iMagiNe cReAtiVe nAme hERe

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Sesame noodles...

...it's what's for dinner!

My variation on this! I added extra raw veggies: carrots, napa cabbage, and baby spinach- yum! Perfect vegetarian dinner for a busy night!

Posted at 12:07 PM in food | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I just got finished popping a small chicken into my slow cooker. My "recipe" is simple and based on the "sticky chicken" recipe. I first heard about this recipe from Diane over at Knitting Zeal (waves hi to Diane!) when she started to do her menu planning Mondays. My favorite thing of all about this recipe is that it doesn't heat up the house and since today is supposed to be 84 I am set! I use a small 3-4 pound chicken, rinse and pat dry, stuff it full of half a vidalia onion roughly chopped, slather it with McCormick's Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning, cook on low for 8-10 hours and enjoy! This morning I started a bit late though and have it on high for an hour and then will put it back to low for the rest of the day. The first time I made this I also used the remaining juices and carcass to make broth too. See the sticky chicken link above for how to do that- so easy and so worth the minimal effort.

And now a totally unrelated photo of my soon to be first grader!

Posted at 09:19 AM in food | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

hello end of April...

Whoosh!!! We are in the thick (ha-think pollen!) of Spring here and the end of the school year is looming. My calendar is filling up with concerts, special events, and of course parties and that's just the school stuff! So much going on that I treasure the remaining empty calendar days (like today!) and relish the time to sit & knit while waiting for the timer for the day's baking to be done (lemon cranberry muffins today-quadruple batch!). A couple weeks ago when cleaning out my freezer I found out that I had apparently become a hoarder of cranberries with 6 full bags squirreled away in the deep. So I have been making an effort to use them up. I found the lemon cranberry muffin recipe, and it has been a huge hit with my family (phew!). I've made inroads into the healthier whole grains but haven't given up the white sugar yet. One thing at a time! ;)

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (*I use half whole wheat pastry flour.)
1 cup sugar (*I reduce it to 3/4 c.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (*I use kosher.)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (*I use canola.)
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved (*I just threw them in the food processor.)
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (*I like these but one have left them off too.)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full; sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Posted at 10:40 AM in food | Permalink | Comments (1)

Monday, March 19, 2012

newly shorn...

Posted at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Friday, March 02, 2012

happy...

happy...

that it is Friday and my youngest has perked up immensely from his week of illness! I expect him to be back in school on Monday - yay!!! Now here's hoping and praying that the rest of the family remains free of illness!
that my cupboards and refrigerator are full of food! So thankful for my husband's job that allows this to happen!
that the birdies are tweeting happily outside and yes, no matter what spring is on the way!!!
that Timothy's birthday is almost here! He is soo excited! Hope he picks my favorite local restaurant for his celebratory meal!

Posted at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)