The Spice Solution

Four metallic strips, that hold five tins each. Plenty of space. On the side of the fridge. Cooking is fun again.

Read Full Post »

Quick Shrimp Curry

Sauteed Onions, a can of Lite Coconut Milk, a scoop of red curry paste, a splash of fish sauce, a dash of salt and a pound of shrimp. Yum.

Read Full Post »

Beef Randang

We made Cooking Light’s Beef Rendang this weekend. It was a nice change from the Turkey-stuffing-potatoes-cranberries we’ve been filling up on. It was a little tedious at first, but the long simmering time gave me plenty of time to clean up and relax before dinner time. The beef was very tender and we added some green peppers for some excitement. Next time I’ll add more peppers and probably mushrooms. It was full of flavor and had just the right amount of spice. Overall, it’s a keeper!

Read Full Post »

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies!

It snowed here this weekend. It was beautiful and we even sludged through it and made a rather large snowman. Then we came back in side and Daughter helped me bake some Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies. When I say help, I mean she moved her stool around in the kitchen and ate crackers as I measured and poured. She did love watching the mixer, which we both found fascinating. I’m a sucker for pumpkin and anything chocolate, so these cookies are amazing. The pumpkin is not overpowering, in fact, it’s very subtle, and really just adds a lovely texture to the cookie.

On a side note, sort of, most of these cookies landed in the freezer so I can bring them to my first Craft Sale on December 3rd! More details to follow, but it’s a Friday and the sale will be from 3-8pm, so mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information! There will be no obligation to buy anything, but if you show up you can have a cookie! Now, is that bribe, or what?

Read Full Post »

Carrot-Ginger Soup

When I was in Denver a few weeks ago Husband picked up some groceries and brought home a huge piece of fresh ginger. While I love ginger, and we use it regularly, there was no way we would be able to use up the whole piece before it went bad. I also knew I had a big bag of fresh carrots from the St. Paul Farmer’s Market, so I went online and found this recipe for Carrot-Ginger Soup. I made a double batch of it this morning so we would have lunch for the week and a few pints for the freezer. I also added a couple cups of leftover rice from another meal to make it a bit more substantial. The soup is good, really good. Simple with just enough tang coming from the ginger. I’ll actually look forward to lunch this week! Yippee!

Have you made any great soup this fall?

Read Full Post »

Halloween Idea: Nutter Butter Ghosts

Nutter Butters, dipped in melted white chocolate with mini chocolate chip eyes and sometimes a mouth. Can you spot him?

Read Full Post »

Halloween Idea: Pizza Mummies

Half a bagel, pizza sauce, string cheese and a couple olives. Delicious AND spooky!

Read Full Post »

Quick Fall Dinner

Dinner tonight. Sauteed Sage Leaves (fresh from the garden), Shallots, Garlic, Spicy Sausage, Mushrooms and Parmesan tossed with hot fresh fettuccine. A little crushed red pepper made it perfect.

Read Full Post »

Shrimp Petso Fettucine

A pile of fresh, hot Fettucine, sautéed Shrimp, a half cup of Pesto, a generous splash (pour) of white wine, a dash of crushed red pepper and dinner is served. Yum.

Read Full Post »

Meatless, Um, Sunday

We made a meatless meal last night because I’m actually going out to dinner tonight with the girls! But I had the recipe and the ingredients, so we just celebrated Meatless Monday a day early. We made Skillet Lasagna from the Food Network. An old friend (who I reconnected with at my 20th high school reunion) sent me the link. It came together very quickly, and then it simmers for 20 minutes to cook the noodles. And it was good, but not great. I really missed the thick, simmered sauce found in a traditional lasagna, and the melding of flavors that happens while a lasagna bakes in the oven. But for a quick, meatless, weekday meal it seemed to work. I think this would be great for kids and I’ll be sharing a bit with Daughter tonight.

Any other meatless ideas for me?

Read Full Post »