Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Fall Flavors

Here are a couple of recipes that lean toward Fall flavors, but can be eaten all year round.  Additionally, they can both be made vegetarian by subbing in/out several ingredients, to your preference.  Both I came across from different sources and have tweaked to our tastes.  Feel free to do the same for you & yours.  Enjoy!
 
Winter Squash with Beans & Bacon
 
4 slices bacon (thick-cut, preferably from the deli)
1 small sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1' pieces
1 c broth
1 T oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 15.5 oz can cannelini, pinto, black or kidney beans, rinsed
1 T red wine or balsamic vinegar
 
Cook bacon until crisp.  Let cook.  Reserve skillet.
Add squash to skillet; cook until browned.
Add broth, oregano, salt & pepper to squash.
Cover & cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender.
Add beans & vinegar and heat through.
Place in large serving bowl.  Top with crumbled bacon.
 
**Don't forget to save the seeds from your squash.  Rinse and allow to completely dry.  Mix with some oil and seasonings (whether savory or sweet) and roast.**
 
Sweet Potato Hash
 
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced fine
1 T olive oil
1/4 t salt
1 t pepper
4 sausages (breakfast patties or links, or any kind of sausage removed from casing), crumbled after cooking
1/4 c onion, diced
1/4 c bell pepper (red, green, yellow or orange), diced
5 large eggs
1/2 bag frozen peas, cooked
 
In microwave safe bowl, combine 1/2 T olive oil, sweet potato, salt & pepper.  Microwave 5-6 minutes (until fork tender). 
In skillet, add 1/2 T olive oil and cook up sausages.  Remove from skillet and crumble.  Do not drain skillet.
Cook onions and peppers in skillet.
In separate skillet, scramble eggs.
Microwave peas.
Combine sausage, eggs, onions, peppers and peas in sweet potato bowl.  Microwave another minute.
 
**You could add or top with shredded cheese**
 
 


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Fun times this weekend!!!

We have a busy weekend on tap.  Yay!!!

Friday



Looking forward to supporting "our" fighters from LA Boxing at Hoosier Fight Club's HFC 6: New Years Nemesis!!!  Nick Wayne & Aaron Noel are making their pro debuts and Jake Rosenbaum will be back in the ring, too.  Quite a crowd of peeps from my work are coming this time around!  One of the agents and I have been spreading the word and doing lots of "promoting" (I have a copy of the poster on my door with a sign "I am selling tickets").  We ALWAYS enjoy HFC events!  It is a great time with friends, both from the gym and not, and we love to support the fighters we know (some of whom are our instructors at the gym)!  Aaron, aka Hulk, Noel has the most fan support, thanx to his wife's tireless efforts at ticket sales.  You would not believe the deafening sound when he is making his way to the cage ~~ it's crazy & contagious.  And with this being Aaron's professional debut, I think we might need ear plugs!  HeeHee!!!!!

Sunday


In celebration of two cousins' birthdays (January 14th: sisters, 4 years apart), I have coordinated a bowling "party".  A big group of us, family & friends, will be gathering at a local bowling alley (after the Chicago Bears first playoff game, of course).  We rarely bowl, so don't expect me to come back with stories regaling my strikes and 300s, but rather about how much fun I had ... and maybe how silly I was!  This will be our first time at this bowling alley and we plan to try out their eats, too.  I am going to bake up some red velvet cupcakes and top them with some glittery candy hearts to pass around for dessert.  (Red velvet is my fave!!!  YUM!!)  Two of our friends, Heather & Kevin, have had to back out, unfortunately, as they have a family matter that is much, much more important.  We will miss them (Friday & Sunday)!! 

We are getting snowed on once again!  Blah!!  I know, I know, it is January in Northwest Indiana and we get winter through March.  But I am going to complain about it anyway!  HA!!  2 to 4 inches expected today and then it should move to the neighboring counties eastward with lake effect ... only to return again Friday nite into Saturday.   Ah, well...

We have decided to take kickboxing (3 times a week) over boxing because both of us are nursing upper-body injuries and we can get a better full-body workout with kick since we are using our legs more.  I have been taking it easy by only hitting with about 50-60% of my force and my shoulder doesn't hurt like before.  Yay!!!  I ice it once we get home and I have been taking some ibuprofen for its anti-inflammatory properties.  Tonite, I am just hitting the gym for a good run. 

Oh, I almost forgot ... MASSAGES on Thursday nite!  We are trying out a new massage school this time, so we can compare it to the one we have already been to and then we will decide which gets our business once a month for all of 2011.

Changed my mind on the Lentil Walnut Loaf this weekend; just wasn't feeling it.  So, no review to report.  Might try a slow-cooker recipe this weekend or next: Coffee-braised brisket (thanx to Tina at Carrots 'n' Cake for the suggestion). 

Doing well on the protein intake, too!  Added some Muscle Milk vanilla whey protein powder to this morning's oats, as a matter of fact!  Along with honey, cinnamon, Craisins, shredded coconut and my favorite ingredient, PUMPKIN.  Muscle Milk powder is very fine and mixes well in both liquids and solids!!  (Got a 6-lb bag at Costco for about $33) 

Gonna try to find some joy in today's weather ~~ I got it!  I wore my big, pink Ugg boots to work today (brought little black flats for changing)!  I usually wear them to the gym with my cropped workout pants or on the rare occasions I go outside when there is snow.  (And then get worn by the hubby when he shovels!  Cuz they are killer warm and cozy!!)

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas

Hard to believe that Christmas Eve is this Friday!  WOW!  Where did 2010 go?  Seriously, I think this is the fastest year ever!!!

Even tho we don't participate in all the gift-giving madness that has surpassed the true spirit of Christmas, Chris & I do have some traditions that help get us in the holiday spirit.  I have been sending out some Christmas cards, just not nearly as many as in years past.  We have an advent calendar where we alternate days (Chris is evens and I am odds) and even try to guess which design will be behind the "window."  We like to watch Christmas programs and are doing a pretty good job of it, thus far.  Our DVDs of White Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town have been watched, as well as catching Fred Claus and Prancer on cable.  I also watch many of the made-for-tv Christmas shows that I stumble across while channel surfing.  They are usually quite cheesy, I know, but they are filled with the sights and sounds of Christmas. 

It's a Wonderful Life and Scrooge are still on tap and I hope to squeeze them in before we leave early Christmas Eve morning.  Might even be able to watch Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer if we try hard enough!  (Something new this year: Taking a quick roundtrip visit to family for a Christmas Eve party, spending the nite and heading right back for our traditional family dinner with my aunt and, most likely, a quick visit to Chris's parents' to round out a very long day.)

I have some baking to do for our family Christmas gatherings.  Was planning to try my hand at Angela's Chocolate-covered Cookie Dough Balls for our roadtrip and Ooey Gooey Cashew Bars for my aunt's (Chris is making a pumpkin pie ~from scratch, except for the crust~ with a crumbly pecan topping, too.)  But I might make some Pumpkin Cranberry Scones (using a version of Tina's recipe) for the Christmas Eve party instead and make the Cookie Dough Balls for home.



(source)


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones


(source)

Angela's recipe, Tina's recipe and the pumpkin pie recipe (which is a combo of 2 different recipes) are new ones and, boy, do we love experimenting with recipes!!!  I am off work on Thursday, so I will get my recipes done before Chris gets home from work, and he can work on his after we get home from the gym.  We will drop off our "contributions" to my aunt's Christmas day dinner when we pick up my two cousins Christmas Eve morning who are making the trip with us because it is (over the river and thru the woods ) to their dad's house we go!!!   


Wishing everyone a magical holiday season! 

Celebrate this year with Joy and remember years past with Nostalgia!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Recipes

Here are a couple easy recipes I want to share.  One has been around with me for some time now and the other is a recent acquisition that I have taken to tweaking.

Cornbread Casserole
2 boxes cornbread mix
2 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream
1 8oz bag of shredded sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  In large bowl, mix all ingredients, except for the cheddar.  Once combined, add 3/4 of the bag of cheese and mix again.  Pour into baking pan and cover with remaining shredded cheddar.  Bake for 30 minutes and check for doneness.  This will be a moist version of cornbread, so you shouldn't have a completely clean toothpick when inserted into center of casserole. 

**This casserole works well at Thanksgiving and Christmas and is great to bring to potlucks.  It doesn't have to be served warm and it travels well.  Also, you can use it for a side at breakfast....even cut it up and sear a bit in a skillet after cooking up some bacon &/or sausage.**

Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpeas
1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 medium bell pepper (red or orange, preferably), diced
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
2 T cinnamon
1 T coconut oil
1 T sea salt

1 jar Indian masala sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine all ingredients, except for masala sauce, in a large bowl and mix well.  Spread on parchment and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and set on stovetop to slightly cool.  In a small to medium pot, warm up masala sauce.  Add EVERYTHING to a large bowl and mix well.  Serve with naan or any other bread.

**This recipe is a tweaked version from Angela and can be found here.  I find many recipes from blogs and Angela's got some fantastic ones!  I am making one of her cookie recipes for Christmas Eve ... a brand new one that I have yet to work on.**

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