~Meatless Monday~

Yep this household has now started doing "Meatless Mondays" We didnt get here as easily as i had hoped for BUT we got here! So whats on the menu for tonite?

I served my boys as follows:

Creamy Veggies Tortilini Bake

10 Grain Whole Wheat Bread

and

Creamy Balsamic Vineagar Asparagus!

My so was very impressed with dinner, he did NOT believe me when i told him there was no meat in that meal at all! He gasped very funny to watch a very over dramatic 6 yr old reacting to that information!

~Asparagus Recipe~

Asparagus Spears

Hlf an Onion

Garlic

S&P

Olive Oil

Butter

Cream (heavy whipping cream)

Balsalmic Vinegar

* Snap the ends off your spears and wash

*finely chop your onion

*heat your oil and butter in a pan

*add the onions and garlic to the hot oil/butter

*sautee the onions and garlic till nice and tender

*add a tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar

*then add a couple tablespoons of cream and let it simmer to make a nice sauce

*now add the snapped asparagus spears and mix threw the sauce

*turn the heat off and put the lid on the saucepan and let the spears steam and sautee in the sauce.

~Tortilini Veggie Bake Recipe~

Mushrooms

Butternut Squash

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Yellow Squash

Zucchini

Onion

Garlic

Cream (heavy whipping cream)

Stock(chicken/veggie whatever u have)

S&P

Olive Oil

Fennel Powder

Dryed LimeBasil Leaves

Grated Parmesan Cheese

*Chop/slice up all your veggies to desired bite sized

*Heat pan and add oil and till hot

*Add your onions and garlic

*Add 1/2cup of stock to your onions/garlic let simmer

*Then add your fennel and basil to taste and simmer a lil longer

*When your onions have cooked down add your veggies

*Cook to your veggies to desired texture

*Add 1/2 a cup of cream and let simmer

*Preheat oven to melt cheese on the bake

*Take your cooked Tortilini and pour into a cassarole dish

*Take your veggies and pour over the pasta evenly as best you can!

*sprinkle your cheese over top and place the dish in the oven to melt the cheese!

~SERVE AND ENJOY~

~Pita Pizza's~

Quick, Easy and Delish!

My son wanted pizza's for dinner when i told him we were having toasted sandwhiches! So i met him half way! I have been buying very yummy pita breads and freezing them for school lunches when i have run out of bread! So i grabbed a packet out and made these pizzas while the pita was still frozen! Yanked out my homemade pizza sauce from the fridge some frozen pepperoni and grated cheese! Delish according to Loche! Took me a whole 15 mins from prep to cooking for these babies! And by the end of it i had one very happy 6 year old who had a full tummy and a smile on his face!

~Toast & More~

Ahh good ole toast! Its great for breaky! Wonderful for a snack! And a pleasant lite dinner for nites when you dont really want anything to heavy for dinner!
So this afternoon after trecking to he school to pick my son up from the school bus i realised "ya know what?! Grilled cheese and vegemite on toast would make an awesome after school snack today! Sure it was warmer today than it has been this past week BUT there was some wind with it and Loche and i were chilled down to our bones!

So while he put his gear away and washed up for snack time i got out the loaf of sour dough bread and sliced it thick spread a lil butter on it and a thin spread of an aussies fav spread! YUP Vegemite! DELISH! (for us aussies anyway and my hubby too!) Then i pulled out the best cheese you will ever come across when it comes to melting on toast! Australian Tasty Cheddar Cheese!

Now i know its not a fav of most americans so i have read on the net BUT the few family and friends i have introduced this tasty cheese to LOVE the boldness of the cheese its VERY strong so if you LOVE really strong cheese you shoould give this cheese a try! My husband and i went on a trip up to Ikea just before christmas to buy a few chrissy presents and he took me on my first trip to a Trader Joes....I have to admit i was super excited till we got there...and i was kinda disappointed in the store in general..Sure they had a few good things but for the most part it was built up to be this awesome store but in all reality it was like a local store we have here which has alot of expensive items the store here is called "Kazmaiers" But if it hadnt of been for our trip there we would not have stumbled across Whole Foods Market which is were we came across my cheese! Anywa i will talk more about this awesome store at a later post :) i have gotten off the beatten track here SORRY!

So yes i cranked up the broiler and threw the thick slices of toast in for about 3-4 mins and MMM MMMM MMMM my son was all eyes on the oven door watching the cheese bubble and melt he could NOT wait! Anyway thats what we had for our afternoon snack... And im thinking that tonight would be a good night to have toasted cheese sandwhiches whether they have ham and cheese grilled, tomatoes thinly sliced with melted cheese i think this will be a great way to use up the 2 half loaves of bread that need to be used up!

~Orange Flavoured M&M Cookies~

~One Year To This Day~

So i just wanted to share this with all my bloggy friends...(not 100% willingly wanting to show this per say....) BUT today is 1 year since i made a change in my life health wise....And apparently i NEED to share this because i am kinda having a hard time seeing my progress when it comes to looking at pictures...Anyway here is a letter i wrote to myself....

Dear body/self,

today marks the new beging of a life changing decision you have made and it WILL be for the best...You will have your days where you think why...why did i do this??? BUT trust me a year from now you will look at some photos and be amazed! And if you dont...We have problems! Self image problems...and your going to share your progress with friends and family whether you like it or not! You should be proud of how far you have come and how much healthier you've become! Your setting good goals for your son to see you work this hard....I know we liked to think we were happy being "big and beautiful" but your going to love being able to go clothing shopping and not have to spend hours finding something you like and then returning home being depressed because nothing fits right... Not to mention how much easier life is going to be for us not carrying the extra weight...enjoy playing with Loche running around and not having to stop because your so out of breath! Anyway I know 1 year from now you will feel so much better and your going to be so much healthier! Kick butt and reach these goals!

So there you have it a letter i wrote myself a year ago I have not reach said perfect goal weight wise but boy am i trying :) anyway i am having a few probs when it comes to looking at pictures...i still see that big girl looking back at me when i see past pictures but im working on it.... heres the pic im sharing with you all!

~Creamy Pesto Pork Steaks~

OH dont you just love my new camera! Look at those steaks *drool*

~*What you need*~

onion

pesto

garlic

heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper

chicken stock

ground fennel

olive oil

butter

grated parmesan cheese

~What to do~

In your skillet/pan add a tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of olive oil, then add your garlic and onions let them saute for a few mins, add a little salt and pepper stir then add your pesto if it starts sticking to the pan add some stock and let it sit and simmer for a few mins you want the pesto to cook a lil. Now take your steaks and place them in the pan ontop of the pesto sauce in the pan, press down a lil on each steak to make sure the steak gets a coating of the onions, garlic and pesto, now turn them over after a few mins and do the same thing to the other side, while thats sauteeing preheat your oven to about 365'F. Now take your steaks and place them in a cassarole dish, once steaks have been moved to dish add heavy whipping cream to the skillet and turn up and make a nice thick sauce. Pour this creamy sauce over your steaks and place in the preheated oven! Cook your steaks for about 45mins B4 removing for plating pull the dish out and sprinkle the steaks with your parmesan cheese and put back in the oven for a few mins! Remove and plate or put the dish on the table for everyone to see these beauties!

ENJOY!

~Cheese and Apple Fritters~

This new years eve we had a party with close friends and family! One of the things i served was my very tasty "Cheese and Apple Fritters" these were first made fall 2008 after an apple festival when i had ALOT of apples and needed to find uses for them b4 they went bad! I searched high and low for recipes that were not your usual cup of tea :) and i came across a fritter recipe that suggested adding grated sharp cheddar cheese and that was it i was all excited! What else would pear up nicely with a freshly picked crisp apple??? SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE! I made up a batch for a special treat for the gang (Joe and Angie) And i would have to say my biggest fan for these treats is Angie's husband! He LOVES these things :) Anyway i do not have any photos of these fritters i forgot to take some but they look similar to my Jemput Jemput - Jimput Jimput only dusted with powdered sugar! Here is my recipe! Enjoy!

4 firm apples (skin on and sliced into smallish pieces)

1/2 cup to 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese

1-1/4cup of sifted flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs beaten

2/3 cup of milk

1 tablespoon of oil

Sift together in a large mixing bowl your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt set aside while in a different bowl mix your eggs, milk and oil and cheese. Add your dry ingedients to the wet all at once, mixing until just moistened. Once you have sliced up your apples stir them into your batter.

Using a tablespoon drop the batter into a deep pan filled with enough oil to fry your fritters in! Your oil should be hot enough that once your batter hits the oil its bubbles a little and doesnt sit in the oil soaking up the grease (yuck) Fry your batter 3-4mins or until the batter is nice a puffy and golden brown! Drain the fritters then dust with powdered sugar!

Merry Christmas

Hi everyone just wanted to leave a short note wishing everyone a very merry christmas! Hope u all have a safe holiday and enjoy the company and food on this wonderful day! I woke everyone up bright and early (teheehee) I was very spoiled i got a new camera and i cant wait to show u all the pics off it! Its a Nikon D3000VR woohoo totally spoiled!

~Cookies in a Jar~

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of firmly packed down brown sugar

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 of chopped nuts (optional)

now time to pack it into a mason jar!

combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl, pour the flour mixture into your mason jar,

once in begin layering your other ingredients! Choc chips and nuts work best being one of the last things you place in your jar!

Instructions you attach to the jar!

Cream together in a large mixing bowl 2/3 of a cup of softened butter or crisco, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, mix until light and fluffy! Now take your cookies in a jar mix and empty it into the mixture youve just made and mix it all up really well! Drop teaspoon fulls of the cookie dough mixture onto a cookie sheet! Place into a preheated oven at 375'degrees bake for 8-10 mins or untill lightly browned!

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies!

~Good Old British Shepards Pie~

So with all the stuff im doing for chrissy gifts i decided i needed to make my boys something tasty for putting up with the mess ive made in the kitchen and dinning room this past wk :D So after i got home from Angie's (i went over there to can my Turkey Stock/Broth) I quickly rushed home and prepared and made this very simple and tasty dish!

~What you need~

Lean mince/hamburger

Salt and Pepper

Garlic

Worcestershire sauce

Tomato paste

Grated carrots

Grated/Finely Chopped onions (your choice)

Sage

Stock/broth

Cassarole dish

Potatoes

3 Egg yolks

Heavy Whipping cream (optional)

Parmesen cheese grated

Breadcrumbs (optional)

Preheat Oven 395 degrees

~How to Throw it together~

Heat pan with some olive oil throw your mince in and begin browning the meat season with S&P, once the meat is brown drain the fat if any (no one likes oily gross shepards pie! it just ruins all your hard work icky!)

Add your grated carrots and onions add a lil salt to help reduce and draw out the liquid in the grated ingredients! Add a couple tablespoonfuls of Tom paste,sage and mix well, turn the heat down to a simmer and add the worcestershire sauce and stock mix well and let sit and simmer for about 15mins it will get nice and thick and saucey :) (this mixture goes well on sandwhichs as well like "sloppyjoes" while this is simmering you should wash and dice up your spuds so they boil quicker in the pot! Cook the spuds till soft remove from water and heat i used my KitchenAid Mixer to make my mashed potatoes! Add some butter a lil salt and pepper to your mixing bowl and some heavy whipping cream (optional) slowy add in large spoonfuls of your diced cooked spuds and slowly begin whipping your spuds with the paddle attachment(if your using a KA.M) continue to do this adding more potatoes as you go along when you have them nicely mashed add your 3 egg yolks and let the mixer slowly mix them in and about 1/2 a cup of your grated parmesan cheese.

Take your meat filing and spoon it into your cassarole dish press it down firmly how much you want in the bottom of your pie is up to you :) then spoon large amounts of your mashed spuds on to till you have a nice full topping :D make it pretty if you like! sprinkle with breadcrumbs if you like then S&P then a good amount of grated parmesan cheese throw the dish into a hot pre heated oven for about 20mins and taadaa your all set for an extremely tasty dinner! I served this with biscuts (american style scones i guess u could call them :D) and a nice leafy salad!

Hope you and your fam enjoy this recipe as much as mine did!

~I Don't Know About You....BUT~

Ive been B U S Y!

i dont really have that long for this post so i am giving you all a sneak peak at what i have been up to and what kind of recipes i have installed for you all to have a look-see-at!

These and much more are going into gift bags for chrissy presents!