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Recipe: Chicken Curry

Nov 132012

November 13, 2012 Posted by Traci No Responses »

My version of chicken curry is a household recipe that I have modified and continue to change pretty much every time I make it. And if you’re a curry purist? You’re going to want to heat this up a little. FACT: I am a total spice wuss. Some would prefer a sliced, seeded Habanero pepper in the pot; others, slightly more cayenne pepper or salt. Me? I always add more coconut milk. Whatever you prefer, one thing I can promise: You and your kids will LOVE this recipe. And DO NOT let the ingredients list fool you. With a wee-bit of little prep (i.e., making a couple extra Ziplocs with the spice mixtures ahead of time), this dish becomes an easy weeknight meal. Ingredients: – 3 tablespoons olive oil – 1 onion, diced – 3 cloves garlic, minced – 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root – 5 tablespoons curry powder [...]

Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup

Nov 122012

November 12, 2012 Posted by Traci No Responses »

It’s not a magnificently overlarge peanut. Do not be confused and/or sad when you get it home and your family laughs at your peanut enthusiasm. No, dear reader; butternut squash is a hulky fruit (and it is a fruit, like all squashes are) that, when roasted and soupified, is like heaven in a bowl. FACT. Making a pureed soup is actually a pretty simple process that has the potential to stun and amaze your friends. So why not give it a try this Thanksgiving? What you’ll need: – 1 butternut squash – 1 small yellow onion, diced – 2 cups chicken broth – 2 tsp thyme – 2 tsp curry powder – 1/2 tsp cinnamon – 1/2 tsp ginger – 1 tsp garlic salt – salt and pepper to taste Get cooking >>

Recipe: Pumpkin butter

Nov 012012

November 1, 2012 Posted by Traci No Responses »

‘Tis the season for squash. Well, BIG squash, anyway, and the pumpkin is sort of the queen of the season. In fact, I’d go so far as to call her the Empress of All the Squashes. She’s big, bold, beautiful and versatile We tend to forget that this fruit — and she is a fruit — has so much nomliciousness to offer BEYOND the simple pie. No too long ago we shared a DIY on making pumpkin pack and thus avoiding all future chemical-laden grossness of canned pumpkin pack. Today, we use that simple stuff to make pumpkin butter. If you’ve not had this delicious jam-like spread before, trust me: I’m introducing you to a little bit of autumnal heaven. What you’ll need: – 4 cups pumpkin pack (roughly 2 16 oz. cans if you go the can route) – 3/4 cup apple sauce – 1 1/2 cups white sugar – 2 tsp. [...]

Recipe: Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Oct 182012

October 18, 2012 Posted by Traci No Responses »

After spending my late afternoon standing next to human pinky Alex Delgado on KSEE 24′s “We Are Fresno,” I decided enough with being a lazy, slouchy flab-arse. I decided I needed to start working out. I decided I needed to start eating right. I decided I was going to make a change in my life! So when I got home I promptly put on my sweats, cracked a beer and started making Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes. These potatoes are all carbs and fat (if you don’t think about the salt part) and are a perfect accompaniment to a healthy roasted chicken. Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes – 5 Russet potatoes, washed, peeled and thinly sliced into 1/4 inch pieces – 2 cups milk – 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour – 3 Tbsp butter – 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese – salt and pepper to taste 1) Preheat oven to 400 [...]

Recipe: Super delicious cheese & broccoli soup

Oct 162012

October 16, 2012 Posted by Natali 1 Response »

Recipe: Super delicious cheese & broccoli soup

I love broccoli. I was never that kid who fought her mom about eating broccoli growing up. In fact, this week, I bought the BIG bag of broccoli from the grocery store, and hubby commented, “Wow, we had broccoli twice already this week, and you’ve still got more.” Yup. He’s so thrilled. (Where is a sarcasm font when you need it?) Anyway, if you like broccoli, and you like cheese, then you’ll like this soup! Especially on a cold day when you want to feel warm and cozy. I chose a day that turned out to be 89 degrees out. Not my best call, but oh well — we’re talking cheese! Super Delicious Cheese & Broccoli Soup What you need: 2 T butter 2 T flour 1/2 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 cup of milk 1 cup half n half 4 cups chicken broth 3 carrots, grated finely [...]

Make your own pumpkin pack

Oct 152012

October 15, 2012 Posted by Traci No Responses »

It was just a matter of time before I mentioned the most famous Halloween counterpart. In fact, if I was on Family Feud and asked to name “Something that symbolizes Halloween,” I would undoubtably shout the correct Number 1 Answer — “Pumpkin” and BAM — my family would control the board. The answer is a lock– I know it is. Why? I’m just that good. Also? Pumpkin is the quintessential symbol of Halloween. FACT. It’s also a fact that a Halloween pumpkin’s fate is pretty gruesome: Cut off its crown, scoop its guts out, carve up a face and slap the poor squash on the porch. Don’t worry, little fella: We’ll set your innards afire later. But I’m here to tell you that there is a gentler, kinder way to treat a pumpkin. A way that will give you just as much sadistic joy. I’m talking, of course, about eating [...]

Recipe: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Mashed Red Potatoes and Caramelized Veggies

Oct 132012

October 13, 2012 Posted by Lisa 1 Response »

Recipe: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Mashed Red Potatoes and Caramelized Veggies

Today was cool and gray, real sweater weather. After encountering raindrops on my morning run, I decided comfort food sounded good for tonight’s dinner – something warm and hearty with an aroma that made the house yummy for hours before it was ready. Here’s what I made. I will be as specific as possible with measurements, but they are somewhat fluid, since I wasn’t following a recipe: Short Ribs 1½ lbs. of boneless beef short ribs ½ cup all-purpose flour seasoned with Emeril’s Essence, smoked paprika, garlic powder, a dash of cayenne, fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil Two stalks of celery, sliced ½ of a sweet yellow onion, julienned 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms ½ cut of peeled baby carrots 1/3 of a parsnip, peeled and sliced (you’ll use the rest of the parsnip later) 4-6 peeled cloves of garlic (leave [...]

Recipe: Cashew chicken stir fry & coconut rice with peas

Oct 112012

October 11, 2012 Posted by Natali No Responses »

Recipe: Cashew chicken stir fry & coconut rice with peas

It’s finally cool outside, enough so that I don’t mind warming up my kitchen to cook again, which is GREAT! The bad part though, is natural light is all but fading away by the time dinner is ready, so sadly, my already so-so photos become worse. Boo. Regardless, I put together a few ingredients and pulled off a chicken stir-fry dish that was quite tasty tonight, and pretty easy too, so I thought I’d share it with you. Cashew Chicken Stir Fry What you’ll need: 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into small bite sized pieces 1.5 T. cooking oil (canola, vegetable) 3 T. soy sauce 1 t. rice wine vinegar 2 t. sugar 2.5 t. cornstarch 2 cloves garlic, minced thinly sliced green onion (amount for topping, to taste) one small handful cashews, finely chopped for topping What to do: Place the chicken in a bowl [...]

Grocery prices are soaring! Or, is it just me?

Oct 102012

October 10, 2012 Posted by Natali 14 Responses »

Grocery prices are soaring! Or, is it just me?

I consider myself to be a fairly frugal shopper. I’m not an extreme couponer, but I do meal plan, make lists based only on what I need, search for coupons (using Target.com/coupons and Fresh & Easy’s weekly emails). For awhile, I tried shopping every other week, and while I loved having an extra day in the weekend that I didn’t have to go out, and I did save money overall, I hated the food options I had left when it got down to the second half of week two. Also, planning meals for 14 days seemed like such an arduous task vs. 7 days. So, I went back to weekly shopping. Lately however, I’ve noticed my grocery spending has significantly increased. I’m not really doing anything differently (other than shopping weekly again vs. biweekly) but our overall grocery spending has reached about $120 a week for our small family. (My [...]

Pin-tested: Melt in your mouth M&M sugar cookies

Oct 082012

October 8, 2012 Posted by Natali No Responses »

Pin-tested: Melt in your mouth M&M sugar cookies

Sometimes you see something pinned on Pinterest over and over and over and you have to wonder: Is it really worth all the attention? In our series Pin-tested we take something you’ve seen a thousand times on Pinterest and put it to the test. The pin that caught my eye this time included a photo of sugar cookies that looked chewy and sparkled with sugar — oh, and M&Ms. They were completely infested with M&Ms in the best of ways. So, on Sunday night, kiddo and I gave it a try. The recipe came from Joyful Momma’s Kitchen, who modified it from a recipe by The Girl Who Ate Everything. Sheesh. No wonder the kitchen is filled with joy and the girl ate everything — these cookies are amazeballs. Really. Here is the recipe, as it appears on Joyful Momma’s Kitchen (check out her post for more detailed photos of the process) [...]