I don't feel like cooking tonight.

I was good this week. I made a menu and had all of my meals planned out. You know trying to make mealtime a bit easier for me. All of that is great , fine, dandy  but what happens when you just don't feel like cooking. Well if you were me last night you are luck enough to have your bff pop by and have a glass of wine with you while you grin an bare it. I am so happy I did.

Stuffed yellow squash.
This was so ridiculously easy and yummy, I may have to make it again next week.
Pre-heat oven to 400

2 Italian sausages
1/4 cup of Trader Joe's refrigerated bruschetta
1/4 tsp  refrigerated garlic
2 yellow squash halved long way
Oatmeal
goat cheese optional

Brown sausage (squeezed out of casing)
add bruschetta, garlic, & a handful of oatmeal, cook down liquid until almost gone
Scrape out the center of the squash with a spoon.
Fill squash with mixture, top with goat cheese
put on oiled pan in oven for 15 or so minutes until fork tender.
Done.


Such a good snack as well. 20 calories per serving.

Not your Auntie Jane's Fried Rice

I have developed a staple food in my house that the kids love. Panko crusted chicken, fried. Is it delicious? Yes. I do I want to eat it every fricken Monday? No. So last night on my culinary adventure I opened the freezer in an attempt to avoid the P.C. and low and behold what do I find lurking in the depths? A nice non-frostbitten package of soy chorizo. I have visited this place many times before. I even have a blog for my soy chorizo chili, but what should I do with it tonight? After a search through the fridge I pulled out the ingredients for a Tex Mex style Fried Rice, and it was mighty good y'all.

For just a few dollars this is a great way to add variety to your menu.

I thought the tomatoes would sweat off and moisten the leftover
rice up a bit. It was perfect. And yes I know it is upside down after three failed attempts,
& the kids getting up it is Practically Perfect!

                                                            Ingredients:
1 bell pepper
2 tomatoes
1 large onion
3 eggs
1/2 a package of soy chorizo
1/4 of a glass of Chardonnay. I use the term glass because I am usually drinking wine when I cook dinner and I pour it straight into my dish from my glass.




3-3 1/2 cups left-over brown rice.
garlic
salt & pepper
olive oil

I roughly chopped the bell pepper and onion and sauteed it in the pan w/ some olive oil.
While that was cooking I ran the chorizo under the faucet  to defrost it, just enough to cut through it. I put that in the pan also.
Pour in some wine. I let the wine cook down, while the chorizo, BP, and onion browned a bit. Then I made a nice hole in the middle to scramble my eggs. 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites,and I plopped in 1/2 a spoonful of refrigerated chopped garlic.
While the eggs were cooking I chopped the tomatoes and seeded them. Then I put the rice and tomatoes in the pan and cooked until pipping hot, but so long that the tomatoes were mushy. Salt and pepper to taste. It turned out, well blog worthy. The kids were happy, my husband ate three plates of it and I was a little bummed, because it was gone and I wanted some for lunch.

The finished product.

I added cheddar cheese and red pepper to it.
I would have been better with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.

Beef, It's What's For Dinner

Tired of making the same meat sauce, hamburgers, and tacos with your ground beef? Ya, me too.
Well I was perusing my latest addition of Cook's Illustrated mag. (which by the way I love & don't try to get the receipts for free on line, you need a membership ), & low and behold there is a great recipe for Cuban Picadillo made from ground beef.
What in the world is Picadillo you ask? I have no fricking clue but am so tired of eating the same kids friendly meals I go for it. It turns out it is this great home-style meat dish that is sweet and savory, and there are a thousand different varieties, just like our meat sauce. It can be served many different ways. I went with the brown rice & ramped up black beans version, but it can be put on a tortilla, a baked potato, in a taco, or whatever your little heart desires.
I glanced at the recipe & hit the market. I am notorious  for not reading my recipes all the way through before the market run & always do not have everything I need, so I wing it. All of the time, like I cannot remember that last time I actually followed a complete receipt. I cannot justify going the market and spending $50 just to try a receipt I may not even like, so, like I said, I wing it.

Check out the receipt that follows. It was similar to the CI receipt  I will note how mine differed, & why I made the choices I did.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Picadillo/

First off I would cut this baby in half. A serving for 12 is way to much for dinner, or a first time try on any recipe. Here comes the winging it part...

I use garlic from a jar, 1 big scoop

I did not have any capers

Switched out Apple Cider Vinegar for the Red Wine Vinegar which was in the CI recipe

1TBLS Cumin

1TBLS Fresh oregano, because it grows in my backyard

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

No bay leaves because I did not have any

No cloves

The CI recipe called for 1/2 C of raisins, for the sweetness, I did not have those so I picked some dried cranberries out of my trail mix, and that only surmounted to about three TBLS, so I added some dark chocolate and honey & a pinch of red pepper flakes. This recipe reminded me of a mole so I thought what the hell!!

 The result was a wonderful mild meat dish that had a great sweetness from the cinnamon, and a little tartness form the olives. It was delicious, and so not a hamburger. I made quesadillas  for the kids and everyone was happy. 

Happy Cooking! XX, Julia

Books, books, & More Books

Erin Morgensterns's debut novel Night Circus is a glorious and enchanting ride into the circus of our own imagination. If you are a dreamer at all you must read this book. I will be devastated when I finish it.

I have not been this excited about a book in years. It touches on so many of my personal sensibilities. Turn off  Pintrest now and step into this pure cerebral beauty. Amazing.

http://erinmorgenstern.com/the-night-circus/

Lucky me!

So in following in the vein of the no one is perfect, but we can try anyway theme of my blog, I will not chastise myself for the extended duration of time between posts. Well, Julia has been here, just very busy taking life by the horns and hanging on for the ride.

I had to stop for a minute to pop up a picture of my lucky shamrocks! Everyone who has stopped by the past few days loves it.



                                                              



 Leave it up to good ole' Traders for selling these cute shamrocks for $2.49. I snatched one up took a little green moss (found at any hardware store),and tucked them both into a clear canister. Any clear vessel will work with a big enough opening for the shamrock pot. If it happens to be a little to small, just compact the moss in the bottom of the vessel  take those lucky little leaves out of their pot and plop them right in there. Cover up the top soil with a little more moss, and you have a great Saint Patty's decoration of under $5.

The Season of Giving is Here.......isn't it always?

Hello all! The season of giving is here......well in my house it is always the season of giving. We do not have a very big family, but it seems like every time you turn the corner there is a birthday or a holiday staring you in the face. So being a small business owner myself I would like to pass on some of my favorite home made/small business sites for you all to browse, purchase and enjoy. I will post more here as I find them!!!

Here is Stacy Harris' link to her Etsy site. It is full of homemade fresh herbal products for your home and body!! Yummy!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/108508684/lavender-wand-lavender-sachet-ribbon

Here some amazing jewelry by Summer Raven Creations.

https://www.facebook.com/SummerRavenCreations/photos_stream

I don't like pork.

I love pork it may be one of my top three meats, along with a nice perfectly cooked steak and a garlic and rosemary smothered lamb chop. I am a carnivore. There is no doubt about it. I even like it medium rare and dripping....yum! 

Pork is one of the most versatile meats out there. You can substitute pork for almost evey beef or chicken recipe in the book......tacos, meat sauce, burgers, you know all of those healthy American favorites. 

Dijon and herb crusted pork medallions with a fresh raspberry and balsamic glaze, truffle mashed potatoes and a side of fresh spinach.

The response was " you know pork is not my favorite", COME ON!!!!

Every time I cook pork in my house my husband says "you know, pork is not my favorite".That is until recently. He loves it. Gobbles up every bite. It is like one of my five year old kids discovering something outside of their white only pallet that they finally tried and LOVE, like tacos.

My husband miraculous change of heart comes from being diagnosis with high cholesterol, (well moderately high any way). Come to find out pork is the other white meat......REALLY??? Who Knew??

http://www.livestrong.com/article/352605-pork-cholesterol/

He is on the pork train now. The only problem is that it comes with conditions  No white carbs! That means no truffle mashed potatoes. So I have found an alternative, pureed cauliflower. That's right cauliflower. It has been passed around the park bench by the moms for years as an "I can get veggies into my kid without them knowing type of secret". Well now I get to try it for my biggest kid. The only problem with this recipe is that it is still high in fat. So I will replace the butter with Earth's Best 0 Chol. spread an a touch of low fat milk. Maybe I will even cook them in Chicken stock.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2023704_fake-mashed-potatoes.html

Brussel sprouts are also one of my favorites, and they are good for lowering cholesterol, so I am going to throw this one in here too. I will of course use olive oil and the Earth's best spread instead of butter.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shaved-Brussels-Sprout-and-Shallot-Saute-240111

So the menu for tonight is:

Grill Pork Chops with a Tuscan Herb and Garlic Rub

Cauliflower Puree

Shaved Brussels Spouts

 Spinach Salad

Now that the husband is happy what am I going to do for the kids?