Roasted Spaghetti Squash w/ Mushrooms
TEXT MESSAGE BETWEEN HUSBAND & WIFE:
Husband: What's for dinner?
Wife: Spaghetti squash w/ mushrooms
Husband: K. be home in 15.
After texting his wife, husband drives home with the thought of digging into a big bowl of creamy/carb dense spaghetti with mushrooms & a full glass of wine. When husband walks up to the kitchen table, he looks deflated after realizing he's been duped AGAIN with spaghetti squash! Why does his wife always try to pull a fast one? Doesn't she know he's not vegetarian?
Knowing this might be the case, wife plans ahead and makes a small batch of garlic bread to compensate for the lack of carbs. Turns out husband (a carb lover who doesn't love mushrooms) actually enjoys this Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms recipe. Wife is satisfied with the dinner she concocted and is happy she is able get a huge bowl of vegetables into her husband's belly. Good wives know that the key to a man's heart is through garlic bread.
Continue reading→
FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!
Today I'm opening up the vault and letting you in on a few of my cooking & baking FAILS! I've got a bunch of pretty pictures wasting precious space on my hard drive because the recipes were bunk or I failed at executing them! It's time to clear up some space!
Ahhh mistakes....We all make them! The most important thing is to learn from them! That's the only way to get better. Here's some failures for ya....
This Lentil & Bulgur Soup sounded too good to be true! I was attracted to the recipe because the ingredients list was short. Little did I know the soup would be short on taste! I tried to add more vinegar to the recipe to wake it up. Unfortunately, the vinegar only made it worse. Parmesan cheese didn't even help it. How lame is that? FAIL.
shabu shabu
It's hard to get out these days now that there's a baby to consider. Last night I hosted Shabu Shabu night. We had our usual group of friends join, and they brought the food to us! Cooper went to bed before anyone arrived. How awesome is that?
Here's a peak into the evening.
I'm really glad I covered our dining room table with paper. Such a snap to clean up!
here's a peak at my bowl... I couldn't get enough mushrooms & bok choy! YUM
Good Food + Good Company= Great Times.
Desperately trying to figure out a schedule!
hello you!
I'm on my second week back to work. Things have been a bit hectic...our eating habits have definitely changed. I don't have the luxury to make fancy meals as much as I used to. We are actually just eating to maintain! We are also watching our weight...so I can't go hog wild on puff pastry based meals....sigh...
So eating isn't as much of a hobby/treat anymore! I hope to change that soon, as I am reorganizing my life and de-cluttering my house so I can streamline things a bit. You won't believe how much I have to bring with me in order to go to work! It's insane. Oh! and the amount of time I spent cleaning bottles! Jeez....
I do enjoy a nice healthy breakfast every morning though.
My current fave is nonfat yogurt with honey, blueberries & ground flax seeds:
Speaking of streamlining- check this out:
Sausage Chard Stuffing
Let me tell you that the Sausage Chard stuffing recipe in last month's issue of Sunset Magazine made me SALIVATE hardcore. Oh yeah baby...look at the picture (if you have the issue) and you'll see what I mean. I ripped it out immediately...and slept with it under my pillow so I could continuing dreaming of it late into the night.
I wanted something hearty for our Sunday late afternoon lunch (I didn't make a special breakfast this past week because we stayed in bed as LONG as we possibly could). I didn't have a turkey or a chicken to accompany this recipe, but I figured what the hell- It has meat, veggies & carbs. How can a girl go wrong?
And let me tell you...it was SCRUMPTIOUS! If only they could make a candle that smelled like that yummy stuffing- I would light it all day long.....
Anyways- here's the recipe!
Sausage Chard Stuffing
serves 6
(adapted from a Sunset Magazine recipe)
-1 1lb. Italian Sausage (remove from casings)
-1 large bunch Swiss Chard (chopped, stems removed)
-1 clove garlic minced
-1 heaping tablespoon olive oil
-1 medium onion chopped
-3 stalks of celery finely chopped
-1 1/2 cup nonfat milk
-3/4 loaf of french bread
-1 cup chopped parsley
-3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-dash of red pepper
-salt & pepper to taste
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
1. Cut pieces of bread into 1 inch slices. Put slices in a large bowl and pour the milk all over it. Let sit in bowl for 30 minutes; stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place a 6-8 quart pot over high heat. Add sausage (without the casings) stirring often to crumble. Cook until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes; discard fat. Add parsley, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and celery. Cook, stirring often, until veggies are lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chard and 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring often until wilted, about 5 minutes.
3. With your hands, squeeze bread slices to break them into tiny pieces. Add cooked meat mixture, Parmesan, basil & rosemary. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
4. Spoon stuffing into a shallow 3 quart casserole dish. For moist stuff, cover with foil. For crusty stuffing, do not cover. Bake until hot or lightly brown (at least 30 minutes).
I got a request from Casey last night to make it again. He was reading my mind!
Who needs Thanksgiving as an excuse to make stuffing. Just do it!
________________________________________________________________________________
