Purple-urple Roasted Potatoes!

Gorgeous!

 

Purple is my favorite color, maybe that's why I am so intrigued by purple potatoes!  Well, its either that, or the fact that they sell cheaper per pound than the red potatoes AND:

 

 

" Purple potatoes are the one starch that doesn’t add pounds, while providing the antioxidant, anthocyanin, the same flavonoid that is found in red and purple produce such as berries and pomegranates...." - NaturalHealth365.com

 

 

At first, the boys weren't too keen on the thought of eating purple potatoes.  After their first bite, they changed their minds.  I suggested that I could try mashing them next time...they didn't like that idea at all.  :(  Don't mess with men and their mashed potatoes! 

 

I didn't get a picture of the finished product.  They didn't look quite as pretty once they had been roasted.  Imagine a roasted russet potato, now imagine a purple roasted russet potato...and that's exactly what they looked like! :)

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. purple potatoes, cubed
1/4 C olive oil (I used seasoned)
kosher salt (as much or as little as you like, I used aprox. 1/4 tsp.)
fresh ground black pepper (as much or as little as you like, I used aprox. 1/2 tsp.)

DIRECTIONS:

Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Toss the potatoes with the oil, and salt and pepper.  Arrange them cut side down on a cookie sheet prepared with cooking spray.  Roast until tender, about 20-30 minutes.  (Check at 20 minutes) ENJOY!!

Asparagus & Tomatoes

Here in my neck of the woods, we are very blessed with some of the finest farming soil around, and fine produce is very easy to come by.  It's not unusual to see men and women standing on residential street corners selling farm fresh produce.  For a wider variety its just a 10-15 minute drive out to any one of the several fruit stands in the area.  Depending on the season, you can even catch a farmers market in town up to four times a week!!!

Asparagus season is quickly approaching us.  I HATED asparagus as a kid.  My mom would cook it one way and one way only, which was to boil the crap out of it!!  It smelled the house up SO stinking bad that I swear I turned green when she cooked it!! Thank you mom for never forcing me to eat any!!  (because I know your reading this!)

It wasn't until the first time I tasted the deep fried asparagus at the Asparagus festival (which takes place every April in our town) that I realized asparagus is not so bad!!! It's coated it in a tasty batter and then fried up to perfection.  Then its topped with parmesan cheese (the kind from a can).  And then we drizzle it with hot sauce and dip it in ranch dressing.  OH MY GOODNESS, it is SO YUMMY!!  So since that first encounter, I have become less and less afraid of the vegetable and even started to cook it at home! And not one of those times did I ever just boil the crap out of it! ;)

 

(YUUUUM!)

 

 

I spotted some asparagus at the grocery store the other day.  I took it home and started searching asparagus recipes.  I ended up combining a couple of recipes to create this very fresh and healthy side dish.  :)

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

2/3 C water

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 C olive oil (I used seasoned)

6 Campari tomatoes, quartered (you can also use grape or cherry tomatoes)

zest of half of a lemon (I used Meyer)

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Wash and trim the asparagus. Place it into a 10 in. skillet with the water.  Cover and steam over medium heat for 8-12 minutes.  Drain well, return to the pan and turn the heat down to low.  Drizzle with the olive oil, top with the Parm cheese, tomatoes, and lemon zest.  Cover again and allow to sit for two minutes or until the cheese has melted.  ENJOY!!

 

 

Bunco Babes Gone Wild

Bunco Babes Gone Wild written by: Maria Geraci

 

 

 

I found this book in a dollar bin at Borders.  It sat on my bookshelf for about two years before I decided it was time to read it and when I did, I instantly wanted to be a Bunco Babe!!  This was a really fun book and I enjoyed it very much.  So much, that I finished it in four days!

 

Bunco Babes Gone Wild, is a story about a young woman named Georgia.  Georgia takes a trip to Florida to visit her sister Frida.  Her trip is a spur of the moment, I need time to think, type of trip.  Her love life back home is not advancing quite like she is ready for and her current boyfriend, Spencer, just isn't getting the hint. 

 

In Florida, Georgia is quickly befriended by her sisters Bunco friends and meets a new man along the way.  Georgia is sure it's just lust, but is it?!  The tight knit group of ladies help Georgia discover what it is she really wants in life.

 

Another thing that made me love this book so much, is that there are recipes at the end of the book!!!

 

I rate this book four out of four garlic heads!

 

 

 

Presidents Day Weekend Re-cap

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, the weather was perfect!  We took advantage of the nice day and took the kids on a bike ride.  We LOVE our family bike rides!!!

(Little Carson is waaay up in front, he sits in a cool baby sit in front of dad)

 

 

We rode about six miles round trip, to my sisters house and back. 

 

 

(a view of the delta along the way)

 

 

I planned to try a new recipe for dinner.  A Martha Stewart recipe.  BIG mistake and I'm mad at myself for even trying it.  There is something about Martha, (even long before she became a felon) that just doesn't agree with me.  I can't tell you what it is, and I feel really bad because she seems like a decent lady.  Years ago I used to watch her show (not the talk show, I'm talking about the one where she would go out and pick flowers and put fresh eggs in baskets with bows and then use those cute little eggs to cook things with).  I would get so annoyed by her, but for some reason I kept on watching.  It was quite frustrating!

 

Anyway, it was a casserole recipe with chicken, kale and a couple types of cheeses.  It sounded worth trying.  I could tell right away that the husband didn't care for it, even though he didn't say much. Dominic on the other hand was a little less polite and blurted out "epic fail, Mom!" Sheesh kid...why you gotta be so harsh?!

 

So even though I've had better, I decided I would save the leftovers and eat them myself for lunch.  Well, I forgot to put the container in the fridge and it sat out overnight.  I took it as a sign from God that nobody should eat that casserole ever again!! Thank you, God!!

 

 

I did some grocery shopping today.  Everything was going smoothly, (which is a rare occurance whenever Carson is in the shopping cart), when I stumbled upon this...

 

(This is for you Jacquleen, It's $10.98 at Wal-Mart!)

 

A friend  recently asked me if I had any crockpot recipes that called for chicken or beef and potatoes.  Sadly, I didn't.  When I saw this prepackaged crockpot meal with beef and potatoes...I HAD to snap a picture of it for her.  How smart of Tyson for thinking of this!

 

Within a matter of seconds, our beautiful weather quickly turned cold and windy on us this afternoon.  The boys and I took advantage of it and flew a kite.  That's about as high as we managed to get it! :)

Hope you all enjoyed your Presidents Day weekend as much as we did!!

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

DIY Ranch Seasoning Mix

And another DIY mix.  If you couldn't already tell, I love DIY mixes!!!  I never allow myself to run out of this stuff, it has multiple uses, with ranch dip and ranch dressing being the two obvious.  :)

INGREDIENTS:

5 TBSP dried minced onions
7 tsp. dried parsley flakes
4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder


Mix together.  Store in an air tight container.

DIRECTIONS:

DRESSING:

Mix 2 TBSP of the dry mix with 1 C mayo and 1 C plain Greek yogurt.  Use  a few tbsp. of milk to thin to your desired consistency.  Mix a few hours prior to serving and refrigerate.

DIP:

Mix 2 TBSP of the dry mix with 2 C plain Greek yogurt.  Mix a few hours prior to serving and refrigerate.

Recipe adapted from: selfreliancebyjamie.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Southwest Chicken Salad

Recently on Facebook, I made a comment about being very excited for summer food. This salad here, is a prime example of exactly what I meant!  It's a beautiful day here in sunny California and it feels like the perfect time to share this recipe.  I love this salad, the colors, the freshness, just everything! It is very quick to throw together and works excellent as a busy weeknight dinner. 

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD:

 

2 C chicken, shredded 

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can sweet yellow corn, drained 

2 roma tomatoes, diced

4 green onions, sliced

1 head green leaf lettuce, washed and chopped

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

2 ripe avocados, diced

 

DRESSING:

 

1/2 C mayonnaise

2/3 C Greek yogurt

1 TBSP ranch seasoning (use the DIY ranch seasoning!)

1 TBSP taco seasoning (use the DIY taco seasoning!)

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients and toss thoroughly.  In a small bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing.  I suggest to serve the dressing on the side for two reasons.  1) some people (like my husband) might like waaaay more salad dressing than you do. or visa versa.  2) if you happen to have leftovers (like we did) then the salad will not keep well if the dressing is already incorporated. 

 

***This salad makes a lot and works GREAT to take to lunch the next day! A major plus!***

 

 

recipe adapted from: greensnchocolate.com's Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

 

 

Chocolate-Coconut Mousse









The highlight of our Valentines Day dinner last night was our dessert.  By far!  At the last minute I decided to make a change, which I think was for the better, but its hard to say for sure since it was only my first time making this.  So with that change, what was supposed to be "Chocolate Frosting Shots", quickly turned into "Chocolate-Coconut Mousse".  Changes like that seem to happen a lot in my kitchen.

If you're a fan of coconut and a fan of chocolate, this is definitely a dessert your going to want to try!!! A perfect medley of the two.

Don't judge a dessert by its picture.  Judge it because I am telling you that it's awesome!! :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 can Coconut Milk
1/2 C (approx.) Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 C powdered sugar
Coconut Flakes, optional.  (This is a serving suggestion that just popped into my head, wish I would've thought about that last night, dang it!)

DIRECTIONS:

Place the can of coconut milk into the refrigerator and leave it there over night.  Open the can (without shaking it).  Skim off the thick white content off of the top and place into a medium bowl.  (you can reserve the clear liquid to use for something else if you'd like).  Add equal parts of heavy whipping cream. (I eyeballed it, but it was about 1/2 cup.) Add the remaining ingredients and using a whipping attachment of an electric mixer, whip until thick like mousse.  Sprinkle with coconut flakes. ENJOY!