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!