Well Hello There...

Clearly I have been a blog-failure lately.  I will blame it on being super super busy and also on being a slacker in the kitchen at times over the last few months.  However, I do have some lovely recipes and photos to share with any of you who still read this blog (and I hope there are at least a few of you).

Over the last few months a lot has happened...I got a little off track with the weight loss, but I'm finding my way back now, I hosted Thanksgiving, and I got ENGAGED!  Overall, 2010 was a pretty amazing year.

And now for the reason any of you visit this site to begin with - The food!

Lets start with a CROCK POT TOMATO SAUCE I made a few months ago.  I got the recipe from cooks.com

2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (28 oz.) cans tomato puree
1 (18 oz.) can tomato paste
1/4 c. extra virginia olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
4 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp. dry basil
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1-2 lg. carrots, shredded

18 0z. dry red wine

Heat oil in crock pot then add onion and carrot and garlic. Saute on high until transparent. Add tomatoes and seasonings (basil and seasoned salt) and add 18oz. dry red wine.  Cook on low all day.

The finished product

The wine I used :)

Now, onto a recipe I sort of made up by accident and don't know what to call...It's a mixture of Israeli Couscous cooked in vegetable broth, mixed with sauteed spinach and broccoli and seasoned with garlic powder, red pepper, and hot sauce.  I then topped it with a crumbled up Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger and more hot sauce...sounds kind of gross, but it was DELISH

Now, here's something I made for Brad...Cream of Chicken with Wild Rice Soup (I can't stand creamy soups, so I didn't even taste it.  But he said it was pretty decent).  I adapted a recipe I found online, which incidentally I now can't find.  I think if I were to make this soup again, I would use a different recipe and not used canned cream of chicken soup.

Next I have quite possibly the easiest dessert I have ever made.  It consisted of 2 packages of reduced fat brownie mix and 1 large can of pumpkin puree.  This recipe is from HungryGirl and it's really delicious.  You just mix the brownie mix with the pumpkin, put it in a greased pan and bake.  I used mini-muffin tins for mine.

 Moving on, I made a delicious weight watchers recipe for Vegetarian Chili 

1 tsp canola oil   

1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced (medium)

14 1/2 oz stewed tomatoes

15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

15 1/4 oz canned yellow corn, drained

15 oz canned tomato sauce

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup(s) dehydrated onion flakes

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 Tbsp low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety   

Heat oil in a large, nonstick, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, tomato sauce, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, onion and pepper; stir well.  Increase heat to high and bring chili to a boil; cook, stirring frequently, until chili is thick and flavors are concentrated, about 5 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Yields about 1 1/4 cups chili and 1 tablespoon cheese per serving. 

I forgot to take a picture, so here's one from WW.com

  

And now for some Thanksgiving dishes:

For the first course, I made a delicious BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND ACORN SQUASH SOUP

2 butternut squash, halved and seeded 

2 acorn squash, halved and seeded

2 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion

7-1/2 cups chicken broth  

1/3 packed brown sugar 

 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp from the skins. Discard skins.

2.     Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.

3.     In a blender or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, brown sugar, cream cheese, pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. This may be done in several batches.

4.     Transfer the soup to a pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.

 

I found this TURKEY recipe on a website and I immediately knew that it was "the one."  It turned out juicy and delicious.

2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons ground dried rosemary
2 tablespoons rubbed dried sage
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 (15 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
2. Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
3. Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

I sort of made up this recipe for ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

8 to 12 carrots, peeled and trimmed 

2 turnips, peeled
6 to 8 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters
1 or 2 parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
1 or 2 medium onions, trimmed, peeled and halved, each 1/2 cut into quarters
1 or 2 large beets, peeled and cut into thick wedges
1 celery root, trimmed and halved, halves cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves, unpeeled
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary  

Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put all the vegetables and the herb sprigs in a large baking dish. Season well with salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and toss them with your hands to coat them evenly.
Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes

 

I found this recipe for SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE online as well and it was sooo delicious! 

 Casserole:

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup 1% milk
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Topping:

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans (1 3/4 ounces)

Directions

Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and return to the pan. Mash with a potato masher. Measure out 3 cups. (Reserve any extra for another use.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (or similar 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
Whisk eggs, oil and honey in a medium bowl. Add mashed sweet potato and mix well. Stir in milk, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish.
To prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, orange juice concentrate, oil and butter in a small bowl. Blend with a fork or your fingertips until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.
Bake the casserole until heated through and the top is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes.

 

 For one of the many desserts I made for Thanksgiving, my favorite was a CRUSTLESS PUMPKIN PIE.  I got the recipe at a Weight Watchers meeting.

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can evaporated skim milk (12 oz)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C. Splenda (or sugar) or to taste 

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. 

 Pour into a 9" sprayed pie pan

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, and then at 325 for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

And lastly, some pretty cupcake pictures from the last few months :)

Hopefully I will be back to posting more regularly in the future.  Until then, my new food of the week is Chayote squash.  Recipe and pictures to follow!