Pass MORE of the pumpkin please!

    This recipe I confess is apparently a repeat...I just searched my archive and saw it way back at the beginning. However, it is so very good that it is definitely deserving of another print, especially as it is so very fitting to the season. Without any further adieu, my most favorite and might I add ever popular pumpkin pie recipe. It is crustless (save on the carbs, heaven knows we all need that over the holidays!) and even the most determined self proclaimed pumpkin pie haters have been converted to the way of the crustless pumpkin pie...

     Mom’s Famous Crustless Pumpkin Pie


1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 Tbsp butter softened
2 13 oz. can evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1 c. Bisquick Baking Mix
2 15 oz. cans Pumpkin (or the equivalent of 4 c. fresh or 1 large 29 oz can )
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 tsp. vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350^, spray 4  9” pie plates evenly with a light coat of cooking spray. Beat all ingredients in a large bowl till smooth. Once pie plates are evenly filled, bake until golden brown and an inserted knife comes out clean, about 50 min - 1hr depending on your oven. Let set for 10 min or so. Serve with homemade whip cream or vanilla ice cream. 


P.S. This recipe can easily be cut in half for only 2 pies. We go through ‘em like crazy though, so I always make up the whole batch. Also makes a GREAT quick breakfast. You do the math, the ingredients are no more “sugary” etc than breakfast cereal, and kids LOVE it! Serve with milk instead of ice cream and your kids just may sing to you the favorite...Bill Cosby style... morning music of    “Mom is great, gives us...Pumpkin Pie!"

Life IS Peachy

    Where do I even begin?! Sad but true that it has been so long since I have recorded the chaos/life experiences/joys of cooking for all of you to glean from. And so much has happened too! We had our first crop of peaches this year, and I got the pleasure of staying on my feet for 3+ hours learning to can at my uncle’s house (who by the way lives within 5 miles from me, maybe this is something standard for the rest of the world but for ME, never in my life have I lived so close to family). Anyway, I was still pregnant at the time and hoping very much that the hard work would in fact “work” on expelling my little attachment, but to no avail.
     SO the peaches were not only delicious, but quite abundant as we had close to 35 bottles of jam and 15+ large bottles of actual peaches. Amazing and quite satisfying as I filled the pantry once the job was completed. Within a few short days, we had a family come to live with us (my counterpart actually to this blog, but between the two of us she has been so busy as well she hasn’t been on yet!) She made good use of our basement for 6+ weeks with her three little boys, and let me tell you life was a joy and complete chaos all rolled into one! Once she was here and settled, my mother in law came out and I proceeded to try just about everything under the sun to see if we could have this little baby, as I was dying to find out who and what it was. Well lets just say about 3 false labors, tons of primrose oil, walks, and yes the dreaded castor oil later, I was in labor!
    The long and short of it...about 8 hours of walking and moaning (and crying) later, we were the proud parents of boy #4! Yes! Eli Michael joined our ranks (all naturally might I add, meaning no drugs at least until after the delivery!) and we are so very happy to have him here. The boys have taken to him like he should have been and was in fact here the whole time! We love it, and have loved the weeks with our dear friends before they moved on to Washington. I will soon be adding pictures of the 7 of them (all 5 up to the counter at meal times) so that you can get a glimpse into what life was like around here for that time! We loved it, and we were grateful for the help during a crazy run in with a contractor that did not finish his work (whom we will now have to sue for running out on our job only half way through it and 3 weeks over due) on our house. So, needless to say, life IS peachy. We have been blessed with a healthy boy again, and I am hoping to eek out a few meager moments a day to contribute yet again to my rantings on the constant daily grind of food preparation, and feeble attempts to design healthy and quick meals for a family... now comprised... of 6! 

Don’t let the Goat Cheese get Ya...

     That’s right! Don’t let it intimidate you either! At approx. half the calories and fat for just the regular goat cheese too (try 80 calories and 5 g fat per 1 oz. vs. 80 FAT calories and 9-10 g fat per 1 oz. of oh so yummy cheddar cheese) this is quite a delicious treat to add flavor variety to all sorts of dishes. Today’s special? Farmer’s Market tomatoes served up Caprese style. At least that was what they called it in the restaurant, so I will make my version the with the same name too. Ultimate fav about this one? Not only is it so rediculously easy, but a major crowd pleaser, can double as just a side dish vs. appetizer, AND it tastes GREAT too.  Check out the bottom for another quick summer lovin’ but no oven “dish” perfect from those extra summer peaches you may not know what to do with too...


     Tomato and Goat Cheese Caprese

1 large heirloom tomato
2-3 sprigs basil, torn
1-2 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
5-8 pitted Kalamata olives
olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper for drizzling

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a platter, sprinkle torn basil, goat cheese crumbles, and olives. Drizzle olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper and POOF, you are DONE!

     Grilled Peaches

2-4 peaches sliced in half and pitted
olive oil
balsamic vinegar if desired

Rub the peaches in oil, grill on a hot BBQ for 3-5 min. per side (make sure not to char ;o)
Serve with an extra splash of balsamic if desired.
PERFECT for a BBQ dinner one night, or as dessert with a little beat of cheese or cream to end an oh so good meal.

Jamaican Me Crazy Sweet Potatoes

     This dish is dedicated to my kids...mostly because they do make me crazy, but the contents of this meal pretty much rock in my book and are a little like my kids. Spicy, zippy, sweet, colorful, and the perfect blend of what really makes a dish de-lish. It can even totally pull off a summer or a winter dinner fix. I got the idea from the restaurant Claim Jumpers that I used to go to in Vegas with the hubs back when we had more money and were trying to wooo (sp?) each other. Then I found a version I liked on the internet, and altered it to my specs. Basically it is a baked sweet potato slathered in a sort of jamaican style jerk seasoned chicken and topped with some super yum mango salsa and a little drizzle of honey. You bet your boots it is too good to be true. And for all of you that just may be bored with what else to do for dinner, this one def. qualifies as a winner, and super easy meal that is even kid friendly (we just skip the spicy salsa and viola!)

     Check it...http://whiskedawaycooking.blogspot.com (also another great site for some fun recipes and cute stories of cooking in the kitchen)

Important Note; I will re-type below for the “just in case purposes”. Also, she calls for Papaya, I used mango since I have a ton from the farmers co-op here. I also did not use as much onion, basically cut it to 1/4 of an onion plus a small shallot because I HEART them...also used half a red pepper and a whole fresh jalepeno for serious kick. Adjust your amounts to fit your needs though and maybe even prepare earlier to sit for a few hours! I did at lunch while kids were eating (also letting the chicken marinate) so dinner was a snap once I threw it together. Love it.






Jamaican Sweet Potato

2 sweet potatoes (try to get the kind with orange flesh--they might technically be yams), baked until the skins are crisp and the flesh is tender (poke holes in the potatoes, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, cook directly on oven rack)

1 small white onion, diced (or 1/4 plus a shallot)
1 red bell pepper, diced (or 1/2)
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
1 fat clove garlic (or two small), minced
8 slices jarred jalapeno, minced (or one fresh one diced)
1 papaya (~1 lb), diced (or one mango)
2 tbsp lime juice (used 1 whole lime)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
(mix all these together, refrigerate until needed)

2 6-oz chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried chives
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
(mix all spices together, coat chicken pieces w/extra virgin olive oil then the spice mixture, you can let marinate til ready to use, then cook chicken in skillet w/a little more olive oil)

butter
honey
green onions

To assemble:
When potatoes are done, cut them open and add about 1 tbsp butter (optional); top with salsa and chicken; add green onions; drizzle with honey

My Fab Find of the Week

     Actually, this isn’t even my find at all, once again my nutrition oriented mother-in-law health guru sent this on to me. And I wasn’t even going to watch it...but I did. Perhaps out of shear boredom, or curiosity! Either way, I am sooo glad that I took those precious 4 and 1/2 minutes out of my day to be reminded of why health and nutrition is so important to me (tiny overtones of sarcasm here). Obviously I am not fully committed like the folks in this little clip, maybe I should be though as I did have a scare or two with some of the gestational diabetes tests that were required at one point in this pregnancy. I felt a little fire ignite again my passion for helping people, showing them a different way to eat and live healthy doing it. Enough passion that maybe I will forgo second helpings at dinner, or that leftover double chocolate brownie in the freezer I couldn’t help but notice today when I was scanning the frozen shelves for some miraculous meal idea to hit me. And maybe it will inspire you too. Tell me your foodie thoughts...is it a crock? Can this type of an eating reality be reached? Lend me your words, and maybe we’ll experiment together...

foodmatters.tv Reverse Diabetes in 30 Days

Today’s Crave...

     Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yup, and I am pretty sure they are not exactly considered healthy. Oh well, they sure are yummy! So yummy in fact, I have eaten almost all the leftovers today. And this is not even counting all the batter I ate when I made them. That’s ok, because tomorrow you will get to hear all about Kefir, and maybe some delicious chinese food creations soon as I will be picking up my food co-op basket this weekend too. More yum to come!

Purify and Simplify

      This is my message of the week. Why? Because I am constantly reminded of the importance of these two little verbs in my life. The hubs was supposed to leave for a month of training yesterday (yeah I am due in less than 6 weeks) but due to some unforeseen events (he didn’t pass a test first) he will be delayed in attending this particular class. Good to be home for the next few weeks, but def. some re-adjusting to be done!    

     And then there are my kiddos. As much as health is an important part of my life, so is sanity. And finances! Most of us can’t afford hundreds of dollars a week on organic snacks or all natural soaps, cleaners, and other products, and even much organic produce for that matter...(well maybe you can, but I know that I can’t!) SO, the point of all this contemplative reflection is this. What is most important to you? Where can you afford to make some allowances, and where is it that you just cannot budge? This is my motto for each day. I approach everything from what needs to be done around the house, to what I can squeeze in by way of activities to what we are going to eat for lunch. This is my recipe for mental health. We eat as clean (meaning little to NO preservatives, corn syrup, MSG that sort of thing) and as simple as possible. So what if I may not be able to buy perfectly fun and delicious snacks all the time. If I have fresh fruit and hormone free all natural milk around, there are at least 10 different things I can provide my kids with that is nutritious (and yummy too!) So what if my floors are not always sparkling and shiny, my kitchen and dishes most of the time will be! Maybe laundry isn’t always put away, but it is washed regularly and you can find clean clothes in any number of places if you look hard enough. I do try to keep things clutter free though, and leave my living room and family areas warm and inviting. It is all about what works for you, what is best for you, and then don’t worry about anything else!

     And when I say leave the rest, don’t beat yourself up about it either! Kinda funny for a food blog I guess, but to me so much of this overlaps each other. I mean, how many eating disorders and other controlling behaviors or tendencies surround the obsession with and inability to maintain a healthy relationship with food? Make it simple for yourselves; decide today what is best and leave the rest. Then you can take the time saved over worrying or going to long lengths for that perfect healthy meal and savor it. Sit back and drink up the delicious ice cold glass of lemonade that you whipped up from the lemons life has given you. You won’t regret it, your family, your mind, and your taste buds will thank you too!