Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Here is a great recipe to serve within the 2-4 days following treatment. Simple soothing comfort food.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic, roasted is nice
1 lrg can solid pack pumpkin
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup skim milk
salt and pepper
nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt

In a large pot coated with cooking spray, saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until tender, 5 min. Add pumpkin. Gradually add the chicken broth and the milk. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Cook through about 15 min. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Cal 45, Fat 0, Fiber 3 (g)
Serves 6 (1 cup servings)

Treat(ment) yourself to a healthy, but GOOD, snack.

I am starting a series of good foods to have when going through or recovering from Chemotherapy treatments. This is in honor of my dad who is doing just this.

We are learning all about to eat what, when. This post is a very good snack for that day of treatment.

Apple Lasagna

1 pkg lasagna noodles
2 cans of apple pie filling (or your favorite apple pie filler)
1 lrg container of ricotta cheese
2 lrg egg whites
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp butter
1/3 brown sugar
1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare lasagna noodles as package directs, drain. Spread one can of apple filling over coated 13x9 baking dish. Cover with 4 lasagna noodles. In a large mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg whites, extract and sugar. Spread evenly over the noodles, and top with remaining lasagna noodles. Spoon remaining can of apple filling over lasagna. In a small mixing bowl, crumble together flour, cinnamon, butter, brown sugar oatmeal and a dash of vanilla extract. Sprinkle over top of filling. Bake for 45 min. Let stand. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

292 cal, fat (g) 6, serves 10-12

Mmm! Thats a Spicy...Apple?

This is not just for fall people. This is a tasty treat for anytime you want something a little bit different. You may say..Bacon, really. Bacon. Yes.

Spiced Apples

6-8 large green apples

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup maple flavored bacon drippings

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp chili powder (or cocoa chili powder)

dash of salt and pepper

Peal and core apples, slice to a medium thickness. Melt bacon drippings in a large skillet. Place apples evenly over bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper over them. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until apples are tender. Uncover, and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, cloves and chili powder. Stir well. Simmer for a few minutes longer until the juices begin to thicken. Serve hot. Serve with cold vanilla ice cream. Oh yummy.

Pan-cuppies!

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I found a recipe online and thought...hmmm, I wonder if this would really work. So, as I usually do, I set out to create it. Guess what?

It worked! I made pancuppies. Its pancake batter cooked in cupcakes tins. YUMMMOOOOO! I would have snapped a photo, but they went awfully quick!

Pancuppies

2 cups Bisquick pancake mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 tbsp maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into lightly greased cupcake tins. bake at 350 for 15 min. Serve topped with warm maple syrup, butter or a nice cream cheese frosting.

Ooo La La...qui qui Mademoiselle

Can you smell it? The sweet smell of French Toast?

My 5 year old every once in a while demands that I make him "cooked egg bread"...lol. I never can turn that one down. Sometimes when I feel all fancy-like, I will make a great baked version, but that is when I have loads of time and ingredients on hand. For the "I want it NOW" moments, I make this one:

Frenchy-poo Toast

6 slices of real french bread, sliced off the loaf, medium-thick

4-6 large eggs

1/2 & 1/2

Milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp real maple syrup

1/4 cup butter

Heat butter in large skillet. Whip remaining ingredients together. Dip slices in mixture and cook on HOT skillet, until each side is firm and golden brown. Serve very warm with additional maple syrup and powdered sugar, if desired.

pinch of salt

Whats all this hub-bub about the middle?

My dad. Not a conformist. Always set down his own path then tread upon it lightly. He was never one to follow, always a leader (who had a select few groupies...)

He is a pie enthusiast. He enjoys his fair share of Pumpkin and Apple. Let me rephrase that. He enjoys the outer portion if those particular pies. The shell only.

During the holidays he has an adamant request that I bake each of these. I do, I usually make 2 of each. 1 set for him, the other for the rest of us who will enjoy it in its entirety.

See, he takes my beautiful piping hot fresh out of the oven and with ooey gooey goodness seeping out of it, then scrapes it into the trash and eats the crust.

I cry and complain and demand that he not do that, but come on. he is 75 yrs old and I am not going to be able to train him now.

Here is my delicious Apple Pie recipe for those of us who choose to eat it like its supposed to be eaten.

Whole.

Apple Pie

2-3 lbs baking apples (I prefer a mixture of granny smith and yellow delicious)

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2-3 tbsp 1/2 & 1/2

1-2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Pie shell, fluted 9"

Wash, peal and slice thin the apples. Place in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, honey, 1/2 & 1/2 and spices. Add Nuts. Pour over apples. Mix well. Pour into prepared pie shell. Dot with butter. You may choose to lace a second pie shell over the top or not. My pies are top crustless. Bake in oven for 55 min at 400 degrees. Remove from heat, let cool. Serve warm with ice cream.

Its a lovely day for a picnic. I'll bring the Potato Salad!

Having never actually made a potato salad (yes, I know...shocking!) I set out to do just that today. Its is my fathers 75th birthday and we BBQ's some great petite steaks and needed a good side salad. I happened to have all the components to make a potato salad, so I figured, what the heck.

Turns out, I make a pretty darn good one. My mom made a real good one, but this isn't like hers. Test it out and tell me what you think.

You say Potato, potato salad

2-3 lbs Idaho and red potato's

1/2 chopped red onion

1/3 cup dill pickle relish

3 tbsp sweet pickle relish

1/3 cup chopped green onions

2 tbsp dill weed

1/2 cup light mayo

2 tbsp spicy brown mustard

2 tbsp prepared yellow mustard

1 tbsp ranch dressing

Paprika

Boil whole potatoes for 2o min. Remove from heat and let them cool, but still warm to the touch. Peel and dice, place in large bowl. Add relishes and onions. In separate bowl, mix mayo, mustard's and dill. Mix into potato mixture. Sprinkle paprika over salad. Chill. Serve very cold.

This is not your mothers pasta salad. (its your mother in laws)

On a trip back to my native country, California (yes, its like its own little territory out there), we stayed with my in laws. Regina and Dave make THE best dinners I think I have ever had the privilege of eating. Maybe because it is served on their back porch with a breathtaking view of the foothills, maybe because its the best company anyone can ask for while eating. Its just good.

We had a meal of grilled (to perfection) pork chops and a side dish of this amazing pasta salad. I have never tasted anything like it. It was cool, crisp, tangy with a bite. So colorful, it was almost too pretty to eat. OK, I ate it anyway. This can be paired with a great grilled meal of chicken, pork, beef or even fish.

Regina's Pasta Salad

1 pkg colorful veggie rotini pasta
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp white pepper
1 of each - green, red, yellow and orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
5-6 strips of bacon, cooked well and crispy
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Cook pasta as on directions, drain and chill. In large bowl, combine pasta and dry spices. Add veggies. Add BBQ and ranch dressing. Stir well. Top with bacon. Serve very cold.

Can food really be this simple?

Welcome to the foodie blog of all foodie blogs.

This is the cooking site that has no rhyme or reason. No particular theme. No set schedule. I post what sounds good, and if it tastes good, great!

I am a spontaneous cook. I don't really plan. I don't really measure. I take what I have, throw it together, toss in a little bit of this and that and voila! A meal fit for the Gods.

Dinner for lunch, breakfast for dinner. Whatever.

Drinks, salads, dessert, main courses. I got em. Just don't think I am going to post them in that order.

Try the recipes. Post back what you think. Email me a recipe you want me to review. I am game for it!

bon appetit!