Garden Spuds

We had a little freeze last week (already!). The freeze warning was sent out, and we went to the thrift store to get some extra sheets to toss over our veggies. We covered our herbs,  and our tomatoes and peppers, they are still producing quite well. Yum. There was frost on the windshields in the morning, and it was cold! I think we prevailed the frost with our new garden sheets, however. Take that, cold snap. My hubby noticed some of his potatoes were peeking above the dirt, and he decided to dig them up that afternoon. They are so gorgeous!

I used them for part of an amazing dinner, they were so simple yet so tasty. I just tossed them in a baking dish with fresh rosemary and oregano from the garden, and drizzled a touch of olive oil and salt over the top. They were absolutely delicious. How long can you handle reading a post about our potatoes? Because I really could go on and on.... however, I will spare you...

We also had these mouth watering baked Zuchini Sticks with our spuds.

Oh yummy.

Have you ever eaten fresh potatoes out of your garden?

Uh... Talapia?

I decided to be really healthy while I was grocery shopping so I grabbed a thing of Talapia fillets. A couple days later I came across this really great recipe, so I decided to try it. "Marinade the Talapia in Teryaki sauce and then broil until done, serve over rice. Garnish the top with chopped mint and cilantro drizzled with olive oil and some vinegar." Easy.

I decided to add some fresh green peppers out of the garden and some pineapple, just because we had it and it sounded good. Plus we had fresh garden tomatoes that I could put on the side. Delish.

You know that this meal is actually fat free (sans the olive oil)? Boo ya. I made a fat free meal without even thinking about it. I realized it once it was in the broiler. Everything turned out fine, and I think it would have been a stellar meal, had it not been for the Talapia! Those of you who know me, know that I really really really tolerate the taste fish. Really. I tolerated the taste, I was good and ate my whole plate of food.... but next time I'm totally going to use some chicken breast!

Pistachio-Apricot

My cousin, Amber, gave me the recipe for this amazing granola. 

It's too good to be true. 

Seriously. 

It's so easy to make, and it is straight from heaven to the taste buds!

Go make some.

Pistachio-Apricot Granola

3 c rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 c shelled pistachios
1/4 c butter
1/3 c honey
1 t cardamom
1/2 t coarse salt
1 c dried apricots

preheat oven to 300. in a large bowl combine oats and pistachios. in a small sauepan, combine butter, honey, cardamom, and salt over medium heat. cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. pour butter mixture over oats and pistachios until they are completely covered. transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer. bake until oats are lightly golden, 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. let cool completely on a wire rack, 20 minutes, then stir in apricots. store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

What's for Dinner?

Conversation we had last night when my Hubby got home from school:

Him: "What are we having for dinner?"
Me: "I don't know."
Him: "Well, aren't you cooking it right now?"
Me "Yep."
Him: "....so....what is it?"
Me: "Whatever this turns out to be...."

It turned out being Amazing Chicken Yuminess. It really is amazing, you should try it. In fact, it was so amazing, that I am going to share the recipe right here. Because, really. You should try this.

Amazing Chicken Yuminess

Ingredients:

Noodles
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Stalk of Celery, chopped
Half of a Green Pepper, chopped
Tiny bit of Red Pepper, chopped
Tiny bit of Onion, Chopped
1 Chicken Breast
1 Tomato
Baby Spinach

Sauce:
2 TB Butter
1/4 c. Flour
2 cups Milk
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Romano Cheese, Grated

Awesome Directions:
Sauté celery, onion, peppers, and garlic along with chicken breast (sliced thin) in the same pan. Cook until done. Meanwhile, get the noodles boiling, make the white sauce in a separate pan. For white sauce: melt butter, add flour and stir with a whisk. Add milk and stir until it boils for thickness. Whisk in mushroom soup and romano cheese. Set aside. De-seed the tomato, and chop. I cut our spinach with scissors (see above image). Add sautéed yuminess (chicken and peppers, etc) to the sauce and stir them in. Add the drained noodles, the chopped tomato, and the spinach at the very end, and gently stir. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Super Soup

It was just one of those nice winter days in Minnesota when I didn't really want to go dig out my car to go to the grocery store. We rode with some friends to a cabin for the weekend, and our car  is still sitting under a nice big pile of crispy hard snow. I haven't made it to the grocery store since.... well... I don't really remember. You see, our Christmas break kind of took over our world since we were out of town for the whole three weeks, and then the cabin trip was right after that. That being the case, there really isn't much in the Frigidaire at the moment. I did find some limp celery and some carrots in one of the drawers- still good, and a bunch of good stuff in the freezer. I am so grateful for freezers. I love you, freezer.

Whatever I Could Find Soup:

Saute:

1/2 c. Chopped Celery

2 Carrots, Chopped

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Chopped

Add:

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

Add your own amounts:

Water

Peas

Broccoli

Corn

Bring to a boil until all the veggies are nice and cooked. Serve, and enjoy a warm bowl of soup in January! We had our soup tonight with some Sour Dough toast, it was so delicious!

Quick Chocolate Softies

Here's my list of ingredients for these babies... (and that's 1/3 cup of water in the measuring cup...) oh, they are so delicious! I love making these cookies because they are so soft and irresistible. I do have to issue a fair WARNING from my own experience before you attempt to make these: DO NOT make these while you are at home alone! You WILL eat the entire batch yourself as soon as they are cool enough to handle! ....Or just ignore my warning and eat them all by yourself. That's what I do, I mean after setting a couple aside for my hubby's return from his school day, of course. What a lucky guy.
 

...always add more chocolate!....

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. The ones pictured below are actually really big- bigger than the palm of my hand. I baked those for about 20 minutes. Who doesn't love a humongous soft chocolate cookie for dessert after a long cold day?

On the Top

Ah, another lovely salad day....actually, go ahead and make that plural, because I've definitely had this more than one day recently! We ran out of my amazing three cheese vinaigrette dressing that I was loving on my greens, and I didn't want to run to the store for just one item. I decided I would venture into the realm of making my own salad dressing, but more than just olive oil and balsamic vinegar (yum.). It was time for a little ranch... this recipe is so so so yummy. Just opening the jar that I stored it in made my mouth water. This recipe is way better than store bought ranch! Try it out, it's delish.

Yummiest Ranch Ever

1/2 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
Onion (amount and chop to your liking)
Dash of Salt

*Mix ingredients together, store in airtight container in the fridge. Let the dressing sit for a couple of hours before you use it, letting the flavors combine.