from “Food People Want” Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten

The spinach pie is in the front, and behind it is the ever popular squash galette
I made this as part of our fun vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner – I was nervous about working with phyllo, but it came out well. I think the key to making it even better would be to choose the best spinach possible (I really need to figure out how many pounds of fresh spinach it takes to equal a box of frozen – anyone know?) and the yummiest feta you can find (I didn’t love either of those two ingredients this time around, but it still came out great. The near disaster of this meal was that I stupidly didn’t think about thawing the phyllo until right when I was ready to use it (duh – too distracted by all of the other dishes I was making to think about this), and at 2 pm when people are coming at six is not the best time to read, “thaw in refrigerator for 24 for hours and then thaw on countertop for additional 2 hours before using. Most folks on the internet say it’s absolutely impossible to thaw phyllo in a microwave, but I lived to tell the tale. I did it very carefully, a few seconds at a time on defrost, moving it around every time, and then left it on the counter for 45 minutes or so, and it was just fine.My backup plan would have been to whip up a quick pie crust, which I think you could also do.

When you are planning on cooking with frozen spinach, it’s imperative to remove as much water as possible from the defrosted package before cooking. One of the best ways to do this is in an old, clean dish towel. Place the thawed spinach in the center of the towel and bring the corners together to create a tight bundle. Squeeze and twist the spinach with everything you’ve got until it no longer releases any juice.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 (10-ounce) packages frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted
6 extra-large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg (I used less)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 pound good feta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 pound salted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly.
Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible. Put the spinach into a bowl, break it up if it’s packed together and then gently mix in the onions, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and feta.
Butter a quiche pan or pie pan and line it with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter (a natural bristle brush would work best – my silicone one sucked for this, so I used my fingers to wipe it all over – worked OK!) and letting the edges hang over the pan. (I laid out a piece of parchment to put the stack of phyllo on, and another one for the sheet I was working on. Cover the phyllo stack while you’re working, and just work quickly and they won’t dry out – it’s handy to have a helper to uncover your stack so you can pull off a sheet and then they recover it for you, so you can devote yourself to buttering. I alternated the sheets so they pointed different directions over the pan, so I’d have a lot of edges to fold up and over. Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling. Brush the top with melted butter.
Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set (don’t know how you’d determine this from looking at it – I think the hour will do it and during the cooling time it will continue to cook itself for a while). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6 to 8

i’ve been interested in kale from a distance for quite some time.
occasionally, someone would whip up a batch of the healthy greens and i’d dive right in, but never had i ever thought about diving into a bunch on my own.

lately, i’ve been reading more and more about eating less and less meat
(and the importance of LOCAL meat if you are in fact going to eat it)
and looking through delicious vegetarian recipes led me to a number of awesome dishes made with kale.

i’ve made this one twice, with and without chicken, and both times. . .IT WAS AWESOME.  it’s a mild, earthy base that is really open to interpretation according to your own tastes. . .use extra herbs/spices, play with the vegetables. . .i can’t wait to experiment more with it by adding some pine nuts or maybe a bit of pesto.

the boyfriend loves it, i love it, office holiday lunch people love it. . .

so here it is.
YUMMY.

also, at the end, i shared a recipe i found for baked kale chips!!
they’re actually quite good.

orzo and kale pasta (with chicken)

2 cups orzo pasta (i used a spinach and tomato type)
1 tsp turmeric (a little more or less depending on your taste)

1 bunch of local fresh kale – cut out large vein and tear leaves into bite size pieces
1 can ripe black olives – chopped
4-5 large cloves of garlic - minced, chopped or pressed
big handful of organic grape or cherry tomatoes – halved
1 organic lemon

optional:
fresh organic local chicken breast!!
local feta or parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (i haven’t tried this yet. . .??)

bring large pot of water to a boil. (i used vegetable/chicken broth for added flavor!) add orzo and turmeric and allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked but still firm. drain pasta into a strainer and return to covered pot to stay warm.

chop ripe black olives and add to the pasta.

in a large skillet, heat olive oil slowly and add 3 or more cloves chopped or minced garlic. cook garlic until starts to soften and then add kale. keep covered and stir frequently (olive oil tends to burn if you aren’t careful) until kale is wilted and tender. when almost done, add the halved tomatoes to the skillet and finish cooking with the kale.

add kale and tomatoes to the pot and stir. ingredients should be balanced so add more olives/tomatoes if needed.

squeeze fresh lemon juice into the pasta. this is ESSENTIAL to bring out all the flavor and is a bit of “taste/add/taste/add” to make sure you get enough but not too much lemon.

if you like, top with crumbled feta or stir in parmesan. add more garlic if desired. (can you tell i like garlic??)

*if you want the chicken.  . .cook it before or along side the kale.

chop chicken into thin strips or bite sized cubes,
place chicken in a bowl and add 2 cloves minced/pressed garlic, season with salt and pepper (or whatever other subtle spices/herbs/marinades you like for chicken) and a drizzle of olive oil.  heat a large skillet and cook chicken till cooked through and juices run clear.  add to pasta along with kale and tomatoes.

and there you have it.

success really does taste good.

now. . .for all that leftover kale.

BAKED KALE CHIPS!!

sounds weird, kinda is. . .but weirdly delicious.
you basically mix a tablespoon of olive oil with any favorite seasoning/seasoned salt and evenly coat bite sized pieces of kale in a large bowl. bake on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 5-7 minutes.

you have to watch them like a hawk cause they go from perfect to burnt mess in a matter of no time.

best hot out of the stove. could also make a great garnish. . .

enjoy!

baked kale chips

Greek white pizza!

Preheat your oven as hot as it will go – mine pretends to go up to 500°, but I’ve never seen it hit anything past 475°.

Take your favorite pizza dough – store bought is fine, homemade is better – and make sure you give it time to come up to room temperature if it’s been refrigerated or frozen. This time I used Mollie Katzen’s recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, but I think I prefer Heidi Swanson’s recipe from Cook 1.0. Spread the dough out to the desired shape and size on a pizza pan, cookie sheet, or pizza peel if you plan to cook directly on a pizza stone. You can brush the edge of the dough with olive oil if you want the crust to brown better.

Make a white (er, um, green) sauce. Sauté a tablespoon of minced onions and two cloves of minced garlic in some olive oil and butter until they’re soft and starting to brown a bit. Add some cream (about a 1/2 cup, maybe) and let it come to a boil. Add a few handfuls of frozen spinach and cook until it’s thawed and thoroughly integrated into the sauce. Add a handful or two of Parmesan or mozzarella cheese and cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool some.

Spread the sauce over the pizza dough, almost to the edge. Sprinkle some chopped sun dried tomatoes over the sauce. Top with a generous layer of feta cheese.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is cooked and the cheese is melted. Let it cool for a few minutes then slice and dig in. Mmm . . .

Feta brined and ready for the fridge.

As a school teacher, it is easy to settle into the lazy days of summer.  For three months I hike, run, garden, cook, walk to the Farmers’ Market, take my kids to the beach and actually read grown-up type books that I enjoy.  This summer I also started canning again after a long hiatus and started making my own cheese and yogurt.  I’d make a new batch of cheese every week.  I started with mozzarella, tried feta and then moved on to hard cheeses.  After a few batches, my husband even built me a cheese press.  While each cheese has its merits, feta is by far my favorite.  I have always loved feta, so when I found out how easy it was to make,  I became even more enamored by its crumbly goodness. 

But, summer inevitably comes to an end.  When September rolled around this year, I started to panic.  Not only did I have to go back to work, but I had a class that I had to complete homework for and attend every week.  How would I keep cooking good, homemade food?  Where would I find the time to can? How would I go to the Farmers’ Market, pick berries, bake bread or make yogurt and cheese???  My life as I knew it came to a screeching halt.  I didn’t know how I was going to manage all the things I needed to do. 

At one point, I was so distraught that I would come home from work and cry to my husband.  I wanted to run away and live on a farm off the grid.  None of this had anything to do with the actual work that I do every day; I love my job.  I love working with kids and knowing that I’m making a difference.  My distress was all about my lack of time.  I needed to adjust and I didn’t know how. 

Better than Zoloft.

While I’ve wanted chickens ever since I read “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” last summer, part of me needed them after school started.  I researched and researched chickens.  I learned about different breeds.  I learned about how many eggs chickens lay and what color they are.  I researched ordinances  and the legality of chickens here in the city.  I spent hours researching chicken coops and chicken care.   Getting chickens was my way of running away and living on a farm without having to really run away.  Chickens weren’t a step away from the life I was living, but they were a step towards the life I want to be living.  The impact those girls had on my mental health still amazes me.  While they didn’t create any more time for me, they did remind me that there were things I could do to have the life I want. 

Even the undead need their exercise.

Since the girls arrived in September I’ve started adding elements of my “summer life” back into my real life.  I hike three to five days a week.  I haven’t managed to keep running regularly but I did run the Traverse City Zombie run and I’m signed up to do the Turkey Trot 5k Thanksgiving morning.  I haven’t done much in the garden, but I planted a row of blueberry plants and I’ve got raspberries, grapes and soapwort waiting to go into the ground.   I may not cook a homemade “slow” dinner seven nights a week, but I try to cook a “real” dinner for my family most nights and still try to eat as much local food as I can.  I cook vats of soup on the weekends to freeze for lunches.  I even signed up for the “Dark Days” challenge to try and cook a completely local meal at least once a week.   I managed to can some tomatoes, jam and jelly and found time to can (and pick) countless apples.  I’ve made it to the Farmers’ Market every Saturday morning and a couple of Friday evenings even though I couldn’t go to the Wednesday morning markets in September.  I didn’t make it out often to pick berries, but I did get out once to get a couple quarts of blueberries for the freezer.  I’m not making my own sandwich bread, but I have been making homemade loaves three or four nights a week. 

Homemade yogurt

 It took a while before I decided that I really did have the time to make yogurt, but in hindsight, that was silly.  Yogurt is so easy; I make a quart or two a week now.  Cheese however, is a completely different story.  Cheese isn’t difficult, but it is intimidating and it takes a long time to make. 

In my mind, I just didn’t feel like I could spend that much time on one project when there are so many other things I could and should do with the time cheese takes.  So what do you do when you go to the grocery store, purchase two gallons of milk and return home to find that you already have two-and-a-half gallons of milk, in your refrigerator??  You do what anyone else would do; start a batch of cheese and a quart of yogurt. 

When I got home from the store with The Milk,  I put away the groceries and started a quart of yogurt.  That barely made a dent; I still had over four gallons of milk left in the fridge.  It was time to make cheese.  Although I’ve been wanting to make cheese for a while (and I finished the last of my feta on the first Dark Days dinner) this wasn’t a cheese made of desire, but one of necessity. 

I got out the giant pot and poured in two gallons of milk.  I turned on the stove and monitored the temperature until it reached 90°.  I put the pot in an ice bath in the kitchen sink and let it cool back down to 86°.  When the milk reached 86° I whisked two tablespoons of Brown Cow plain yogurt into it and let it rest for an hour.  After the milk rested for an hour I mixed 40 drops of vegetable rennet into the milk and left it alone until the next day.  Just like that I had eliminated half the milk in my fridge!

Draining the feta curds.

The next day the milk had gelled and the whey had separated from the cheese curd.  I cut the curds with my long bread knife, let them rest for 15 minutes and then drained the whey from the curds.  I hung the curds to drip for the rest of the day and added then put them in the cheese press. 

Hanging the cheese to separate the whey from the curds.

Today I removed the feta from the press, cut it into chunks and put them in mason jars filled with brined whey.  In another day or two I’ll be able to enjoy my own, homemade feta cheese again.  While it takes some time to make cheese from start to finish, it really isn’t that much work.  The recipe is from Dr. Fankhauser at the University of Cincinnati.

The amazing thing about making cheese is how much whey you have left over when you’re done.  Two gallons of milk yields about six cups of feta cheese and a gallon and a half of whey.  What do you do with all that whey when you’re done making cheese??  Stay tuned to find out!

What do you do with all the whey once the cheese is made?

The conversation went like this:

“Right now, here in this room, is one of your Christmas presents.”

“Ok?”

“I mean, I plan to get you other stuff, but I saw this and thought of you so I got it, and it’s here right now.”

“Okay…”

“So my question for you is do you want it now or do you want to wait until Christmas?”

I love when two people who like instant gratification find each other.  I’m now the proud owner of Gordon Ramsay’s Cooking for Friends.  The pictures are pretty, the recipes look really tasty, the writing is straightforward, and the author and I have similar feelings on bacon (we’re pro) but the emphasis on fresh, interesting ingredients means that the recipes don’t get weighted down.

P. made me Ramsay’s linguine with feta, lemon, and basil for dinner tonight.  It’s simple, quick, light-tasting, and really awesome.  I’d like to make it for a summer dinner party with little dishes of different kinds of olives all over the table, and a really dry cold white wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of fresh or 10 oz of packaged linguine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan
• 1 bunch (lg handful) of fresh basil, leaves only
• 7 oz crumbled Feta cheese
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain it, reserving about 2 tbsp. of the water in the pot.  Return the pasta to the pot and add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, parmesan, basil, and 3/4 of the crumbled feta.  Toss well and check the seasoning. Divide among warm plates and scatter the remaining feta and the pine nuts over the top.  Serve at once.  Serves 4.

It came out great, like a deconstructed pesto.  So light-tasting that it was hard to stop eating it.  This one will go into the regular rotation.

Machen Sie aus Garnelenspießen mal was völlig anderes. Für zwei Personen:

• 4 Garnelenspieße (ca. 400g)
• 200g Feta
• 1 kleine Schalotte
• nach Wunsch 1 Knoblauchzehe
• 1 Chilischote
• Olivenöl
• Zitronensaft
• Salz, Pfeffer

Wenn es sich bei den Garnelenspießen um TK-Ware handelt, entsprechend der Packungsanleitung auftauen und gut abtupfen (Küchenpapier).

Den Backofen auf 220° vorheizen, in einer Auflaufform etwas Olivenöl verteilen und die Garnelenspieße hineinlegen. Schalotte, Chili und Knoblauch fein geschnitten darüber geben, etwas salzen, pfeffern und mit Zitronensaft beträufeln.

Den Fetakäse darüber verkrümeln und die Auflaufform in den Backofen geben. Warten, bis der Käse ganz leicht gebräunt ist.

Dazu passen z.B. Salat, Baguette oder Reis.

WOW. this recipe was a surprise. I made it when we had dave and ebby for dinner to try something different and it was so yummy – and it is the easiest lasagne you’ll ever do. Excellent for dinner and left overs for lunch. I would suggest you need a food proccesor cause hand grated a kilo of carrots isn’t a lot of fun!  x mrs.

Ingredients 

• 50 g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium leeks
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 8 medium carrots (about 1 kg)
• 1/2 cup shredded basil (I actually keep forgetting this – so don’t worry if you don’t have any!) 
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 300 cream
• 1 tsp pepper
• 6 sheets instant lasagne
• 400 g feta,crumbles

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 180 c

Grease a 17 x 25 cm ovenproof dish (2 l/8 cup capacity) 

Step one: Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan,then add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring, until the leeks are soft. Add the carrots and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes or until the carrots are soft. Cool slightly, then stir in basil. 

Step two: Combine the eggs, cream and pepper in a bowl; mix well. 

Step three: Cover the base of the dish with half the lasagne sheets, then top with half the carrot mixture, half the feta and half the egg mixture. Repeat the layers,finishing with the egg mixture. Bake, uncovered, for about 50 minutes or until form and brown. Serves 4 – 6. 

x Mon

Griechisch angehauchter Salat, große Schüssel:

• 6 große Tomaten
• 200g Feta
• 1 große Gemüsezwiebel
• 1 Salatgurke
• Knoblauchzehe
• Olivenöl
• Weißweinessig
• Pfeffer

Tomaten, Gurken und Gemüsezwiebel nicht zu fein würfeln, Knoblauchzehe fein hacken. Alles mit etwas Weißweinessig und viel Olivenöl vermengen.

Feta in Würfel schneiden und kurz vor dem Servieren unterheben. Pfeffern und ggf. etwas Salzen – letzteres ist meistens nicht nötig, da die meisten Feta-Käse in Salzlake eingelegt sind.

Der Käse kann schon gleichzeitig mit den anderen Zutaten untergehoben werden, wenn der Salat dann aber zu lange zieht, löst sich der Feta durch die Säure im Essig etwas auf.

Knowledge is the food of the soul.
~Plato

Some purists firmly claim they should be called spanakopitakia.

Having made too many of these classic, delicate Greek fingerlings one day I felt obliged to share. Although spanakopita (σπανακόπιτα) prep is time consuming, once done, you can hide a bag of these delectable deltas in the freezer. When you yearn a last minute or midnight meal, simply brush them with melted butter and slip them in the oven.

SPANAKOPITA

2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, peeled and minced
1 lb fresh spinach, washed, drained, well dried and coarsely chopped
2 T fresh mint, coarsely chopped
2 C feta cheese
1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature

16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen

8 T unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 F

Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over moderate heat, add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until transluscent. Then cook the spinach, stirring, until wilted and tender, usually about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat and cool, about 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, drain, dry, then coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl and stir in mint, feta, nutmeg, salt and pepper and then incorporate the beaten egg.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan, then cool to room temperature and set aside.

Cover phyllo stack with a dampened tea towel.

Gingerly peel one phyllo sheet from stack, arrange on a work surface and brush with some butter. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with more butter. Cut buttered phyllo stack crosswise into strips roughly 2 1/2″ to 3″ thick.

Put a heaping teaspoon of filling near 1 corner of a strip on end nearest you, then fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding strip (like a flag), maintaining triangular shape. Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet and brush top with butter. Make more triangles in same manner, using all of phyllo.

Bake triangles in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly.

My first go at this was made up from one of our secret suppers’ leftovers – the rich juices of roasted peppers, a handful of olive stones and half a pack of pot barley – but it’s just as easy with a few simple ingredients and can be made in one pot.

Preheat the oven to 150. Gently heat your cuts of good quality chorizo in a steel-bottomed pot until the edges curl and darken and have released some of their red oil into the pan. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add to a glug of olive oil a finely diced onion, a bay leaf, half a very finely diced carrot, half a sliced red chilli and 2 or 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Stir and soften until translucent over a medium heat and then pour in a large glass of red wine and a few branches of fresh thyme. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Roughly chop a couple of red and yellow peppers* and add to the pot with a tin of plum tomatoes, which are best strained and pummeled through the hands to release their flavour. Small cherry tomatoes or pitted black olives are good added here too. Return the chorizo to the pot and stir in a couple of handfuls of pot barley, making sure it’s stirred well and submerged in liquid. Cover and place on the middle shelf of the oven for up to an hour, making sure the barley has swollen to plump kernels.

Serve with a crumbling of feta and the rest of the bottle of red.

*Alternatively, roast the peppers beforehand in the oven and conserve the roasting tin juices for the pot – the longer they cook, the more juice or stock you’ll have. I also went through the slightly fussy but experimentally exciting process of boiling off the clinging flesh of black olives from their stones in the hope of adding more flavour. You needn’t do this but I was out of olives because they went to our guests.

Ellie

OH MY!

Storm number 5 for the week rolled in this evening, and made itself known. Not only was there thunder and lightning, but our backyard looked like this.

Although I wished it was snow, it was only hail. Large, pelting hail. So much that we had accumulation, on the street even.

But before all this weather drama, I had made myself a matcha green tea latte while enjoying some figure skating in HD.

Not as pretty as Starbucks, but tasted just as good.

After all the poetry on ice was done, I made my way to the gym to get my sweat on via the stairclimber and stationary bike. I made it home just as the storm was starting – perfect timing!

Alas, we ended up sending my dad back out in the mess to get dinner. It’s Friday, take out is to be expected.

Can you guess what we had?

Hello delicious Pizza Hut pizza. My choice was the Veggie Mediterranean – roasted red pepper, babay spinach, feta cheese, red onions, tomatoes, black olives, and mozzarella. But I nixed the olives, and had them replaced with mushrooms. Much better!

And since I obviously hadn’t consumed enough refined white flour today, I grabbed a couple of those damn tasty cheesy bread sticks.

Go big or go home, right?

As much as Pizza Hut wouldn’t be my pizza joint of choice, they do make a pretty decent veggie pizza. Not too skimpy on the toppings (although, if I made it myself, I’d totally add more).

Sienna was all attitude when she found out pizza was for dinner – not really a food that shares well with kitties.

Who am I kidding – she’s all attitude all the time

There was hockey to be watched this evening (Canucks win, 5- 2), and hot chocolate to be consumed, with marshmallows again

One would think that, at 12:10 am, it would be bed time. But no…there is more figure skating on TV. Seriously CBC Sports, why do you do this to me? I *could* PVR it and watch it tomorrow, but I want to see it now! Looks like I’ll be camping out on the couch for the next hour or so. Night!

Some years ago, we went hiking with a group of our orchestra. It was a rainy day, it was cold, it was foggy – not the best day for hiking. When we came back, our conductor invited us to come over and eat something. As we were all tired, hungry and not too fond of cutting vegetables for hours, we made pasta with feta and sage. Hungry? Too much work to prepare a big dinner? Open a bottle of white wine, breath deeply,  and while drinking a glass of wine, prepare your fast supper! Then work can go on.

You need:

enough pasta for yourself (about 125 g)

1-2 tblsp butter
4-5 leaves of sage
about 3-4 tblsp of white wine
about 40 g of feta cheese

Boil the pasta al dente and drain it. Re-use the pot (unless you love doing the dishes) and melt the butter. Cut the sage and add it, sauté for about 1-2 minutes, then add the wine. Crumble the cheese and add it, stirring thoroughly. Add some pepper (don’t use salt as the cheese is pretty salty), then the pasta, mix everything and enjoy your meal!

Carved a lovely pumpkin for Halloween and decided there must be something other than soup to make with the cooked puree……and here it is!

250g pumpkin puree
1 (200g) packet feta, crumbled
1 finely chopped roasted red pepper
1 egg, beaten (reserve a bit for glazing)
1/2 tablespoon crushed red chilli flakes, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 packet puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, feta, egg, salt, chilli flakes and black pepper.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 10-12cm squares . Using a spoon, place a dollop of the pumpkin mixture at the top right-hand corner of the square. Brush the edges with milk, fold into a triangle and place on the baking tray. Brush with a little milk or egg. Continue until all the pumpkin mixture has been used.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until pastry is crispy and golden brown.

.. you now what I’m saying?

Det är alldeles för tidigt för sång men jag tror ni fattar vad det handlar om. Jag kommer dock troligtvis dra en trudilutt innan jag går hem från skolan idag.

Sitter och kollar på The Voice och de snackar om bloggar. De säger att man är tvungen att ha starka åsikter för att kunna lyckas. Så jag började fundera om jag har några starka åsikter.

Feta barn är det värsta jag vet för att barn har inga pengar själv till att köpa mat/godis/snacks och det betyder att föräldrarna är de som gör barnen feta. Sätt gränser för fan! Det handlar om era barns hälsa.

Skolmaten. Mycket energi används för att laga mat, kyla ner, förlora näringsämnen, transporteras och sedan värmas upp igen och ännu mer näringsämnen går förlorade. Sedan finns det okunniga personen som lyssnat för mycket på Annica Dahlqvist och försöker applicera detta på skolmaten. Snälla, låt kunniga personer se till att barnen får NÄRINGSRIKTIG mat.

Jag tror nog att det är dessa två punkter som jag brinner mest för och helst skulle vilja jobba med i framtiden. Sen så tycker såklart jag att allt med mat och alla roliga artiklar som ofta kommer upp på aftonbladet.se. Det värsta med artiklar som aftonbladet publicerar är att människor läser detta. Vi läser allt som säger “Det här ger dig cancer – hela listan” eller “Gå ner i vikt skitfort!”. Man kan gå ner i vikt, ja det är möjligt med i princip alla bantningsmetoder. Det handlar i slutändan om att man ska göra av med mer energi än vad man stoppar i sig. Men jag minns så väl när en läkare fick plats i aftonbladet där han sa att man inte behöver äta frukt och grönsaker, man behöver inte vitaminer och antioxidanter och man ska inte träna. Tänk då om någon tar en del av den här artikeln, exempelvis att inte träna, sen tar vi lite från Annica Dahlqvist och äter mycket mättat fett och eftersom vi gillar kolhydrater så lyssnar vi på livsmedelsverket och får alltså äta det också. Det är det som är grejen! När vi har så många dieter så tar människor lite från varje för att det ska passa in på deras normala matvanor. Inte går man ner i vikt på det heller.

Nä, nu får det vara nog för den här gången. Ska packa ner datorn och grejer och cykla till skolan. Fast jag egentligen inte vill..

Back to food blogging. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday! When you don’t get home until Monday night and then you have conferences last night until 8pm, it goes quickly. I have a night off tonight and then conferences again tomorrow night until 8pm – yuck! At least they will all be done by next week, which is only a 1 1/2 day week because I have a doctor’s appt. and we get off for Thanksgiving on Tuesday!

So…. Monday night, about an hour or so after getting back from the airport, my girlfriends Kelly and Bethany came over for dinner. (I tried to take pictures of them, but they were not having it.)

Bethany brought these gorgeous flowers and some soft, yummy, gooey brownies for dessert! Kelly brought an amazing spinach artichoke dip and Stacy’s multigrain pita chips, plus wine for her and B and sparking grape juice for me! How thoughtful they both are! The sparkling grape juice was so good, I had forgotten what it tasted like! Both were very much appreciated! *Sorry Mrs. Prasser, I still have your dish! I will make sure it is safe and hold it hostage until Kelly comes back to visit!

For dinner I decided to try something new! I wanted to make salmon and I wanted to use a POM I had in the fridge so I set out to create a new recipe, which I entered in the POM recipe contest. Here are a few of the key ingredients:

Pomegranate, pumpkin butter and balsamic vinegar. The glaze I mixed up to cover the salmon was:

POM Pumpkin Butter Salmon

• 1/3 c. POM arils, crushed with back of a spoon
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp. pumpkin butter
• 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• salt and pepper

I coated the salmon and threw it in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 450.

Then I got to work on the salad. The salad included:

• organic spring mix
• organic baby spinach
• 1/2 chopped pear
• 1/3 c. POM arils
• 1/4 c. crumbled feta
• a handful of toasted walnuts

It was super easy because I had just run to the store to load up on ingredients!

I enjoyed my wine glass full of sparkling grape juice. It was really really good!

Just in case you get a craving…you know what you are looking for…

Kelly’s amazing spinach artichoke dip

With salmon and salad I served a bowl of quinoa and baked broccoli. The broccoli was done by placing fresh broccoli on a cookie sheet with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, then baking it for about 15 min. at 450.

Sorry, these pictures are a little out of order. Here is the final salmon salad presentation. It was super easy and very flavorful! It went great with the many flavors in the salad. Let me know if you give it a try.

I think I ate my brownie so fast that I didn’t even consider taking a picture. Sorry! Can’t wait for girls night again!

Pregnancy Nutrition Tip:

Don’t eat fish more than twice a week. Make sure servings are not large and fish is on the low mercury list. Just a few types of fish that are safe to eat twice a week while pregnant: shrimp, scallops, salmon, and tilapia. For a detailed list, check out the article I wrote for the Examiner: Mercury in fish

Happy youknowwhatdía!

La mañana de martes began as every morning does.

Only a little mejor.

Because, while coffee gets the day off to a good start, Godiva Chocolate Truffle Cafe gets the day off to a delectable start.

For una chica who always pulls the “I’m not a chocolate person”-card, I am loving this stuff. 

Breakfast was a double.

No, not that kind of double. I wish.

Rather, I refer to a double bowl breakfast (D.B.B.).

I turn to D.B.B.s when I’m either super hungry, or super indecisive.

Ayer, I was both.

Bowl Numero Uno

Kashi 7 Grain Puffs, vanilla almond milk, Truvia, ground flax, cinnamon and a PB spoon.

And since I’m a sog-loving freak, I put bowl #1 in the fridge to marinate while I concocted and consumed bowl #2.

Bowl Numero Dos

Plain Oikos, honey drizzle and pomegranate arils.

Each delicious in its own right. I’m sort of addicted to the popping sensation of biting down on pom arils; so that yogurt bowl was wondrous. However, the super sogginess of 10-minute marinated cereal, helped along by an almond milk-marinated PB spoon: indescribable.

Soon after desayuno, the dainty aroma of polyurethane began to fill la casa.

At which point, I decided I’d like to continue breathing and made the executive decision to pack snacks and haul culo to my local Starbucks.

Los snacks:

Manzana y Honey Graham Z-Bar

La manzana was freakishly GRANDE.

That, or my hands are freakishly small because they couldn’t really wrap around this large and in charge piece o’ produce.

(When I ate it in Starbucks, I felt like everyone around me was staring at my big apple. Or maybe I’m just a loud chewer…)

Moving along, I took a stroll to Starbucks in the GORGEOUS 55° and sunny weather; I’m thinking I stole some sunshine from Florida.

I’d intended to get my first red cup of the season (which is actually a lie since I got one while on vacation—so my first documented, NYC red cup of the season)—but I can’t not get iced coffee when it’s warm out. Sacrilegious.

So I opted for a venti (normal venti—not 36 oz. slushie cup “venti” ) iced coffee con sugar and cinnamon. Pat on the back for not going for the yellow packets.

I also opted for a sneaky webcam shot because I’m too awkward for crowded cafe coffee photography.

(Note how serious I look. I was trying so hard to not look like I was doing a creepy MySpace photoshoot.)

Being the productive chica that I am, I then decided to have a silent Starbucks video chat session con la hermana.

Wherein I lost my I’m-too-awkward-for-camera-action-in-cafes inhibitions.

Hermana was being too cómica to not photograph.

This is Melissa stripping down to share with me two of her latest discoveries. Interested? Claro que si.

First, she wanted to show me that the tinted Jergens moisturizer she’s been using is working—and indeed, tinting her bod. (I think she’s a little celosa [jealous] that somebody just got some sol in Florida…)

Next, she wanted to show me that another recent discovery also, uh, works. This nuevo purchase would be the Victoria’s Secret Miraculous push-up bra. It claims to add two cup sizes—and yesterday I, and several other Starbucks patrons, learned that, indeed, it does.

I was laughing hysterically—and everyone who passed me scoped out my computadora screen, likely in an attempt to understand why some chica loca was giggling and taking pictures of her computer screen.

It was pretty awkward. But the damage was done, so I continued on with my public vid chat and even snapped a non-webcam iced coffee shot for you all.

(Spotted: a special snacky birthday girl in the background.)

I spent about tres horas blogging, blog reading, Z-Bar and apple eating, coffee sipping chugging and eavesdropping—hoping for some good Overheard in Starbucks material. Unfortunately, I think I was the most eccentric character in Starbucks yesterday because the cafe convo was sparse y aburrido.

When I came home, I took a few deep breaths to test toxicity levels, lived and whipped up a late real lunch. Because, in my book, a bar and an apple do not a lunch make.

Ensalada ENORME

In the mix: spinach + romaine, hummus-coated baked chicken, 1/2 avocado, feta, onions, roasted red peppers, oil-cured black olives, yellow pepper, cucumber and balsamic vinaigrette.

Oh, and I might have throw a little Sabra in the center.

In case the hummus-coated pollo didn’t do the trick.

I hadn’t had one of my mix-in-everything-I’ve-got grande salads in over a week—so this was increíble.

And this brings us to the title of this post—which, by the way, is meant to be sung to this tune.

(In the process of searching YouTube for that song, I came across this really creepy children’s video. If you’re bored…)

Anyhow, I’d like to introduce you to my newest friends:

 Annie’s Bunny Graham Friends! I received these a couple of weeks ago when Annie’s sent me a ridiculous goodie bag for winning a contest, and I was most excited to try these amigos since I love all things graham.

I was a little disappointed upon realizing that the bunny friends weren’t straight-up grahams—but rather a blend of honey, chocolate and chocolate chip bunnies. But I quickly came up with a strategic remedy.

Because I have a weird I-need-to-save-the-best-for-last OCD thing, I decided I would eat all of the chocolate bunny friends first so that I’d have a box of honey and chocolate chip (which are basically just honey with little chocolate specs) amigos left.

Needless to say, this was a malo idea. Mostly because it got competitive, and I literally ate all of the chocolate bunnies in the entire box.

Bunny overload.

Despite my chocolate trash-talking, these amigos nuevos are AMAZING. And I can’t wait to dig into my chocolate-less box. (Which is now 1/2 empty because there were a disproportional amount of chocolate bunnies. Oops.)

Dinner was lazy.

Red Snapper & Shrimp

How did I make crispy Cajun fish and shrimp sans kitchen?

I didn’t.

I simply had the foresight to order it to-go Monday night so that I’d have Tuesday’s dinner. Un idea muy inteligente because I was muy perezosa last night.

I think I’m still in vacation-mode because I’ve had no desire to experiment with microwave magic; that or I’m just getting antsy for the kitchen to be done.

This fish was incredible, and massive. And I think it automatically tasted better because it required cero effort.

I put un poco microwaveable effort into dessert.

Popcorn + sriracha, how I’ve missed thee.

Ok, I hope you all have gleeful Wednesday night plans!

Adios,

Sarah

The Nutrition Nut is back…and hopefully not so “nutty”. With my biology exam now in the past, the stress level has reduced 10 fold. I re-fueled with Pita Pit for lunch, the extent of my fast food. If you couldn’t have guessed, I despise fast food. In fact, I wrote a persuasive essay against eating fast food my junior year of high school. I could go on and on…

Although Pita’s motto is: “Fresh Thinking, Healthy Eating”, all of their options are not entirely healthy. I went the Greek route, usually a healthier one: regular pita bread (they were out of whole wheat), falafel, hummus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta & tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce).

With a full tummy, I curled up in bed and napped for 45 minutes. I am drained from the week, and am being extra cautious to avoid any illness – the last thing I want to deal with over vacation. Looking forward to a relaxing evening, which does include SYTYCD : )

Happy, healthy eating!

~ Hillary

Bramborák? What’s that?! It’s a well known, good old friend: Reiberdatschi. Or Kartoffelpuffer. Or Reibekuchen. Or… I don’t know – how many names do we have for them? Bramborák are the Czech version of this meal. In Germany, they are often served with apple sauce; my grand-mother once served them first with a soup, then with apple sauce. Czech people hide sometimes cheese in their bramborák (I like this word!) and eat it with salad.

For one person, you need:

2 big potatoes (about 400 g)
1 egg
1/4 of a small onion
marjoram

oil

some cheese (I used about 40 g of feta cheese)

Peel the potatoes and grate them (I grate one very finely, the other one coarsely), squeeze out the liquid (with your hands) and using a spoon, mix the potatoes with the egg. Chop the onion and add it with the marjoram, some salt and pepper.

In a small  skillet, heat oil (no, this is not a light meal – be generous!). When it’s hot, pour in 1/4 of  the potatoes, flatten them with a spoon, crumble some cheese over it and cover it with another 1/4 of the potatoes. Fry for some minutes, then turn it and fry the other side. Make a second one.

Serve with salad.

Just in case you all thought I was a one-squash lady, I thought I would change things up a bit.

and oh my. Change is definitely good.

I saw this recipe on a site, and thought it looked interesting. I couldn’t remember where I saw it, so I changed it up a bit (actual pizza crust instead of tortillas, for example.) It sounds weird. I know. Trust me. IT IS AMAZING.

eggplant.mushroom.hummus.feta.pizza.
before the recipe, let’s just think of those ingredients for a moment. Separate, they are phenomenal (although, I could go either way on the mushrooms, to be honest. I certainly don’t eat those alone.) Why did it take so long to put them together?!?

1 boboli pizza crust thingy (or legit pizza crust recipe. Side note for Sue – I would love your recipe for pizza crust from scratch…or you can go with the original intent and use whole-wheat tortillas. Or greek-style pitas work really well for one-serving pizzas on the fly, too.)

eggplant, sliced into thin, bite-size pieces

mushrooms, sliced into thin, bit-size pieces

hummus

feta

Spread a generous helping of hummus over the pizza crust. Top with sliced mushrooms and eggplant. Liberally sprinkle feta cheese on top. Preheat oven to 350, bake until eggplant is roasted (about 20 minutes…again, my oven cooks very quickly, so adjust based on your oven.)

enjoy the best comfort food known to man.

Ingredients: zucchini, Travnicki cheese, bulgur wheat, egg, scallion, lemon, bread crumbs, oregano, mint, black pepper, salt.

I came across recipes for kolokithokeftedes (Greek for “zucchini meatballs”) a few times while browsing other people’s food blogs, and finally got around to making them at home. This was an instance of being fairly sure I’d enjoy what I was cooking, yet with hardly a clue as to what it would taste like.

I started by preparing some coarse wheat bulgur. I love the chewiness of bulgur, and figured it would blend into and fortify the texture of my fritters. Most recipes suggested either breadcrumbs or plain flour, but I wanted more “tooth.”

When the bulgur had cooled, I combined it with the rest of the ingredients: an entire grated zucchini, an egg, chopped scallion, oregano, mint, a big squeeze of lemon, and plenty of salt & pepper. I also crumbled and blended in a block of Travnicki Sir, which is a Bosnian brined sheep’s milk cheese similar to mild feta. Although it surely didn’t matter for this particular recipe, I just love the texture of Travnicki. It’s light, nowhere near as dense as feta, yet with a stiff integrity and springy resistance to the bite. I often enjoy it with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

Many of the kolokithokeftedes I saw online were flat patties, like latkes (Jewish potato pancakes, the only fritters Mom used to make). For some reason I wanted mine to be spherical. Another common feature I wished to avoid were the dark burned bits of zucchini flecking the outside of the fritters. So, before frying, I shaped the dough into golfballs, and gave them an extra roll-around in some bread crumbs. This provided a protective layer that saved the zucchini bits from blackening.

The results were spectacular, if a bit hard to describe. The outsides were crispy of course, but gave way quickly in the mouth to a creamy-yet-chewy filling, almost like risotto. There was no zucchini texture, but its flavor lurked in the background, providing a slightly bitter “healthy” taste. The foreground of the flavor profile was all Greek: herby from mint & oregano, tangy from lemon and feta, rich from the olive oil I used for frying.

This one looks surprisingly easy and delish, with far fewer calories than I would have imagined:

Ingredients:

• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups spinach,washed, tough stems removed
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 cup finely crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 6 small potatoes, cooked and halved

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper. Toss quickly until leaves are barely wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs, egg whites, cheese, oregano, salt and pepper together until thoroughly combined.

3. In an 8″ or 10″ ovenproof, nonstick skillet, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Turn the heat to low, and add the spinach and halved potatoes (cut side down).

5. Add the egg mixture (do not stir) and cook over low heat until the eggs are set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

6. Place the skillet under the broiler for 30 to 45 seconds to finish cooking the top of the frittata.

Nutrition:

Number of Servings: 6

Per Serving

• Calories: 180
• Carbohydrate: 18 g
• Fat: 6 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Sodium: 508 mg

no.. i am not getting hitched.  but i am using this little wedding rhyme for the theme of today’s post!  but FIRST i would like to reflect back on some of the motivational tips you guys left on yesterday’s post.. because daaaang i have some clever readers!

sharing time:

• deb: “I think it’s about re-committing and just mother f-ing DOING it!”
• jenna:”I motivate myself by thinking of how exciting it will be to see how proper eating and training will postitively affect my body.”
• nicci: “I motivate myself with a reward at the end of the month. Not food related but a nice pedi or a new shirt. Sometimes going and buying 3 magazines or a new book.”
• lizzy:”i do what you did and just list out the things i know i need to work on. having that list out in front of me is what helps”
• allison: “I need to dive right back into it, otherwise ‘vacation mode’ lasts for weeks”
• tay: “It’s super hard to get BOT, but I go day by day and it gets easier! I think about how much better I’ll feel once I feel clean and on track again.”
• ildie: “Try setting mini goals. Things you want to accomplish at the end of every week instead of at the end of the 7 weeks. Might be easier to meet them and then feeling good about succeeding should motivate you to keep at it. I find that this works the best for me. I try and set a mini goal for every week.”
• susan: “Part of the reason why I’m tracking calories again. Maybe it will be helpful to tighten things up just to get me through the holiday season. At least Christmas is full of turkey, which is the best lean protein there is I guess just realizing that you’re doing it and changing it is the first step in the right direction…”
• naomi: “I always get motivated when I go to the gym, this is why i never workout at home…even if I am not in the mood, once I get there I always have a great workout, seeing everyone else work so hard motivates me to work even HARDER than them!”
• paige: “I just do it. I don’t have any real words of wisdom here. I just…do it. Coercion I guess? lol”
• kristin: “when I need to get back on track- list, list, list! And I’ll write down what I’m eating (NOT kcals, just the food) for a couple weeks to make sure I am balanced. But no more- getting obsessive is no good!
  I also like to switch up the exercise, which is always a fun way to kick it up.”
• andrea: “I remind myself of how much better I feel when I work out right and eat clean. I also write my meals and workouts into my day planner. That way they are an appointment I can’t miss…”
• holly: “i think just continuing on with healthy habits – everytime i try to compensate for overeating/not exercising but doing the opposite, it never ends up well. just resume healthy habits and all shall be fine.”
• low: “make a list of attainable things I can do to help. Maybe it’s not everything I’d ideally like to be doing, but it’s the stuff I know I can accomplish and that will take me closer to my goal.”
• kailey: “I assess the situation when I’m in it. Am I really hungry, or is this just a habit I’ve created? Is that what I really want? Do I feel like feeling like crap after I eat this whole box of crackers? Nah. That normally helps, but then again I try not to be stringent or too hard on myself.”
• katie: “I have started trying on my bathing suit more than once a week to motivate myself. I sometimes disgust myself, but it sure motivates my butt into gear.” <—this was my favorite tip!
• erika: “I am in that mode myself and have resorted to counting some cals. I know, bad, but I am at the point where I am viewing any amount of almond butter as ok bc it is good for you. I like to leave out the fact that 6 TBS is NOT good for you. So counting works for me to get on track…”
• dorothy: “think about how great i feel after i eat super healthy all day and how stupid it would be to ruin it for a piece of cake or (hehe) vanilla bean ice cream”
• taysa: “I usually keep around inspirational pictures, either of myself at a healthy weight or celebrities, etc and put them in front of me wherever I am. Seeing my end-goal helps me feel remotivated.”
• angharad: “I tend to just make sure I do lots of exercise (running, yoga and weights for me!) and eat as much fruit/veggies as possible!”
• tiffany: “I get motivated by reading about you getting motivated.”
• kristi: “When I know I have the support of someone else, I tend to be more motivated and make better choices.”

whew. that was long but SO worth it.. it helped me to go over all the tips again and i hope you all can pull something motivating from this list the next time you need a little nudge!

okay, now onto my day! 

something new.

okay, no, i am not going in the order of the classic wedding rhyme.. so deal with it

meal 1: egg whites+feta+spinach+chicken+onions & dry wheat toast & black coffee @ 8:00 AM

so.. the original pancake house has been getting old.  for those of you who are new to reading my rambles.. i go to the original pancake house EVERY monday for a sales meeting.. and the meals get OLD.. FAST.  and then for some reason today i decided to try a totally new combo.. and it. was. incredible.  why did i never utilize the chicken option before? no idea. but you can bet the farm (if you have one) that i will be having chicken in my eggs for many a monday to come!

work was busy again today! i managed to break just a bit past when i would normally eat. i chugged lots of water in between meals to tide me over.

something old.

ohhh.. an oldie but a goodie!

meal 2: cottage cheese + garbanzos + hidden valley ranch seasoning @ 1:00 PM

it had been way too long since i had this combo.  i didn’t have any add ins today but it was perfectly delicious just as it was.

around 5 o’clock i had half of an unphotographed clif bar.. we will call it meal 3 just because. and then i was at work until 6:15. that is an 11 hour and 15 minute monday at work. bah. i did manage to finish my gallon of water before leaving the office though.

i did not go home and lay around like i wanted to. i went to the gym. go me.

something blue.

my workout outfit had a whole slew of blue. blue tshirt. blue hoodie. blue socks. blue on my shoes.

don’t mind the huge mess behind me.. i am still working on unpacking! it never ends!

my workout~

20 min HIIT on treadmill

• incline=0
• 2 min @ 6.0
• incline=0.5
• 1 min @ 6.5
• 1 min @ 7.0
• 1 min @ 7.5
• 1 min @ 8.0
• incline=1.0
• 1 min @ 6.5
• 1 min @ 7.0
• 1 min @ 7.5
• 1 min @ 8.0
• incline=1.5
• 1 min @ 6.5
• 1 min @ 7.0
• 1 min @ 7.5
• 1 min @ 8.0
• incline=2.0
• 1 min @ 6.5
• 1 min @ 7.0
• 1 min @ 7.5
• 1 min @ 8.0
• incline=0
• 1 min @ 9.0 (high point)
• 1 min @ 2.0 (cool down)

not gonna lie.. i am surprised i could still run so fast after slacking for so long. i ended up going 2.25 miles in the 20 minutes.  then i rode the bike for 10 minutes just for fun.

something borrowed.

well.. i guess my dinner could count for something borrowed AND something blue.. but i wanted to tie my workout in somewhere so that is where the blue went

meal 4: amazing salad @ 8:00 PM

still working on good lighting at the new house. ha. this salad had..

• romaine
• sprouts
• grilled chicken
• braeburn apple (half)
• avocado
• blue cheese

and something borrowed..

artichoke hearts from the roomie!

i topped it all with the balsamic dressing i snagged at trader joe’s while in cali.

i don’t know what it is about the pairing of blue cheese with apples.. IT. IS. SO. DANG. TASTY.

pre dressing drizzle..

post dressing drizzle..

i may or may not have licked the plate.

after dinner i worked on unpacking my room a bit.  i was folding a heap of clothes and i found another spider in my room. good thing my brave roommate drew came to the rescue and did away with the creepy crawly.  i think he may have been surprised at how much i freaked out over the spider.  i HATE spiders.  i am definitely arachnophobic. to the max. i am ridiculous when i see spiders. i squeal and make a huge fuss. and it is not an act. i hate spiders. even the ones who can’t hurt me. hfewjkhfcdjkflhew. i have to stop talking about them now. oh yeah, and this should go without saying, but after i found the spider i stopped unpacking. better luck tomorrow, eh?

well i feel like i haven’t had a second to breathe today. wake up, work nearly 12 hours, work out, come home, make dinner, eat, clean, blog. guess i will go to bed and do it all again tomorrow   and maybe have a moment to tackle my google reader which is up to almost 300. sorry lovies!

this girl has got to get some sleep.

Qs~

1. what is something old, something new, something borrowed OR something blue in relation to your monday? i already told you all 4 of mine!

2. what phobias do you have? in addiction to arachnophobia, i am also VERY claustrophobic.

xo. janetha b.

Since I got the idea half way through my meal, forgive me the picture of a half eaten pie. Was good, by the way, with leek and Greek cheese. Together with a glass of Malbec made my stomach really happy after a full working day.

I need a good place to post recipes I come across, and this blog is the natural choice.  Most recipes I find online take at least 3 hours and 45 ingredients to prepare, so when I stumble upon something that sounds simple and delicious, I like to keep track of it.  Here’s the first entry into my simple and delicious recipe book/blog, with more to follow soon:

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
2. In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, and mustard. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts

Servings per Recipe: 4 (2 cups each)

Calories: 420
Total Fat: 21.5g
Sat Fat: 4.5g
Mono Fat: 4g
Poly Fat: 12g
Protein: 13.5g
Carb: 49g
Fiber: 9g
Cholesterol: 16.5mg
Sodium: 245mg

Found this recipe here:

http://recipes.kaboose.com/ellie-krieger-whole-wheat-pasta-salad-with-walnuts-and-feta-cheese.html