There is an ever growing movement to have us all have a full day of meatless meals. Personally, we have plenty of meat free meals, and days with meat free meals, so it’s not a hard thing for us to do. I like meat, I just like a lot of other things that don’t include meat. There are countless websites, a few are: MEATLESS MONDAY (click to get to website), MEAT FREE MONDAYS (click for website; started by Paul Mc Cartney to help save the planet) – Whether you give up meat one day a week to get in better shape, eat more veggies or to help keep global warming at bay and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions try eating one meatless meal a week. If you’re a big meat eater then try maybe just one meatless meal for a day a week, hey, it’s a start, and it’s cheaper!
Check out the above websites for meal ideas if you need them! I have plenty of things that I like that are meatless… tonight is salad and a baked potato with green onions, Greek yogurt and 2% sharp cheddar… oooh, can’t wait!
We had been out all day and were starving! What’s quick and easy to throw on the grill and call a meal?? Kabobs! We picked up some chicken Italian sausage, whew! It was out of this world, along with some potatoes, onions and peppers we had a meal! It’s important to use cooked Italian sausage unless you’re really going to monitor to be sure it’s completely cooked… this meal was QUICK… To keep this moving along quickly, we did put the potatoes in the microwave until barely able to pierce with a fork, then finished on the grill. We quickly soaked the skewers while we cut up the veggies and sausage… anything else that sounds good, go ahead and add it! Corn on the cob broken into 2-3″ sections would have been good. Prior to adding to the grill we brushed with olive oil and lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper… had some nice sweet watermelon afterwards. Yum!
It would have been really nice if I would have taken more than a “before” photo… Trust me… the “after” photo would make your mouth water… I guess I was too hungry to snap a quick picture, heavy sigh…
Today’s cancer tip is from a great magazine article “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” by Prevention Magazine! I know what I’m making for dinner tonight… sauteed veggies (zucchini, red pepper, banana pepper, mushrooms, onions, garlic) with pasta and a yogurt pepper jack mixture… sautee the veggies, toss in the cooked angel hair pasta, turn the burner off, add a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt and some shredded pepper jack, put the lid on until cheese melts and ohmygosh… you will end up with something you’ll be addicted to… forever! Here’s the tip of the day…
Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Shallots, Chives
The sulfur compounds found in this group (the alliaceous family) promote the death of colon, breast, lung, and prostate cancer cells. Epidemiological studies also suggest a lower risk of kidney and prostate cancer in people who consume the most garlic.
How to Eat Them: The active compounds in garlic are released when you crush the clove, and they’re much more easily absorbed if they’re combined with a small amount of oil. Sauté chopped garlic and onions in a little olive oil, mix with steamed or stir-fried vegetables, and toss with black pepper and turmeric. They can also be consumed raw, mixed in salads, or layered on sandwiches.
OK mom, this is treatment number 7! “Only” 5 to go! WOOHOO… on the countdown now!
A few weeks ago we headed over to Coastal Cupboard in Mount Pleasant (SC), a cool kitchen place full of delightful things… other than the top notch kitchen gadgets they have wonderful cookbooks, cookware, bakeware, cooking lessons, demonstrations, coffee machines that will make your head spin and a variety of other things… if you like to cook then a trip to Coastal Cupboard is a must! We were there to have our knives sharpened… a few times a year they have knife sharpening clinics where you come in, take a number (yes! I’m not the only one with a dull knife!) and have your knife sharpened, money goes to charity. While there they had a raffle you could sign up for, I can’t even remember what the items were, just remembered that they were neat, so I put my name in the overflowing box… then a few days later I got a call, Woohoo!! I WON! !! I was THRILLED!Oh, ugh… what did I win?? A cool knife crock from KUHN RIKON, it’s a small crock with 4 fabulous bright green knives, and these puppies are SHARP! Woohoo, I was too excited! Thank you Coastal Cupboard!
If you get a chance check out Coastal Cupboard, great website, blog, newsletter and information!
A brilliant concept I do believe. Have you ever bought a pepper grinder and it works beautifully UNTIL you have to fill it up. Either it’s nearly impossible to refill or once you refill it things go haywire… and you’re stuck with a bunch of peppercorns and no way to grind. The inexpensive solution? The McCormick pepper grinder, use it then recycle it… you have control over how coarse you want the pepper to come out… we like them chef size; the big coarse grind where you really taste the pepper…
This is a fantastic dip! It was in the September 2008 issue of Cooking Light magazine, and it’s a keeper! They serve it with toasted baguette slices, I used Hint of Salt Triscuits and it was divine! Just like the full fat version, this is tasty as can be, and make no mistake, this isn’t super light, just a bit lighter!
You used to be able to click on a link and be taken directly to this recipe, so that it’s quick to print, however, they’ve removed the link. It was on the MyRecipes.com website where they have all the Cooking Light recipes so you can check it out from here:
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided (I used regular Parmesan)
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise (I used Canola Mayo)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained (the package I bought was 10oz and it was fine)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Place garlic and onion in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); process until almost smooth. Add artichoke hearts; pulse until artichoke hearts are coarsely chopped. Spoon mixture into a 3-cup gratin dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Serve hot with baguette, that I have heated in the oven and sliced fairly thin.
Ohhh is this sweet or what? I don’t have this, but it’s on my list for one day… It’s compact but apparently does well baking just about anything, which is just right for one or two people. Especially if you have a gas stove, it’s summertime and the sun is shining through the windows *sweat*, *sweat*… this may be the answer to cold salads every day for dinner!?? It got excellent reviews, I am looking forward to seeing one in person!
Are you looking for an oven that can toast, bake and keep your kitchen cool without sucking up ridiculous amounts of gas/electricity to bake a small amount? If so, you may want to check this bugger out??
This is a recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine years ago… it’s a keeper! Quick and easy too… if you get a chance, give it a try! It’s a nice alternative the otherwise heavy St. Patrick’s Day meal.
This recipe is fabulous! UPDATE: Cooking Light removed the link to this recipe… am going to write a new post about this because it’s truly that good. Will add a link here to access once it’s written!
SIMPLY. BRILLIANT. I saw this and now I want it…! I love to bake, and I have measuring cups and measuring spoons, but look at this… made by TOVOLO, the handles of the measuring cups are measuring spoons! Brilliant! Then… the part that I love the most that makes you think WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!!! is the little rubber ring that the measuring cup can sit on. I have a silicone spoon from these people and I LOVE IT. Bought it at a little kitchen shop in Mount Pleasant, SC. I use it daily and each time I reach into the drawer to pull it out I think WHAT A GREAT PURCHASE THIS WAS!
Ok, maybe I’m a bit dramatic? Humph!
Happy Monday everyone! I’ll catch you back here tomorrow…
If you’re like me and you like to cook… a good pan is essential. One that has worked for me for years and years is my Le Creuset French Oven. I have the 7.5 qt and that puppy is heavy, but that’s why everything that is cooked in it does so well. It’s great for big pots of soup, stews, just about anything… I’ve used it over and over and over, and I think it has now bit the dust. Partly my fault (boo hoo) I guess… The finish started to come off the bottom mostly, or so I thought… I took it to a local kitchen store, where they told me to clean it with Bar Keeper’s friend, and it would be good as new. They also told me it was OK to use regular stainless spoons, etc. I started scrubbing, the thought disgusted me that this was hardened cooked on food stuck to the bottom of my pot. UGH. I scrubbed and scrubbed and it started to come off… OHMYGOSH, like a new pot… then I started up the sides where it was about an inch high of the same and then I stopped dead in my tracks. This isn’t hardened food, this is THE FINISH. Oh, boo… the pot is no longer non-stickish… it’s super stick’ish. So I’ll save for another one day. For now I’ll wish I would have visited the LeCresuet website sooner!
With that being said, I highly recommend this pot. You see all the chef’s use it, it’s quality stuff! Just don’t use Bar Keeper’s Friend or any other product that can scratch the surface INCLUDING stainless spoons… use wooden, ugh.
We all want to be remembered for something when we’re gone… I would like to be remembered as a great artist. Wait. I need to paint A LOT more before that can happen. OK… I would like to think that people will remember me for being a nice person, caring about others and that I was always willing to help. (People don’t always ask for help, so keep an eye out for a neighbor that looks like they may need assistance. It never hurts to ask. Sometimes people get frustrated because they want to do it themselves, but you never know, so just ask)! However, it wouldn’t be so bad to be remembered as a great cook, hee hee… I’m including a recipe that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! This is my version of Ina Garten’s (Barefoot Contessa) Mexican Chicken soup. I’ve added a few things and slightly altered it. A recipe is merely a guide, add more of what you like and less of what you don’t (unless you’re baking, then it’s more of an exact science)… Enjoy! Until tomorrow…
Mexican Chicken Soup (adapted from Ina Garten)
2-4 chicken breasts (with bone and skin, more or less depending on how much chicken you like, I use 2-3 large)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 medium onions
2-3 stalks celery
1 bunch carrots with greens (cut off greens)
2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics if not homemade)
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced, no seeds (unless you like HOT)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I put foil down on a baking sheet to make clean up easy. Place chicken on baking sheet skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil, rub it in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 35-50 minutes or until done. Once cooled, pull off the skin and shred the meat. Set aside.
Heat 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil in large pot or dutch oven. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes or until onions just begin to brown. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock (start with 2 qts, then when it cooks down some, add more stock). Add tomatoes, jalapenos, cumin, black beans, salt and pepper. Cut the tortillas in half and then cut then into 1/2 inch strips, add to the soup. They will dissolve in the soup giving it a wonderful taste and aroma!. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer at least 25 minutes. About 20-25 minutes before you are going to serve this soup add the frozen corn. About 5 – 10 minutes later add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the hot soup with grated cheddar, a dallop of sour cream and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. This makes a big pot of soup and is great frozen and reheated!
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