Eaten Warm

9/8/2012

Warm Potato Salad.....

Best Eaten Warm though!

Can you smell that nice, garlicky, white wine vinegar dressing?

So here's the fixins for these fine potatoes!
Yes, those are anchovy filets; a subtle salty addition!

So these particular fingerling potatoes came in this bag...1.5lbs for around $5 I think.

So I threw them in water on the stove...

And brought them to boil.

Meanwhile I threw the beans and eggs into boiling water for several minutes...

And I strained them and ran cold water over them.

Drain the fingerling potatoes.

Try to peel the hard boiled eggs without destroying them.

So let's start the dressing with the Dijon mustard and chopped garlic.

Add in those salty anchovies!!! Mmmmm.

Mush it all up together....

And then add the white wine vinegar, canola oil and cracked black pepper down below...

So this is the fantastic smelling dressing that will get slathered on the potatoes, green beans and eggs.

Add those fingerling potatoes and the green beans into the dressing....

And those halved
hard boiled eggs...

Gently mix everything up in the bowl with the dressing,

get all that yummy dressing goodness covered on all the goods.

And plate up this warm, garlicky, yummy goodness!

I ate a plateful of this lovely warm potato salad right away and it was wonderful!!! Garlicky, mustardy goodness.
And that hard boiled egg was fantastic!!!

The next day, I warmed some potato salad up in the microwave for lunch and I must tell you, the P-O-W factor was gone. Gone. Gone.
Just thought I should let you know.
Eat this potato salad warm the first night and you will LOVE it!

Okay, so in closing I will show you a cool hot pad I picked up for three dollars somewhere but I can't remember where!!

Cause I have no brain!

But aren't the colors pretty??!!

Okay, that's all I got for
now folks!

OH crap! Here's the recipe...I almost forgot!

Warm Potato Salad
From the Food Network show Chuck’s Day Off
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
    1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes
    Salt
    4 eggs, hardboiled and halved
    2 canned anchovy fillets, minced
    1 1/2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    1/2 cup canola oil
    1/4 cup water
    Pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 cup baby green beans

Directions
Put the fingerling potatoes in a saucepot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and add salt, and simmer, until just fork-tender.

Cook's Note: You can use the same pot of water for boiling the eggs and blanching the beans. Just watch the time.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing in a serving bowl, or if you have a mortar and pestle, use that. Begin with mashing the anchovy fillets into the mustard and garlic. Add the vinegar, and slowly whisk in the oil. If too thick, add a little water. Season with salt and pepper.

Blanch the beans in salted boiling water, drain and plunge or chill down in a cold water bath. Drain the beans on a towel.

Peel the eggs and cut in half.

Drain the potatoes, and while still warm, drop them into the serving bowl with the dressing. Add the beans and eggs. Gently fold all together, and serve warm in shallow white plate or bowls.

This salad is also good served at room temperature.

Okay, catch ya'll soon!!
Where I will talk about a disgusting lentil and fennel cooking misadventure but on the other hand...oh my gosh!!!! Two different "barbeque" baby back rib recipes that were utterly out-of-this-world finger licking fantastic!!!
Be still my heart!!!
Talk at ya soon!

<<Previous

Angie's Show and Tell Day with a Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Soup, 70s Toys That Would Poke An Eye Out, Inappropriate Candy Cigarettes, and a Beautiful Kaffe Fasset Quilt!!

Rare Photo of Clean Sink and a Corn & Scallion Salad with a fresh Cilantro Mint Dressing

Woke up the other morning to this.

Say hello to this
Corn and Scallion Salad with Cilantro-Mint Dressing!!!

Pretty Pictures and a Super Fantastic Pasta with Kale Pesto and Roasted Butternut Squash!

Man I Love This Tuscan Kale Salad!

Tim says,
"This kale salad is fantastic. Darn near like eating candy."

Angie responds,
"Well, I don't know about candy but this salad
definitely wowed me."

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls and Batman and Cats...Yeah, Just The Normal Stuff At This Casa

Oh my goodness gracious!!
It has been almost
THREE MONTHS
since I last posted!

Prep up the garlic, shallots, parsley and I added some chopped sage leaves this time.

But throw them in the oven for 40 minutes and this is how these little cuties come out.

Hello Black Bean, Farro and Avocado Meal...You Are Healthy AND Tasty!

Red Alert!
OHOHOH!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION,
I HALVED THIS RECIPE...it makes a ton!!!!

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

Spiced Lemon Rice

Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Black Bean and Root Vegetable Enchiladas

Warm Potato Salad That Is Best Eaten Warm

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Woke up the other morning to this.

Say hello to thisCorn and Scallion Salad with Cilantro-Mint Dressing!!!​

Tim says, "This kale salad is fantastic. Darn near like eating candy."

Angie responds, "Well, I don't know about candy but this salad definitely wo﻿wed me."

Oh my goodness gracious!! It has been almost THREE MONTHS since I last posted!

﻿﻿Prep up the garlic, shallots, parsley and I added some chopped sage leaves this time.﻿﻿

But throw them in the oven for 40 minutes and this is how these little cuties come out.

Red Alert!OHOHOH!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION, I HALVED THIS RECIPE...it makes a ton!!!!

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Say hello to this
Corn and Scallion Salad with Cilantro-Mint Dressing!!!

Tim says,
"This kale salad is fantastic. Darn near like eating candy."

Angie responds,
"Well, I don't know about candy but this salad
definitely wowed me."

Oh my goodness gracious!!
It has been almost
THREE MONTHS
since I last posted!

Prep up the garlic, shallots, parsley and I added some chopped sage leaves this time.

Red Alert!
OHOHOH!!! I FORGOT TO MENTION,
I HALVED THIS RECIPE...it makes a ton!!!!