Spaghetti Squash Pesto

So a week and a half ago, on a Sunday,  I planned out what I was going to make for dinner the next two weeks.  To reduce the stress of deciding the day of.  So I went through these recipes last week and they were mostly flops.  Well..maybe not complete flops just not worthy of my blog.  Then this week I was excited to make dinners but turns out with one thing or another we're not even going to be around all that much.

This past weekend we spent the weekend in Huntingdon, PA with our good friends Sara and Jared (who live there) and Melanie and Dave (who came from Philadelphia).  It's a good mid way point, in the middle of nowhere PA.  But anyway, Sara took Mel and I to all of these Amish Farms in Bellville, PA to get all sorts of fresh goods.  I got 2 huuuggggge butternut squash, an acorn squash, Spaghetti Squash, sweet potatoes, and gourds to decorate with.

After getting my gourds, I decided it was about time I started decorating for fall.  So I spent Monday night after work at Pier 1, Crate & Barrel, and Etsy.com.  I get decorating anxiety but I think I'm happy with the fall decor I got.  Now I just have to clean the house so it looks better.
I just couldn't wait to try the spaghetti squash so I made that for dinner on Monday Night.  After shopping...so we didn't eat until 9:00 PM...needless to say even after brushing before bed I had the worst garlic breath in the morning.

Spaghetti Squash Pesto


I used this link on How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash 


Then I made Pesto:

3/4 c basil
1/2 c spinach
1/4 c parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
walnuts or pine nuts if you have them (I didn't)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine in the food processor:

After I got all of the "spaghetti" threads out of the squash, I added a chopped tomato and the pesto and voila!  I wasn't very hungry so I'm still not entirely sold on the spaghetti squash thing but John really liked it! So ya know, that's always a good thing.

If anyone has any must try recipes using a spaghetti squash please give me the recipe!

Corn soup with Jalapeno Puree

I have declared Mondays as meatless.  But let's be honest, there will be more than one meatless day in my house.  I could definitely be a vegetarian.  As it is now I only make and mostly only eat chicken and turkey.  I will eat other meats though if I am eating at someone's house.  I never want to inconvenience anyone so I just eat what they prepare.  I make beef maybe once a year, for Johns birthday.  Meatloaf...he loves it.  I told him I would make a turkey meatloaf and he didn't really like that idea.  Every time I buy beef though I just feel gross...and it looks gross and ya know, it's just not appealing to me in the least.  But have me over for dinner, and I will eat your bloody steak without one complaint.

Anyway, meatless Mondays are a good idea because you never know what we ate over the weekend.  For some reason I really don't want or like to cook on Saturdays or Sundays (unless it's breakfast) so we normally go out to eat, or have a frozen pizza.  But it's good to start the week off healthy.  And of course continue to eat healthy throughout the week, and then splurge on the weekends.  That's my mentality...probably not the best one but I like it.

As I was going through old magazines ripping out recipes, I came across one for Corn Soup in the July 2010 issue of Real Simple (I love this magazine!)  So this recipe is modified from that.

Corn Soup with Jalapeno Puree

Jalapeno Puree

2 jalapeno peppers with seeds removed
a quarter of a green bell pepper chopped (about 1/4 cup) I used the frozen bell pepper mix from Trader Joe's
2 tbsp chicken or vegetable broth

Put peppers on baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes until slightly charred.  Let cool for a little then blend in blender with 2 tbsp broth.  Pour into a small bowl, clean out blender, and set aside for later.

Corn Soup

2 tbsp butter
1 small onion chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
5 cups white corn kernels (Ok so I have to be honest here, I was to lazy to chop the corn off of about 10 ears of corn so I just used the frozen white corn from Trader Joes)
salt and pepper (about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)
plain yogurt
cilantro leaves

Melt butter in a large saucepan, add onions and cook until soft but not browned.

Add corn, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Blend soup in blender (or with your immersion blender if you are so lucky) until smooth.

Serve the soup with a spoonful of plain yogurt in it and the jalapeno puree on top.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

I am so happy to soup season is here!

Pizza Pie

Do you ever feel just so overwhelmed by a lot of things that are all kind of silly?

Currently I'm going through stacks and stacks of magazines ripping out recipes and such so I can throw the rest of the magazine away.  But in the process I of course find articles I want to read and it takes a lot longer than originally planned.  I really have too many subscriptions to magazines but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm sort of working on my new blog page (where all of the stuff from this site will be transferred eventually) with a lot of help from Rob with IT Arsenal.  He just so happens to be my best friends husband so it's convenient for me, but I definitely recommend him to anyone looking for help with blogs, websites, and anything technical.  Anyway, he's of course doing most of the work anyway, but it's still something that's on my mind.
I'm trying to figure out what all I want to make for dinner this week.  Sometimes I feel like I just can't find any recipes but other times I feel like there are far too many and it's so hard to pick!
I also really want to start putting my summer clothes away and bringing out the cold weather clothes but that is always such a process.  And I end up giving at least a garbage bag full of clothes to Goodwill after it's all said and done which of course means I need more clothes.  Which John obviously doesn't understand...oh goodness.

So anyway,  This pizza recipe is very versatile, semi easy to make, and sure to please your husband, friends, kids etc.

Pizza Pie

Crust

1 package (1/4 ounce) yeast
1 c warm water
2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oat bran
a little salt
1 tbsp honey

Dissolve yeast in water and let sit for 10 minutes.
Mix flour, oat bran, and salt.
Add honey and yeast mixture.  Stir and knead together.
Cover and let sit for a couple minutes to rise.

Split dough into two equal size pieces.  Roll out each so that it will fit in a 10 inch pie plate with extra to go around the sides.  Lay one piece of dough in greased pie plate and press against sides.  Save other piece for later.

Fillings

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 c chopped basil
several shakes oregano
Sliced mozzarella (or shredded) use as much as you want
salt and pepper

And this is where you can get creative.  In the pizza pie that I made I used bell peppers, onions, and pineapple.  But you can use any combination you like.  Mushrooms, spinach, olives, pepperoni, sausage, banana peppers, ham, etc. etc.

1 beaten egg

Dump diced tomatoes onto uncooked dough in pie plate.  Put basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and cheese on top of that.  Put any combination of other fillings on top of the cheese.  Add a final layer of cheese on top of that.  Top with the second layer of crust. 

Brush crust with egg.  bake at 400 for about 35 minutes until golden.

Heaven in my mouth

I know these aren't the most visually appealing.....but to my taste buds, they are above and beyond.  What are the two most popular chocolate covered food items?  At least as far as I know....

strawberries and pretzels.

So I thought- what if I combined them all?  And I did.  I was by no means disappointed.  I mean how could I be really with all those delicious flavors in one bite?  I know they don't look the greatest and when you eat them you get melted chocolate all over your fingers, but who cares?

And they're so easy to make so why not??

Obviously the main ingredient in these is the chocolate, so you can use a fancy chocolate bar or whatever kind you like best.  I used semi-sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joes.  I always keep several bags of them on hand, just in case I need them for recipes, but also for popping a couple in my mouth for that chocolate fix. 

Chocolate, Strawberry, Pretzel Clumps

18 ounces chocolate
2 c chopped strawberries
1 1/2 c thin broken pretzels

Chop strawberries and break up pretzels.  Melt chocolate on stove or in the microwave.  Stir all ingredients together.  Spoon clumps onto wax paper covered cookie trays and refrigerate. 

To prevent to much mess, I recommend refrigerating right up until you serve them if possible. 

Plum Crisp for 2

I love apples.  And I'm looking forward to all the different ways I will be able to use them soon.  But at the same time, I'm trying to make the most of the summer fruits while I can.  I've never baked anything with plums before and I had a bunch in the fridge so this plum crisp just seemed like the best idea.  It was really delicious and serves 2 perfectly (not to much, not to little)

I modified the recipe from taste of home.

Plum Crisp

4 plums sliced
nutmeg
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c oats
1 tbsp honey plus extra for drizzling on plums
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Grease round baking dish. I used a 4 cup glass pyrex but you could try another small dish, like a small pie plate or something of the like.
Slice plums and arrange in dish.  Sprinkle with a little bit of nutmeg and drizzle with a tad of honey.
Mix flour, oats, honey, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together.
Pour on top of plums.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 35-40 mins.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 until topping is golden.

Cajun Turkey Burger

So I just got an iphone.  A 3GS not a 4, but that's enough for me especially considering the phone I had just a few days ago. It's pretty fun!  I've been having a fun time exploring and seeing all the different things it does.  I just discovered an app from Whole Foods that has a bunch of different recipes:  Whole Foods recipe app

It's pretty cool because you can specify dietary needs, and type in the different ingredients you have on hand and it will come up with a recipe for you.  Oh the options.  I'm also a fan of Words with Friends and was excited to 'check in' at my first restaurant this morning on foursquare.  I'm actually feeling a tad overwhelmed with all of this technology...

Anyway,  these burgers were dinner a few nights ago.  I always feel like a good wife when I make burgers.  The recipe was modified from foodnetwork.com not the Whole Foods app...those will probably be coming soon.

Cajun Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb green bell pepper chopped (about 1/2 c)
1/2 c chopped onion
several shakes of cajun seasoning (about 2 tsps)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and form 4 patties.  I grilled mine on the George Foreman, but you could also use a real grill or a skillet.

Sauce: 

1/4 c ranch dressing
2 tsps hot sauce

stir together.

I served my burgers on whole wheat buns with chopped tomato, sauce, and grilled pineapple on top.

Coconut Mocha Smoothie

So you know how Starbucks has their seasonal coffee drinks?  For some reason I always get really excited about them.  But I rarely go to Starbucks anyway and when I do I always get iced green tea with a teeny tiny bit of simple syrup or some sort of hot tea. And when I finally say ok ok I'll treat myself to the Coconut Mocha Frappucino, I'm always a tad disappointed.  I mean it tasted pretty good, but was it worth my $5?  Especially without whipped cream?  I really don't know...

Anyway, this was my attempt at making something with actual nutrients but that also had that coconutty, coffee, chocolate taste.  It's obviously no Starbucks, but it still tastes pretty delicious.

Coconut Mocha Smoothie

1 frozen banana
2/3 c coconut
1 heaping tsp plain non-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 c soy milk
honey to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend away.

Now...I have a secret.  I did actually put spinach in mine too...because with all of the other flavors any trace of spinach taste is gone. So I mean...if you're up for it try it.

Quinoa with Corn/Basil Topping

I am no good at making original names for recipes...as you can probably tell.

Anyway,  I had three ears of corn and wanted to make something new besides just corn on the cob.  I was thinking soup or something like that, but although it's been a little chilly I don't think it's time just yet to start making soups.  I do think that this dish looks pretty festive though for the upcoming season.

Quinoa with Corn/Basil Topping
Serves 2 but you can double or triple the recipe

Quinoa

1/2 c quinoa
1/2 c chopped carrots
1 1/4 c water
a little bit of salt

Prepare as box says.

Corn/Basil Topping

Cooked corn cut off of 3 ears (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp milk
1 clove garlic
1/4 c fat free feta
a few shakes of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c fresh basil cut into small pieces

Combine all ingredients except basil in the food processor until mostly smooth.  Stir in basil.
Top Quinoa mixture and serve.

Peach Cobbler

So Labor Day, kinda a sad day and kind of not.  Summer just seemed to go so fast this year...and of course we didn't get to do all of the things we said we were going to do or wanted to do.  Oh well.  It will still be warm for a little while more.  But Fall brings great things!  Especially for my taste buds.  Specifically Butternut squash (you will be seeing a lot of recipes using it..YUM!), hot Apple Cider, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, trying the black bean brownies with pumpkin puree instead of bananas, apples from Soergels Orchards and so much more!

Anyway, I made this Peach Cobbler and these Pretzel Brownies for our Labor Day Festivities.  We had two different family gatherings to go to with John's family.  We had a lot of fun and the desserts seemed to be a hit!  Always a good thing.

I have never attempted Peach Cobbler before but found a recipe that sounded delicious in the August 2011 issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray and really wanted to try it.  

Peach Cobbler

11 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
2/3 c sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp. flour (I used white flour since I was making it for a bunch of people but I would love it with whole wheat flour as well)
1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1 lemon, zested
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled
1 c heavy cream
1/4 c milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Set aside 1 tbsp of butter to soften to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, 1/4 c sugar, and 2 tbsp flour and toss well.

In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 c flour, cornmeal, 1/3 c sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Grate the stick of butter using the large holed grater into the bowl of dried ingredients. By the time I was done doing this I had butter all over my hands and a little bit that I wasn't able to keep grating.  I just cut the rest into tiny pieces with a knife.  Toss butter with flour mixture only a little bit.  Put back in the refrigerator.

Use the reserved tbsp of butter to grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Pour peach mixture into dish, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

When peaches are done baking, pour heavy cream and milk into flour/butter mixture and stir until just combined.  Pour of peach mixture covering as evenly as possible.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Peach season is still in it's prime!  Until the end of September so hurry up and make this one.  Last taste of summer before the wonderful tastes of fall!

Good n Green Smoothie

Breakfast!  Ok...so this picture looks pretty gross  but there's just not a good way to take pictures of these things....plus I took a couple sips before I took the picture so there's smoothie residue all around the glass.  Gross.  But it definitely doesn't taste gross!  So try it out!

Good n Green Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana (I keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer)
1/2 c spinach
1/2 c frozen pineapple
1/4 c carrot (or about 5 baby carrots, or one small whole carrot)
1/2 brewed green tea
1/4 cup milk
a splash or two of juice (I used a splash of Dole orange, pineapple, banana and a splash on Sobe pure pineapple, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
enough water to make it blendable
Honey to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and pour into glass.  You can add yogurt, or flax seed if you want for extra nutrients.  Smoothies are just so versatile and easy.  If you come up with a delicious smoothie recipe, please let me know!

Raspberry Smoothie with a hint of coffee

I make smoothies almost everyday for breakfast and why not?  These ones are full of good stuff your body needs to start off the day!  Once it gets cooler I'll probably start in on the oatmeal..but for now I'm still loving the smoothies.  I have quite a bit of recipes but haven't documented any so thought it was about time.

Now I just want to tell you before I write the recipe.  The first ingredient is spinach, as it is with most of my smoothies.  But don't stop reading yet!  You can't taste it. honest.  And it's a good thing to start your day off with the green stuff.

Raspberry Smoothie with a hint of coffee

 1/2 c spinach (frozen or fresh)
3/4 c frozen raspberries
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp non-fat plain yogurt, Greek or normal (or just two heaping tsps full whatever looks right)
1/2 c milk (I use light Soy but you can use normal too)
1/4 c water
Honey to desired sweetness, I just kinda swirl a little bit in

Add all ingredients to blender and blend!  Easy peasy!  In this smoothie you have a ton of vitamins, omega 3's, calcium, fiber, potassium, and just a little bit of caffeine.  On top of all that, it is delicious and what makes it even more so is knowing all of the good things you are putting into your body.

Black Bean Corn Salad

I know what you're thinking, something else made with black beans???  I know I know...but this salad is perfect to bring to picnics or end of summer dinners.  My mom used to make this all the time, but she couldn't find the original recipe.  I pretty much remembered how to make it...but used google just to spur my memory.  Most recipes call for a red bell pepper however Trader Joe's happened to be out the day I went so I got a green one.  To be honest though, I can't really tell that much of a difference between green and red bell peppers.  Are my taste buds messed up?  I'd really like to know.  I do think that the red bell pepper would make for a better picture....but what's done is done.

Black Bean Corn Salad

1/2 c red onion (about 1/2 of a medium sized onion)
1 bell pepper (green or red)
1/2 c cilantro leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 can corn drained
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste


Chop the onion, bell pepper and cilantro leaves.  I used my chopper (like a slap chop but not) and it was a lot of fun. I don't know why I don't use it more often.  Mix together.
Add black beans and corn.  Mix well.
Finally add olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and salt and pepper.  You can add more of the liquids if it seems to dry or to taste.