Something New

I've been trying to make an effort to learn how to prepare some of my husband's favorite (and traditional) meals.  Here is one that his sister makes every holiday.  This one was made to be included in our Thanksgiving Feast.

It is called Tchep Djen.  It is traditionally a Senegalese dish but Ivorians seem to like it as well.  It has also become one of my family's favorites. 

Veggie Basil Soup

I'm a huge fan of tomato basil soup and have an awesome recipe.  Unfortunately, lately I've not had the time, energy, or ingredients to make it.  So I have learned to improvise with what I have.  Not exactly the same but a really good alternative.

I always have half and half and some V8.  Most times I have pesto somewhere in there.  I took a cup of veggie juice and about a teaspoon of pesto and heat them together.  I think the low sodium works well for this since the pesto has just enough saltiness.  I add a few drops of the half and half just for some creaminess.  It's pretty darned good.  Sometimes I even ad a chopped tomato when I need a little something to chew on.

This is the finished product.  I had a quarter tomato hanging out in the fridge and tossed that in.  I highly recommend this to anyone short on time and on a budget.

The French Connection

My husband grew up eating French food.  He still loves it.  Unfortunately for him, I know next to nothing about french food.  Every now and again he will have mentioned something he likes and I'll find something like it at the grocery store.  This weekend I must have had him on my mind because I came across a couple of treats he might like.  Although prepackaged, he said they were good.

Madeleines are his favorite.  I've not tried them yet because I've yet to purchase a proper Madeleine pan.  That will be on my list of things to find today.  He liked the palmiers OK.  He said they were best with coffee.

    

Obviously we aren't sophisticated coffee drinkers.  He's not big on black coffee so we buy this brand because it's pretty creamy and only slightly sweet.  Though he still adds milk even to this one.  I'm partial to the tea of course.

It took some doing but I finally found a location where he can get a decent baguette.  Of course it's out of the way but it really is the better option.  He announced today that he might cut back as he seems to be eating too many carbs.  That's new but I respect it.  We only purchased 4 loaves for the week.

Instead of our regular omelet for breakfast, I threw together a frittata.  It has one potato, one tomato, 1/4 C peas, 1/4 onion and egg whites and seasoning.  Not french but we both enjoyed it. 

The finished product. (I forgot to take a pic before we cut into it.)

Obviously my French connection to food is lacking. That is why I have decided to try some french recipe.  Of course I'll be picking the husband's brain before making the selections.  After all, he will be the guinea pig!

Intro to Fast Tuna

Tuna salad and tomatoes on double fiber wheat, plum, and celery.  A mighty fine lunch for a lazy Sunday.  I enjoyed it!

It was noon on a Sunday. I was hungry and the hubby was sick.  This was the perfect day to make something just for me and leave him to his West African comfort food.  I did try to keep it lower in fat by using Light Miracle Whip, mustard,sweet pickle relish, celery, and onion on the tuna.  I don't measure when making this.  I just eye everything.  I figured since the realization my clothes are getting snug, chips should not be included in this lunch.  Instead I finished off the celery and found the last plum in my crisper.  It was scrumptious!

Lazy Days, Lazy Meals

I've been so lazy that it's been smoothies for breakfast.

Tea and egg sandwiches for lunch. Though this combo of tea on ice is pretty fantastic.

Steamed potstickers and mixed veggies for dinner.  Fast but pretty darned good when you are hungry.

And a fast dessert.  This is just caramel ice cream topping on a sliced apple and a dollop of whipped cream. Simply delicious!





Caprese-Like Lunch

I was so hungry while out shopping, I thought I was going to break down and get a fast, not-so-healthy meal.  I decided to end it and come home to eat.  Because I'm low on groceries, I was going to make a quick stop at the supermarket.  I went in and every unhealthy, sinful, delicious item was whispering to me.  I decided I didn't have the willpower and walk out with nothing.  I came home and found these ingredients.  I like caprese salad but didn't have mozzarella but I did have cottage cheese.  I didn't have fresh basil but I did have dried. I got the same flavor with an added crunch from the cucumbers.  This was without a doubt one of the best lunches.  Seriously, you know those days when you are starving so much that even the healthiest of meals taste like manna?  This was one of those days.

Tomato Onion Pizza Lunch

Quick lunch of caramelized onions and fresh tomatoes w/peppered Havarti on a ready-made pizza crust.  The salad was alfalfa sprouts, avocado, and tomatoes w/vinaigrette dressing.  Tastier than I ever expected.

ExperimenTEA-ing

In an attempt to try something new, I went to a tea lounge a friend mentioned. Now everyone knows I'm down with tea and would drink it for water if I could so I saw the name and was all over this.  Well, I liked the look of the place but probably wouldn't be somewhere I would hang out.  Because I wasn't sure about the selection, I thought I would go for broke and try something I've never heard of.  Dried Plum.  Well, Lemon Dried Plum Green Tea.  I opted out of the tapioca balls and the jellies.  The drink looked pretty but the flavor was a bit much for me.  Tasted a bit like potpourri but wasn't so bad that I didn't keep sipping it.  I was trying to determine if I liked it or not.  I froze the remaineder and drank the rest today before the plum in the bottom could thaw.  It was better and not as strong.  I will try the place again but maybe try a flavor that I'm more familiar with to try and determine if they make a decent cup.

I also sampled the Chrysanthemum tea.  It was OK after sitting a while.  Slight lemony, sweet flavor. Very light. I liked it but have had better.  Also tried the Dim Sum.  It was pretty good and I will definitely be going back to try something new. 

I believe it was a successful week for trying new things.

Jello Goodness

I'm trying to get reacquainted with jelled dessert.  I found a box of pineapple jello in the pantry.  I don't know how long it's been there but I'm sure it's been well over a year. The stuff last forever!  Sounds like my kind of treat.  I made it. It was good. I'll probably try it again.

Great Granola!

I finally got a granola recipe that I like. Now, the trick is trying to remember what I did and how I did it! This one has oats,cranberries, sliced almonds, sunflower seed, chia seeds, flax, wheat germ, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. I think....

I'll try it again and actually document everything but for now, we will just enjoy it with our yogurt or just to snack on. 

Friday Breakfast

This Friday we decided to do a Saturday-style breakfast since we will be away for the weekend. 

Egg white omelet w/peas, tomatoes, peppers

Crescent rolls

Add some Earl Grey and OJ and it's as good as gone!

Happy Friday!

Veggie Pasta Chicken Dinner



Seasoned and Sauteed Chicken Breast

It's the end of the month and time to rid the 'fridge and freezer of 'Almost Gones'.  This means veggies that are nearly frost bitten, fresh veggies that might have a spot or two and leftovers from days ago.  


Various fresh and frozen Vegetables

After some inventory, I came up with a veggie, chicken and pasta dish of some sort. I cooked and sliced a chicken breast.  I then sauteed frozen broccoli, cauliflower, about a half bag of mixed veggies, handful of peas, a wilting carrot, and what was left of a fresh red bell pepper in olive oil with onion and garlic.  I added a splash of lemon juice, chicken stock and a tablespoon or so of butter.  Once veggies were almost tender, I seasoned with salt and pepper and then added the chicken.
 

The finished product.

I added leftover cooked spaghetti (which were cut with scissors).  If I had some Parmesan I would have gladly added it. This actually turned out to be better than I expected.

Squeezing in Lunch

Today I had a lot of things to do for other people. I had hardly any time for myself. This included time for a lunch. Luckily, I had fast and easy to prepare food at home.  Today's quick (microwaved) lunch was a ground turkey patty, steamed mixed veggies, grapes and lemon water. Yes, I almost forgot I was cooking the turkey and it got a little more brown than I intended but it was still good. The veggies are sprinkled with seasoning and lemon juice. And my lemon water has my fancy ice. Considering it was rushed and unplanned, I think this was a decent lunch.

Fancy Ice

Trying to handle these triple digit days have resulted in me drinking more water than I usually do and that's a lot!  Water is great as is, but I saw something on the Food Network that made me decide to ramp it up. I like lemon in my water and I like my water iced. Why not make me some lemon ice cubes?  I've made flavored cubes before but it's never been appreciated like this unusually hot summer. So, I made some fancy lemon ice cubes. I also did a tray with green tea instead of water for added boost in my fruit teas. Pretty and very easy treat for the heat!



I sliced and chopped a lemon.

 

Added a drop of juice to each cube space.




Fill each with water and freeze.

 

Nice lemony glass of water!



Quick Post Workout Breakfast

I did a fast 3 mile walk-out.  I usually eat something before I go but this morning my mind was not with me and all I had was a glass of OJ.  So after a very warm walk I was thirsty and hungry. I opted for fast.  I had a chunk of the homemade granola bar, 4 strawberries and an egg white.  For some reason, strawberries and eggs are delicious just after a workout. They just seem to go together. Obviously, I was satisfied with this breakfast.

Sunday Best Dinner

Baked spicy chicken wings with tomatoes and peppers, rice w/chicken juices, buttered sweet peas. Yummmm-O! This dish has made it on the Thumbs Up list on the fridge. Enjoy!

Lunch for Babysitting

The husband and I were back on babysitting duty for the sis-in-law while she's in class. Two nine year olds and a six. You'd think it was simple but it's not easy at all.  I play the role of the disciplinarian.  Anyway, the mother always prepares a meal ahead of time but it's never exactly something I like to eat. Sure it's usually pretty good but the concept of veggies for kids is lost on her. So, I brown bagged it today. That's multi grain bread with red bell peppers, avocado, onion, tomatoes and lettuce with mustard.  Veggie sandwiches is the way to go on a hot summer day! On the side is cottage cheese w/pepper and a pear. Oh! And I've decided to try flavored carbonated waters to mix things up.  It's pretty OK.  I recommend trying the store brand. It's cheaper and tastes just as good as the name brand.  This lunch gets a thumbs up!

Old School Dinner

Today's dinner was a little nostalgic.  My elementary school, Herty, use to serve these Western Burgers. They were the best dish and anyone who brought a lunch from home scrambled to trade their sweets for one of these tasty savories.  I was talking to my older sister earlier in the week and vowed I was going to make them this week. I finally got around to it.   They were a cinch to make and adding a tossed side salad made it a very satisfying meal.  I have included the original recipe below though I made a couple of substitutions. I didn't make the dough because I couldn't find my yeast. So, I just used a frozen pie crust I had in the freezer (Just a tip for those of you who aren't keen on the yeast doughs). It actually was pretty good. I used ground turkey instead of beef and I added some chopped red and green peppers and some additional seasonings. This is definitely a dinner I will make again and again.

Western Burgers

HINT: Make up the meat mixture the day before and let it chill overnight in the refrigerator. The recipe is in two parts — the dough and the filling.
Western Burger Dough
11/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast...
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted shortening
4 cups flour

Combine water, yeast, sugar and salt. Let stand a few minutes. Add shortening and half of flour. Stir until well blended. Add the rest of the flour until you have a firm dough. Place in a greased bowl and let rise.

Western Burger Filling

1 pound hamburger meat
1 small chopped onion
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons salad dressing
1/4 pound grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger and onion. Drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until cool.
Roll out dough 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 31/2 inch squares. Pour about 1/2 cup of meat mixture in center of each square. Pull corners together and pinch all the openings closed. Turn upside down on a lined pan (greased). Mash down slightly, let rise until double in size. Cook at 350 degrees until golden brown. Brush with melted margarine.

From Hubby's Hands

I didn't cook today. The husband insisted. Chicken is his specialty. He located a can of sliced potatoes and a bag of frozen green beans.  Because I wasn't in the kitchen, I can't say what he put in the dish. It was like a chicken stew with onions and peppers in a light sauce.  The green beans had the right mix of Italian seasoning and onions and garlic. Of course he served everything with a chunk of warm french bread.  I gotta say this was better than anything I've made all week. Jealous?

Roasted Roots and a Creamy Dreamy Dessert

I'm doubling up on this post.  My dinner yesterday and my lunch dessert delight today. 

Yesterday's dinner was roasted root veggies and chicken. 


 Because I was rushing around today, I didn't get dessert until well after lunch. I discovered a flavored milk that I absolutely adore frozen. 

It's Promise Land's Creamy Dreamy Orange Milk. I'm not usually big on milk or flavored milk at all but this caught my eye. I tasted it and thought it was OK but then decided I would freeze it and hoped I would get a dreamsicle effect. I did enjoy it and it was just whatI needed after a heavy pasta lunch. 

Afternoon Delight!

'My motto's always been: when it's right, it's right. Why wait until the middle of a cold, dark night?'~ (from The Starland Vocal Band's 'Afternoon Delight')

Why wait indeed?  I usually reserve dessert for after dinner but today I was craving something sweet for lunch. Don't tsk me...I had a savory something before.  But I was so looking forward to a good summer berry treat.  It's 102 degrees and I think I deserve this little bit of delight.

It's about a quarter cup of mixed berries, a splash of lime juice (lemon if you have it) , a serving of sweetener and 2 dollops of cool whip. I used one bag of sweetener and vanilla flavored cool whip. I've had this with the regular whip before but I have been wanting to try the vanilla. Either way is pretty tasty.

Beat the Heat Cheat Baking

I had a taste for cornbread. I haven't had it in months it seems. Why?  Because it's triple digit temperatures and no one in their right mind would turn on an oven.  Well....I seriously considered being out of my mind and doing it but the weather man just happened to be on and reported it being a 'nice' 104 degrees. Of course he was being sarcastic. But then again, the high is supposed to reach 107. So, no baking. But I still wanted cornbread!  What's a girl to do with this craving. Hm....pancakes! Yes! That's what I did. I whipped up a from scratch recipe for southern cornbread and fried it in a pan. Genius! Of course it's not like it's never been done before. My Mom use to do it all the time. It's just that I had not thought about how much easier it is than baking it. So, I call this my cheat baking. Darned good idea!

Light but Lavish Lunch

Having nothing but time on my hands, I have to make sure I'm not confusing hunger and boredom.  So, I have been using tea as an appetite suppressant.  Today it was a Hibiscus herbal and Lemon Black mix.

Working to eat only when I know I'm hungry (stomach grumbling), I am make sure it is balanced and light. Today's lunch was an egg white omelet with seasonings and red bell pepper. The salad is dark romaine leaves, tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, avocado and a creamy balsamic dressing. Because my sweet tooth has revealed itself, I opted for Fat Free Whipped Topping with sliced black cherries.  I am satisfied and will surely have this again. It will even work well for dinner.

Breaking the Fast

I was awakened by a grumbling stomach. Too lazy  for detailed yet too hungry for light, I whipped up a catch all smoothie and toasted half a whole wheat English muffin.  The smoothie has about 6 cherries, 1slightly wrinkled  tiny apricot, 1/2 banana, 1/4 C ff yogurt, 1 T wheat germ and a splash of soy. Oh! Forgot a half scoop of soy protein powder.  This was a fast and filling breakfast. 

Meat and Potatoes Dinner

Chicken with tomato puree, chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce.  The potatoes were seasoned and drizzled with canola and roasted.  Pretty satisfying meal.

Cranberry Orange Pancakes and OJ

Ah...Sunday breakfast. This is the day I get to indulge a bit. Not saying that Saturday is too shabby but on Sunday it's all the full flavor (and fat) I can get for breakfast. This morning was Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Pancakes drizzled with warm syrup.  The pancakes was just a basic dry mix (my own) made with orange juice and reconstituted dried cranberries.   I warmed the syrup with dried cranberries and butter. Yum-O! This needed nothing more than a glass of OJ and water on the side. Simple but indulgent!

Crescent Roll, Whites, and Tomato Coulis

Flaky crescent rolls from the can.  Egg whites with my husband's special tomato coulis.  Delicious and very filling breakfast. A bit too filling for a weekday, but a great way to start a Saturday.

The Last Lunch

Got laid off today. This was my last lunch.  Turkey meatballs over broccoli and onions, cottage cheese and cherries and tea. Snack was a lovely blushing apricot and a mix of cranberries,mini dark choco chips and nuts.

The day wasn't so great but it was a delicious lunch!