Martini Madness

Chocolate Martini ~ My absolute favorite bar in Denver, The Cruise Room, makes the best Chocolate Martini . This drink is so good, it's like liquid love. If you're ever visiting Denver, go check it out! ~ http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink302.html

~ http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-cruise-room-denver

~ http://www.theoxfordhotel.com/the-cruise-room.html

New Year's Eve is almost upon us, time for ringing in the New Year.  Why not try something a bit different than Bubbly this year?   I am a big fan of Vodka & what better way to drink it than in a Martini. For a traditional Martini, make mine ~ Dirty with 3 Olives ~ & as cliche as this sounds ~ Shaken, not stirred.


But, for something a bit more in the party spirit of this spirit, why not add a bit of color and flavor, to take a Martini to the next level.  Here are some of my favorite Martini's, that are anything but traditional.

Kickin' Key Lime Pie Martini ~ Great low cal recipe from the Hungry Girl site. No guilt here & it tastes YUMMY!
www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1033

Mounds Bar Martini ~ Gotta love a drink that tastes like one of your favorite candy bars! I don't know how Hungry Girl comes up with these low-cal alcoholic recipes, but, I am sure glad she does! www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1033

Orange Creamsicle Martini ~ 50/50 bars were always my favorite as a kid. This is the low-cal adult version. :)
http://www.food.com/recipe/orange-creamsicle-martini-low-calorie-312866

What is not to love about these fun & tasty Martini's?  They could just become the new way to ring in the New Year!

Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup ~ This is a great soup for warming you up during the cold days of winter & it's easy to change up to suit your tastes.  Thanks Rachel Ray!

Continuing on the path of cooking foods from different ethnic celebrations, I decided to make a dish that could be served during Kwanzaa.  I've searched the web & have found many interesting sites that explain the 7 days of Kwanzaa, 12/26 - 1/1.  After all that reading, I was inspired to order a book by Vertamae Grosvenor, called ~ Vibration Cooking.  She wrote it in 1970 & it's a cookbook/ diary of her life as a young woman in the South & her travels. She cooks by feel (like I do) & I can't wait to read her tales of life & cooking.
 
After looking at many recipes, I finally decided to make Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, from Rachel Ray, by way of the Food Network holiday site. Check out their Holiday Central 2011 page, for lots more Kwanzaa (& other holiday) recipes. 

I liked the soup, it's good, but I wouldn't use as much cayenne pepper, since it might be too spicy for some.  I also skipped the one cup of heavy cream & just added 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt per bowl, stirred in just before serving.  I just couldn't add all those fat calories, no matter how good it would have tasted.  I'll be going back to the Food Network site,  they have some good looking Soul Food recipes that would be perfect for Mardi Gras. :)

Joyous Kwanzaa!

Swedish Red Cabbage & Steamed Fruit Pudding ~ celebrating 12/26 the Swedish & English way

Swedish Red Cabbage with Roast Chicken & Cranberry Applesauce

God Jul!  (that's Merry Christmas in Swedish)   In Sweden, 12/26 is the celebration of the Feast of St. Stephen. (also known as the 2nd Day of Christmas)  Christmas celebrations in Sweden continue for quite some time after 12/25, J likes that idea.  He is not ready to let go of Christmas just yet.

December 26th is also a holiday in England ~  Boxing Day. What a great way to show J what kinds of foods our two families have been eating from Christmas's past.  So, we had some food from my Swedish heritage & Roy's English/Scottish one.  We still had some roasted chicken left over from yesterday's Christmas dinner, so I decided to make some Swedish Red Cabbage to go with it. (I had some red cabbage & apples lurking in the veggie/fruit bins in the fridge)  It didn't seem like leftovers at all.  Swedish Red Cabbage is a quick & tasty side dish, and it is such a pretty color, too. J wasn't quite sure about eating something that purple, but he came around.

Since we had something from my side Swedish side of the family for dinner, we needed to have some English treats for dessert.  English Steamed Pudding with Custard & Turkish Delights are about as English as you can get!  Celebrating with food from our families heritages is something I want J to experience.  Lucky for me he seems to like most of what he tries, especially if it is covered in custard...he's just like his Daddy.  :)

Homestyle Green Beans ~ a traditional family favorite

I just love this picture of Grandma Bunni & Grandpa Al.  That is her Old Rose china bowl & the Mouse/'Meeses' Christmas Tree she got me over 30 years ago.  My nickname was the House Mouse.

Christmas is a time for making & serving family favorites.  The one dish that is always made for our holiday table is one that has been around for at least 60 years. You guessed it, I'm talking about a grandma recipe.  Grandma Bunni made the BEST Green Beans, EVER.  As a kid I would turn my nose up at canned green beans, crunchy steamed green beans & the mushroom soup green bean casseroles that are so often on a holiday table.  If it wasn't the 3-hour, slow cooked, deeply flavorful, full of bacon, Green Beans that she made - I wasn't having anything to do with them!  I admit it, I am a green bean snob & Grandpa Al was, too.  Hers or nothing.

Grandma Bunni's Green Beans

 I now have all of Grandma Bunni's old cookbooks, they are full of scribbles in the margins & splatters on the pages. I also have her handwritten notebooks, full of her own recipes & clippings of newspaper recipes.

When I was going through one of her notebooks the other day, I was really happy to see her Green Beans recipe, and was reminded of  her teaching me how to cook them.  I remember sitting at her feet, 'snapping'  pounds of green beans, while she would tell stories.  As I think back on learning to cook, it all started with her.  She was a cook who cooked by feel & taste, just as I do.  It is no wonder I cook the way I do, all you have to do is look at her recipe for the Green Beans ~ no measurements, just the ingredients and how long to cook.  A lot is left up to you, she gives you the culinary road map, but it is up to you to get there... 

Roasted Chicken, Green Beans, Veggies, Cinnamon Red Hots Applesauce

The Green Beans were wonderful with tonight's Christmas dinner.  One day I will teach J how to make them, too. It is a family tradition that hopefully will keep on going through the generations. I'm pretty sure Grandma Bunni sat at the feet of her own Grandma, learning how to make them.  I never thought to ask her.  If so, that would make the recipe over 100+ years old. Not as old as the West Virgina hills of her birth, but old, none the less.  I have a nice thought whenever I make her Green Beans, it is like having her at the dinner table with us, once again.  That thought always makes me smile...   :)   ~ Merry Christmas  ~

No-Bake Treats ~ Oreo Cookie Truffle Balls, Chocolate Dipped Pretzels & Peppermint Bark

Oreo Cookie Truffle Balls ~ such a quick & easy recipe

It is almost time for Santa.  All the gifts are under the tree & I have put out the cookies for Santa to eat, well, some of them were cookies before I started tinkering with them.  I saw an interesting recipe for no-bake treats & I thought Santa might like a little something different tonight.  Since I'm not really good at baking, I didn't think Santa would mind if I used his Oreos to try this recipe for Oreo Cookie Truffle Balls. 

I used regular milk chocolate since that is what I had on hand and I also added a little peanut butter to give them more of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flavor.  One word ~ YUMMY!

Since we had extra chocolate in the bowl, we also made Chocolate Pretzels & Peppermint Bark.  Just dip pretzels in some melted chocolate & add sprinkles.  For the Peppermint Bark we mixed crushed candy canes into melted chocolate (white or milk chocolate) & then spread it out on waxed paper to harden, then broke it into chunks.  Both are kid friendly & approved.

We gave some away & kept some. They are going fast, but we made sure to save some for Santa...

To all of our family & friends in the England & Scotland ~             Happy Christmas!

And to all of  our family & friends in the US ~
                           Merry Christmas!

Building a Gingerbread House ~ easy for kids, easy on Mom

                                 ~^~^~^~  Merry Christmas  ~^~^~^~  

                      From the land of O Tannenbaum & Gingerbread Houses

Check out how easy it is to make a Gingerbread House out of graham crackers.  My 7 year old had fun decorating his creation. I only made 1/3 of the recipe for the Royal Icing & it was plenty.

The next stop on J's tour of holiday traditions was to Germany ~ the land of                    OTannenbaum & Gingerbread Houses.  His class learned all about how Germany was the first place where decorated trees became a part of Christmas celebrations.  J was surprised to learn that the first Christmas trees were decorated with only cookies, apples, nuts, and sugar sticks.  For the art project, J's class made 3-D trees out of green construction paper to go along with the singing of OTannenbaum.

To keep up the food theme, we decided to make a Gingerbread House, since Germany seems to be where Gingerbread Houses originated.  It's thought that the first Gingerbread Houses where based on the Witch's house, from the Bros. Grimm fairy tale ~ Hansel & Gretel.   To decorate our Gingerbread House, we used all the Halloween candy that J didn't like or that was too stale to eat.  I cheated & used chocolate graham crackers instead of gingerbread.  Chocolate graham crackers are just too easy to use & they have a sugar sprinkle that looks like 'snow'.  What a deal!   I really think making a Gingerbread House is a great way to get rid of all that Halloween candy that is still lurking about.  J had fun building it & it doesn't make him feel like his Mom is making him get rid of his candy.  Cheap, cheerful & candy-cupboard-cleaning, gotta love that!

As they say in Germany ~  Froehliche Weihnachten! (Happy Christmas) 

French Crepes ~ perfect for breakfast, brunch or dinner

Breakfast Crepes ~ These make a wonderful breakfast. I like them filled with cottage cheese that has been sweetened with honey & cinnamon, & then topped with peaches. We also like them filled with Nutella & bananas or cottage cheese & jam. Try this really easy recipe for Basic Crepe Batter.  It's good for either sweet or savory crepes and it's so simple to do.

Another of the places J studied on his 'Around the World' tour of holiday traditions was France.  He learned that the children of that county used to put oats or carrots in their shoes on Christmas Eve for Gui ~ Père Noël's donkey. The donkey would eat the oats while Père Noël was leaving a small gift.  J brought home a construction paper 'shoe', filled with a small bag of oats.  He just had to eat the tablespoon of oats as soon as he told me what they had learned.  He would have nothing to do with leaving the oats for the donkey, so he ate them sprinkled on a bowl of yogurt, just like he sees me eat them for  breakfast.

For my meal from France, I decided to make crepes.  What could be more French than that?  My friend, Patrice, gave me my crepe pan as a gift, oh, so many years ago.  She is a fabulous cook & whips up meals & desserts that are just amazing.  She draws on her French heritage & I am thankful she taught me how to make them.  We all just love eating them.  I like them best as a sweet dessert or for breakfast, but you can make crepes for dinner, too. I think they also do an excellent job of turning dinner leftovers into a special meal for another night.


These would make a wonderful Christmas breakfast.  Hmm...I wonder if Père Noël takes petit déjeuner orders for Christmas morning?     Joyeux Noël!

Pumpkin Latkes ~ Cinnamon Walnut Noodle Kugel ~ Kasha Varnishkes

Pumpkin Latkes ~ I tweeked the recipe I found over at Big Girls, Small Kitchen - I used pumpkin instead of butternut squash & didn't cook it first. I cooked it slower, at a lower temp & with Pam. I'd cut back on the flour to 1/4 cup next time & add some onion.They where really good. A  unique way to cook pumpkins. ~ http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2010/12/meatless-monday-butternut-squash-latkes.html

I have tried my hand at cooking some Jewish recipes the last few days, just in time for Hanukkah. Recently, J has been learning about different cultures/regions & how they celebrate their holidays. So, to keep him interested in learning about different foods & cultures, I decided to cook some dishes made in the places they studied last week.

Cinnamon Walnut Noodle Kugel ~ This was a big hit!  I added walnut pieces, in place of the corn flakes, to the topping, butter & cinnamon. J was begging for more, so it is kid approved ~ http://whatjewwannaeat.com/2010/12/26/noodle-kugel/

I have made three Jewish specialities, and they all turned out SOOO good. The Noodle Kugel has already been requested again, I see limitless possibilities with this dish.  It can be made sweet or savory & will be. The same goes for the Latkes, I used pumpkin - an unusual choice I know, but I wanted to try something different from the usual potato version.

Kasha Varnishkes ~ I had some buckwheat around & was looking for new ways to enjoy this earthy grain. I found this recipe on a great blog site, Tea & Cookies. She says it comes from a friends, mom's, Russian Bubbeh (Grandma) & is authentic. It is so simple, but so good. Jewish comfort food, at it's best. ~ http://www.teaandcookiesblog.com/2011/05/kasha-varnishkes-for-comfort.html ~ http://ohheygreat.tumblr.com/post/297511468/things-you-should-make-to-eat-no-1

The Kasha Varnishkes was a tasty dish that was fragrant with sauteed onion.  Such a cool way to cook with buckwheat.  This really is simple, comfort food.

J is enjoying having food from all the places he has just learned about. I'm really happy that J is so open to trying new foods, it sure makes dinner time so much easier. :)

Menudo ~ my favorite Mexican soup

Menudo ~ Juanita's Brand ~ All dressed up & ready for the party

If I had to choose only one type of cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, it would have to be Mexican.  Not the commercialized version that passes for Mexican food for the bulk of the population, but the real deal. The kind that is mostly found in homes & small, hole in the wall joints, where the locals pack the place.  I grew up in Los Angeles, where authentic Mexican food is everywhere, & to me it is the taste of home & is my comfort food.  In over 4 years in my new home state, I have been unable to come up with one decent place. So when I do get a chance to visit L.A., I binge and do so with a happy heart.

I think one of the best Mexican soups out there is menudo.  I was introduced to it, a very long time ago, by my friend, Lupe.  I think her mom makes the best. (of course, everyone thinks their Mom or friends Mom, makes it the best)  It takes a long time to make & is truly a labor of love.  Since most of us don't have the time or inclination to make it, you can sometimes find a good Mexican restaurant that serves it on the weekends.   For the rest of us who do not have access to it any other way, a big can of  menudo will have to suffice. (or if you are like me & the only one in the house who likes it)

I happen to really like Juanita's brand, it is tasty & full of all the things that make menudo, well, menudo.   All you have to do to make that can of soup sing is to dress it up like it is going to a fiesta. When you place a plate of condiments ~ Lime wedges, cilantro, chopped onion, shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, dried oregano, crushed chili pepper & corn tortillas ~ on the table next to that big bowl of menudo, you know you are in for a treat.  It's not really homemade, but it sure is close enough & it really hits the spot when you are having a traditioanl Mexican food craving. And I am not talking about the Taco Bell kind of food craving, but the authentic taste of Mexico kind. Ahhhh...

Oh, I forgot to mention the best part...Since the big holiday parties are almost here, why not get some of this soup to have on hand. Why you ask?  Well, everybody who eats this stuff knows (and now so do you) that this is the best food going for helping cure a hangover.  Yup, I have first hand knowledge & this stuff works.  Tasty food that is good for you, just another reason to love menudo.  :)  

Feliz Navidad!

Gingerbread Cookies on Parade

Everyone knows, Christmas is a time for cookie making.  I understand this, but, I am a realist, and I know that making cookies should be a spectator sport for me, not a hands on activity. But, when you have a 7 year old who wants to play with his food, supervision is in order.

Hard at work

Since I do not come from a family of bakers, I don't have any 'handed down' cookie recipes to pull out of my Santa's hat of baking tricks.  I needed inspiration & I needed it fast.

Wait for it...

I saw a promising post from Fat Free Vegan on Facebook & thought I'd give it a try.  Check it out here ~  Low Fat Gingerbread Cookie recipe.

It's show time!

It couldn't have been easier.  The recipe makes A LOT of dough, so you can split it up & bake it over a few days of merry baking.  We liked them best with a full coating of icing, but I think they look cooler when you pipe the design on.

Got milk?

J had a good time making them & ate them up as fast as I would let him. He really wanted to get out his Play Doh equipment to help with rolling, cutting out the shapes & decorating them...see, I said supervision was in order.  :)

Cocktails ~ Enjoying the many Spirits of Christmas

Eggnog ~ If I want the whole fat, real deal Eggnog, I'll have a glass & savor it.  But to indulge in it much more frequently,   I really wanted to find a quick, low cal version of one of my favorite holiday drinks. Here is an interesting recipe I found online. I tweaked it a bit by using a little  Butterscotch pudding, along with the Vanilla. Ooh la la!  ~ http://www.grouprecipes.com/78921/creamy-eggless-eggnog.html

 

I think there is something about Christmastime that makes drinking holiday 'froufrou' beverages almost mandatory.  Maybe, it's the sense of sharing a Christmas tradition with past generations, or maybe it's the acceptance of wanton, increased calorie consumption. Either way, I'm there.  :)

Glogg ~ This will keep you going through the cold nights of winter. My Swedish ancestors were on to something, Swedes sure know how to party. Here's a little history on Glogg  & how to drink like a Viking. Skal! ~ http://wineintro.com/mulled/glogg.html ~ http://wineintro.com/mulled/vodka.html

 
Whatever it is, I wholeheartedly jump on the holiday sleighwagon bandwagon & join in the Christmas spirit...with spirits & wine, the froufrou-ier, the better.

Brandy Milk Punch ~ This is one of my favorite drinks to make at home. It is rich tasting , without being too sweet or too heavy.  I drink this one year round. You can use other liquors, but brandy is my favorite for this drink. Make mine shaken, not stirred. :) ~ http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/cuisine/drinks/brandymilkpunch.html ~ Here is another spin  ~ http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/12/milk-punch/

So, what is your favorite holiday cocktail?

Homemade Lowfat Granola

I've always loved granola. I love it with milk, I love it with yogurt, I love it right out of the bag.

I don't love all the sugar & fat they normally have in them. I don't love feeling like I can't eat a food, that in its more natural state, is really good for you.

So, to fall in love with granola for all time, I looked around & found out that...

I love homemade granola. I love that it is easy to make. I love that I can put whatever I want in it. (I like walnuts, raisins & shredded coconut)  I love that I can make it fresh for a midnight snack if I want to.

I love this recipe for Lowfat Granola, from over at ~ The Little Red Kitchen.  She was inspired by recipes by Deborah Madison & Nigella.

Try it & see if you fall in love, too.....

Meyer Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Meyer Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Muffins

It was cold & gray today. Time for tea & muffins. I had some Meyer lemons & cranberries in the fridge ~ perfect!  I surfed the net & found this recipe over at Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

The scent of fresh lemon quickly chased away the morning blahs.  The flavor of the lemon/muffin is subtle & the cranberries give the muffins a unique twist. The recipe made a dozen regular sized muffins, as well as a bakers dozen of mini muffins.  I would drop the temp to 375* next time, 400* was just too hot. The sides of the muffins got a bit too brown by the time they were cooked through & the tops only got to a pale golden color.  You could easily use regular lemons in this recipe.

 The muffins are now almost all gone, can't get more of a thumbs up than that.

Trader Joe's 17 Bean & Barley Soup with Sausage ~ Where have you bean all my life...

Trader Joe's ~ 17 Bean & Barley Soup and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage

It is freezing cold outside today.  Literally.  It's a perfect day for making some soup.   If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's near you, go get this 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix ~ a big, colorful bag of dried, mixed beans.  You gotta try this soup! 
 
It certainly is tasty enough to be eaten as just a bean soup....but, why stop at just beans when you can add some tasty, healthy sausage, too?  There isn't much I don't love from TJ's, but I think their Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage is my favorite item.  It's great in all sorts of meals. Actually, all of their chicken sausages are great.  They have many flavors to choose from, & at about 6 grams of fat each, what's not to love?

I just followed the recipe on the back of the bag, but here is a link for the 17 Bean & Barley Soup recipe. If you don't have a Trader Joe's close by, never fear, just look for one of the mixed bag'o'beans from your grocery store & use that. The more beans it has in it, the merrier!

I'm so glad I tried this bean soup mix, it makes a WONDERFUL pot of soup!  If you are feeling really ambitious, make some corn bread to go with it.  Hmmm, here is another avenue to explore...if you added some okra & more meats/seafood, it would become a fabulous gumbo.  Must remember to try that next time...

Waste Not, Want Not

When I was growing up, my Grandma Bunni would never let anything go to waste. She was the Queen of ~
         

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

For better or worse, I too, have that philosophy.  I just hate to waste things, or food, that can still be of use.  When I got a juicer earlier this year, I was so excited, there is just something so right about a  glass of homemade fresh juice. Here are some pictures of one of my play dates with my juicer...

3/25 ~ I appear to be channeling my inner California girl, I am on a fresh food kick right now. I got a great deal on juice oranges, so out came the juicer. Fresh OJ, so frothy it tastes like an Orange Julius if you drink it right away. J REALLY likes it. We then made carrot juice. He was resistant at first, then came around. His favorite was adding banana & orange, together in the chute, for his own concoction. I am making Juicer Pulp Spiced Carrot Cake with the leftover pulp right now. Sunshine has this happy effect on me. I need more of it. The weather today made me feel like I was back home in Cali. :)

 
Oh, the drinks I made those first days. I was a fiend, feeding fruits & veggies into the chute with a vengeance.  Even J got into the act, he loved shoving apples/oranges into it & watching them disappear.  Fresh juice abounded...as well as a small large, growing, mound of pulp.  All those good vitamins & fiber just couldn't be thrown out, they were just begging to be used.   What to do with all the carrot & fruit pulp that was left behind?  I surfed around the net for a bit & found the perfect recipe. Like I've said before, I am a challenged baker, but this bundt cake turned out SO GOOD! It is now  my 'Go To' recipe whenever I have pulp left over from a juicing binge!  

3/25 ~ Juicer Pulp Spiced Carrot Cake - Made with carrot pulp from this afternoons juicing - I added flake coconut, raisins & lots of spices - It smells DIVINE! Hot out of the oven, 12:30am - Midnight snack anyone?? :) - For the recipe see the post from yardenxanthe 3/25/04 - http://discuss.gromco.com/snl/tz40485.html#442435

Here is my recipe, inspired by the post from yardenxanthe. Mine has applesauce replacing some of the oil, more spices & the addition of raisins & coconut. These also make great muffins!

Juicer Pulp Spiced Carrot Cake

5 to 8 carrots, or enough to produce 1-1/2 cups carrot pulp and 1/2 cup carrot juice
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)
3/4 cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Directions :
Preheat Oven to 350

Process carrots in juice extractor to produce pulp and carrot juice.

Mix flour, baking powder, spices and salt together and set aside. Toss raisins in a little of the flour mixture, coat thoroughly and set aside.  Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, applesauce and oil in medium bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with pulp and carrot juice. Add chopped nuts, coconut & raisins; stir to combine. Pour into well-greased bundt pan; bake 35-40 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Let cake cool a few minutes, than turn out to cool on a cake rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
 

So, the next time you have an abundance of carrot pulp, give that recipe a try. The secret ingredient will be our little secret.

It all started with a photo album on Facebook...

It is funny how some things begin.  This blog actually started April 12, 2011 ~ but I didn't know it yet. I had just started following a few food blogs & was inspired to try some of their recipes. I uploaded a few photos to Facebook, pictures of some recent vegetarian dishes I had made. I like vegetarian recipes since they have interesting ways of cooking veggies & you can just add meat to the meal if you want to.  (Shhh, the food blog had been born, but it was still sleeping...)  

Here is the back story for this food blog, mixed within my first time blogging about my pictures. Please bear with me, as I take my first blogger baby steps.  :)

FUN WITH SEITAN

So, all of this started one day when I was searching vegetarian food blogs & came across some recipes for making seitan.  (for those of you who are not yet familiar with seitan, it is a vegetarian meat substitute, made from vital wheat gluten)  I had eaten it before, but, I didn't know you could make your own seitan, heck, I didn't even really know what was in it, but, I had the ingredients in my pantry & it sounded interesting to try.  J was busy playing his video games, and I found myself with some free time, so into the kitchen I went, to try cooking something new.  I made a bunch of seitan 'cutlets' & chose the simmering method to cook them.  Over the next few days I made meals with them.  I was so impressed with myself, I decided to post the pictures of my creations to my Facebook page.

I breaded the seitan cutlet with  Italian bread crumbs & cooked it with a bit of  EVOO

                                               Seitan 'Chicken Parm'

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then I made....

I cooked the seitan cutlet just like in the Chicken Parm, but this time covered it with Bisto gravy.

                                             Seitan 'Chicken Fried Steak'
 

After a few photos of showing off what I had been making, a friend of mine asked me for the recipe for the Seitan Veggie Vindaloo.

 I used a recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen for inspiration for this dish. I added cut up seitan cutlet chunks & more veggies, beans & a dollop of yogurt ~ see her recipe for  Vindaloo Vegetables

                                                  Seitan Veggie Vindaloo


 
Since I cook mostly by adding a 'pinch of this & a shake of that', I don't really have a lot of true 'written down' recipes to share. So, I just pointed her in the direction of FatFree Vegan Kitchen, since  that is what inspired me to make my dish. I used the Vindaloo Spice Mix from Penzey's Spices, instead of what she called for since I had that on hand. I am the Queen of making due with what I already have in the spice rack. Not having exactly what the recipe calls for will never stop me!   (Penzey's has lots of recipes using all of their wonderful herbs, spices & mixes. I am a HUGE fan of theirs! They send out catalogs about 9 times a year & every other one has a coupon for a free jar of their featured spice. What a deal!)

 I thought if she was interested in how to make a dish, maybe others would be, too.  I went back to the few pictures I had posted & added info of where I got my inspiration, if I could. Then I thought, well, why not keep a photo album of what I was cooking/eating & share it with the other foodies out there? So, I did.  I started getting more comments as the photos started racking up.  I was having fun taking the pictures, trying to make them look more like what I was seeing in the food blogs I was reading. I always was one for presentation & this took it up a  notch.  After I hit the 100 photo mark, I decided I should probably start a real photo blog, since this appears to be my motivating factor in deciding what we will be eating that day. Ya gotta find your inspiration wherever you can!

So, that is it in a nutshell (a food pun, how appropriate), how this food blog grew from a photo album on Facebook, to a food/photo blog. I need to thank my friends, Jen & Jess, for starting me down this road, they were part of the reason why I am having so much fun with taking my pictures/blogging & I bet they have no idea.  Well, if they do read this, then they will know!  :)   I must say, I am really looking forward to keeping this photo journal, it helps with finding new & interesting recipes to try. Also, J likes to help me out in the kitchen now, he loves looking at the pictures & giving his 7 year old opinion. Anyway you can find to get your kid to enjoy eating his fruits & veggies works for me!

See ya in the kitchen!

Watching What I Eat

 

Welcome to my kitchen...

Well, hello there! Thanks for stopping by my kitchen. Pull up a chair, get a cuppa tea & let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I love to cook and have been puttering around in the kitchen since I was a child. For the last few years, I've been a stay-at-home mom and that has given me the chance to really explore cooking for fun. I can follow a recipe, but, more often than not, I will change it up to suit my mood, what's available in the pantry or to use up what's on it's last legs in the fridge.  Because of this trait, I am a better cook than a baker.  With cooking I can color outside the lines, play around with the recipe & go off on a tangent if I want to.  Needless to say, baking is a skill that I will probably never master, but that's OK, that's what a bakery is for. So, there aren't many fancy baked goods coming out of my oven, but I do find some easy recipes that keep my family happy.  :)

Since I've started a photo journal of what I've been making in my kitchen, I've found I am enjoying the daily grind of cooking, 3 meals a day, so much more. Searching the web & reading through my cookbooks, I have been inspired to do more ethnic cooking - Mexican, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Jewish, as well as - Low Cal/Fat, Vegetarian & Vegan dishes. Any type of recipe is fair game, if it tweaks my fancy, I'll give it a go. I must say, as with life, some days it's chickens & some days it's feathers ~ but it's always fun to give a new recipe a try. Hope you like looking through the pictures, recipes and Watching What I Eat