Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Same path my other blogs have gone down....
So I am disappointed that I am allowing this blog to go down the same path that previous blog did. I promise that i will work on this! In fact, I am going to do a special Thanksgiving version. Get ready!!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
It's cold and I want soup!
Sunday, November 7
Minestrone Soup
I don't know about any where else, but here in Maine it is freezing . It's been like this for a while now, and being the "cold blooded" creature that I am, am I craving something warm. I'm a huge fan of the blog centsational girl and she posted a bunch of recipes for soup. I'm going to try out one of them today!
What you need:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini
3 yellow squash ( I used two big ones)
1/2 tsp fresh crushed garlic... yummm
2 cups frozen corn
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 can white northern beans
1/2 tsp garlic salt
parmesan cheese
bread
make sure you have a LARGE pot. I thought I was going to be ok using a medium size one, I was wrong. I had to drive to my boyfriend's house to pick up a large one. That definitely interrupted the cooking groove......
Directions from Censational Girl:
"Start by dicing up your squash, then pour the olive oil into a large pot. If you like a hint of garlic flavor, add 1/2 tsp crushed garlic to mixture. Simmer or ‘sweat’ your squash on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and corn, bring misture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil, thyme, salt tomato sauce, and white beans, then cook on medium low heat for another 15 minutes. "
I've got the squash and such simmering right now and my kitchen smells amazing. In the original recipe it says that the garlic is optional, I say its not. I love the taste of garlic mmmmm so good! It's a good thing my boyfriend likes garlic. Little hint: you don't have to worry about garlic breath if you're both eating it!
Minestrone Soup
I don't know about any where else, but here in Maine it is freezing . It's been like this for a while now, and being the "cold blooded" creature that I am, am I craving something warm. I'm a huge fan of the blog centsational girl and she posted a bunch of recipes for soup. I'm going to try out one of them today!
What you need:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini
3 yellow squash ( I used two big ones)
1/2 tsp fresh crushed garlic... yummm
2 cups frozen corn
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 can white northern beans
1/2 tsp garlic salt
parmesan cheese
bread
make sure you have a LARGE pot. I thought I was going to be ok using a medium size one, I was wrong. I had to drive to my boyfriend's house to pick up a large one. That definitely interrupted the cooking groove......
Directions from Censational Girl:
"Start by dicing up your squash, then pour the olive oil into a large pot. If you like a hint of garlic flavor, add 1/2 tsp crushed garlic to mixture. Simmer or ‘sweat’ your squash on medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and corn, bring misture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil, thyme, salt tomato sauce, and white beans, then cook on medium low heat for another 15 minutes. "
I've got the squash and such simmering right now and my kitchen smells amazing. In the original recipe it says that the garlic is optional, I say its not. I love the taste of garlic mmmmm so good! It's a good thing my boyfriend likes garlic. Little hint: you don't have to worry about garlic breath if you're both eating it!
I like a rich tomato taste, and after sampling I decided that the soup's wasn't quite enough. I halved about 15 cherry tomatoes and added it to the soup, and allowed it to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
The finished product:
yummmm....
this is the perfect cure for a cold evening; cuddle up with a blanket warm and cozy soup. Serve it with parmesan cheese, bread, and a glass of wine! It's lick the bowl good :)
Getting started...
I love food. I love to smell it, taste it, cook it, read about it. I just love food. Now this is probably a strange thing considering the family I come from. My dad is good cook. His hunting buddies gave him the nick-name Betty, as in Betty Crocker. But he doesn't put his talents to use very often, and on top of that, he is the typical "man" chef; meat an potatoes. Family dinners were generally a problem for me through out my teens. Being the pseudo-vegetarian I am, I was usually left fend for myself.
I love my mom dearly, but she is... well, not the best cook in the world. Her meals generally consist of something frozen, or from a can. I do have some positive culinary influences though, my Nana is the champion of holiday meals. I'm currently her thanksgiving dinner apprentice :)
I have always wanted to have a blog. I have tried a few times before, but never really kept up with it. This time I'm aiming to write weekly about the food that I make on Sundays. I'm hoping the third time will be a charm for this blog thing!
Here is a re-cap of from the past couple of Sundays:
Sunday, October 24
Turkey Roll-ups
I know I said my Mom isn't the best cook, but she does come up with some good ideas. This one is a really simply meal, with all the great things about thanksgiving rolled up into one!
What you need:
thick sliced roasted turkey from the deli (1.5-2 lbs)
1 box of stuffing* ( I'm a fan of the bell's brand)
*you may need additional ingredients depending on the stuffing you use
1 bag of dried cranberries
1 can of gravy
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box.
3. add as many or as few cranberries as you like to the stuffing. I'm a fan of their tartness so I add a lot!
4. place a heaping spoonful of the stuffing onto one edge of the thick sliced turkey and then roll it up. place into a baking pan. Repeat for all of the slices of turkey.
*You can save the leftover stuffing for later, or just eat it then like I do :)
5.pour gravy on top of the roll-ups - try to spoon it into the sides of the roll up as well so it gets into the stuffing!
6. place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you made very large roll ups then you may need to bake it longer ....
7. ENJOY!
Thanksgiving isn't complete with out squash, so I made basked acorn squash as a side for this meal. A great recipe for it can be found here:food network. I added a little more brown sugar than they suggested....
Sunday, October 31 - Happy Halloween
Toasted pumpkin seeds
In honor of the spooky day, my boyfriend and I made toasted pumpkin seeds after we carved our jack-o-lantern.
What you need:
pumpkin seeds
salt
* some people like to coat with olive oil, I chose not to.
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. remove your seeds from the pumpkin. Try to separate them from the gooey pieces.
3. wash your seeds - use a strainer with small holes, not slits as the seeds will fall out - personal experience
4. here's the hard part, you need to dry off your seeds. I don't really have any words of wisdom for this other than be patient. The seeds stick to paper towels and such, and I didn't want to wait for them to air dry....
5. place your seeds on a baking pan and spread them out into a single layer. Make sure to coat your pan with some type of cooking spray as the seeds will stick!
6. place them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes - listen for popping!
7. let the seeds cool -ENJOY!
I love my mom dearly, but she is... well, not the best cook in the world. Her meals generally consist of something frozen, or from a can. I do have some positive culinary influences though, my Nana is the champion of holiday meals. I'm currently her thanksgiving dinner apprentice :)
I have always wanted to have a blog. I have tried a few times before, but never really kept up with it. This time I'm aiming to write weekly about the food that I make on Sundays. I'm hoping the third time will be a charm for this blog thing!
Here is a re-cap of from the past couple of Sundays:
Sunday, October 24
Turkey Roll-ups
I know I said my Mom isn't the best cook, but she does come up with some good ideas. This one is a really simply meal, with all the great things about thanksgiving rolled up into one!
What you need:
thick sliced roasted turkey from the deli (1.5-2 lbs)
1 box of stuffing* ( I'm a fan of the bell's brand)
*you may need additional ingredients depending on the stuffing you use
1 bag of dried cranberries
1 can of gravy
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box.
3. add as many or as few cranberries as you like to the stuffing. I'm a fan of their tartness so I add a lot!
4. place a heaping spoonful of the stuffing onto one edge of the thick sliced turkey and then roll it up. place into a baking pan. Repeat for all of the slices of turkey.
*You can save the leftover stuffing for later, or just eat it then like I do :)
5.pour gravy on top of the roll-ups - try to spoon it into the sides of the roll up as well so it gets into the stuffing!
6. place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If you made very large roll ups then you may need to bake it longer ....
7. ENJOY!
Thanksgiving isn't complete with out squash, so I made basked acorn squash as a side for this meal. A great recipe for it can be found here:food network. I added a little more brown sugar than they suggested....
Sunday, October 31 - Happy Halloween
Toasted pumpkin seeds
In honor of the spooky day, my boyfriend and I made toasted pumpkin seeds after we carved our jack-o-lantern.
What you need:
pumpkin seeds
salt
* some people like to coat with olive oil, I chose not to.
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. remove your seeds from the pumpkin. Try to separate them from the gooey pieces.
3. wash your seeds - use a strainer with small holes, not slits as the seeds will fall out - personal experience
4. here's the hard part, you need to dry off your seeds. I don't really have any words of wisdom for this other than be patient. The seeds stick to paper towels and such, and I didn't want to wait for them to air dry....
5. place your seeds on a baking pan and spread them out into a single layer. Make sure to coat your pan with some type of cooking spray as the seeds will stick!
6. place them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes - listen for popping!
7. let the seeds cool -ENJOY!
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