The Hallmark Channel. Who Knew?

It's holiday movie season! The roommates have introduced me to ALL the holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel. And I've...become obsessed. It's amazing how many stranded travelers find love at the airport/gas station/church. (P.S...NEVER get into a car at the gas station. I watch enough Dateline to know that does NOT end in a happy ending. Especially if the guy has a mustache. #murdermustache)

The weather here today...sucks. It's been raining all day and all night and it will probably freeze overnight, so clearly it is a night for Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. I've made the recipe before and found it kind of bland, so this time around I added some spices. I think the next time I'll add cheese. Because almost everything tastes better with cheese.

Comfort Food. Hot, delicious comfort food.

Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Original recipe on Allergy Free Cooking and Baking. You have to scroll down pretty far to get to it.

Ingredients:
6-8 medium baking potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced
about 1-2 cups cubed cooked ham
1 T olive oil
1 T red pepper flakes
3 T gf flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
1 small can green chilies

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease casserole dish with spray. Add ham and potatoes to dish.
2. Heat 1 T olive oil in pan, add red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute. Add flour, salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute and then add milk. Stir constantly until boiling, continue stirring and boil for 1 minute, until thickened.
3. Pour sauce over ham and potatoes.
4. Bake covered for 45 minutes and then uncover and cook for 45-60 minutes more. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

I leave the skins on the potatoes because a) peeling takes time
and b) all the vitamins are in the skin. Eat your vitamins.

I added more red pepper flakes after I poured the sauce over
potatoes. And some more black pepper. 

The Thanksgiving One

I'm all about the really creative titles tonight!

First of all, now that we are post-Thanksgiving, I can officially wish you a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

My friend Mollie hosted a wreath-making party last weekend, and I surprised myself by actually not making one that would make Charlie Brown's Christmas tree look like the Rockefeller tree. Voila! We also had hot cocoa to kick off the holiday season, so I brought my mix. It is easy to make and tastes great in warmed coconut milk. I've used rice milk also, but the coconut milk makes it much creamier.

My first ever homemade holiday wreath. You
know I made it because that bow is a
hot mess...

Hot Cocoa Mix (Original recipe from Food Allergies on a Budget)
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-2 vanilla beans, seeded and scraped out
1 cup high quality cocoa
1 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Blend together the sugar and vanilla beans.
2. Add cocoa and sea salt and blend together
3. Store in air tight container.

I scoop out two to three spoonfuls into a mug of heated coconut milk and stir. It's also super delicious with a little Peppermint Schnapps too :)

I feel like this bird would murder you in your sleep.

Now, on to Thanksgiving. Holiday meals (and family meals in general) can be a little bit complicated when you're the Worst Dinner Guest Ever. They involve a lot of pre-planning and texts from my mom checking recipe lists and ingredient lists. I always bring at least one side that I can eat and a dessert, but we work really hard to make sure that the main dish (meat dish...come on, this is Iowa :) ) is something I can eat.  Last year I made the turkey and it turned out delicious! My mom made the same recipe this year and, guess what...it was delicious again!

Thanksgiving in our family means turkey, potatoes, green bean casserole (for my BIL), homemade bread (not Kim-friendly), stuffing, and pie. Same turkey from last year, we did roasted potatoes instead of mashed to save room on the stove top, I ate salad instead of green bean casserole, we had two stuffings (one outlined below), and two pumpkin pies (one outlined below).  I always know I'm not going to be able to eat everything at the table, but I don't need to eat everything at the table. As long as I can have dessert, I'm golden.

I didn't take pictures of the steps of either recipe. The stuffing was made at my parent's house on Thanksgiving morning and I barely remembered to take this before it went on the table.  The pumpkin pie was made at 10pm on Wednesday night (aka...Thanksgiving Eve) because I ended up with Dinner and a Movie plans and that takes precedence over not going out and baking. :)

P.S.  Mockingjay 2 was very, very good. But the baby in the end was totally Asian. So, I think Katniss has some explaining to do. #spoileralert

Quinoa Stuffing
Original Recipe at Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed*
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper**
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water***
zest of one orange
2 cups roughly-chopped fresh spinach
2/3 c dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss butternut squash, olive oil, and seasonings until evenly coated. Spread out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft and cooked adn the edges begin to brown. Remove and set side.
3. Meanwhile, stir together quinoa, water, and orange zest and cook according to package instructions. When cooked, set aside.
4. Add the cooked squash, quinoa, spinach, and cranberries to a large mixing bowl, and gently toss to combine. Serve warm.

*So, cutting into a squash is a bitch. As is peeling one. I may or may not have absolutely strained my shoulder because of this recipe. Enough that I had a heating pad on it that night and couldn't do everything at yoga the next day because it still hurt. I'm getting old.
**My mom gets spice mixes from Penzey's and she had a mix in her cupboard of herbs that was amazing, so I sprinkled that on the squash before roasting too.
***I used water because I didn't bring any broth with me.

Voila! Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream.

Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
Original Recipe on Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:
Crust*
6 T cold vegan butter
1 1/4 c Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour
1/4 tsp salt
4-6 T ice cold water

Filling
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (about 1.5 15 oz cans)
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c unsweetened coconut milk
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp sea salt

*I made the crust two days ahead of time so it had plenty of time to chill in the refrigerator

Ingredients:
1. To prepare crust, add gluten free flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Slice or dollop the cold butter in and work gently with a fork or pastry cutter to cut it in. Don't overwork, just get it incorporated.
2. Next add ice cold water a little at a time and use a wooden spoon to stir. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together.
3. One a loose dough is formed, transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and work gently with your hands to form a 1/2 inch thick disc. Wrap firmly and refrigerate for a minimum 30 minutes, up to two days. Just let it warm back up a bit before using.
4. Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare pie filling.
5. Add all pie ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
6. To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two sizable layers of wax paper (plastic wrap will work ok, but wax paper is best). Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. If it cracks, just reform with your hands once you transfer to the pan.
7. To transfer the crust, remove the top layer of wax paper and gently lay the pie dish down on top of the crust and use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully invert it.
8. Once you get the crust inverted, gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. It can be a little tricky, but it bakes beautifully. Try not to overwork the dough in the process. Any holes or cracks can be mended with a little excess dough and the heat of your hand.
9. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350 for 60-65 minutes. The crust should be light golden brown and the filling will still be just a bit jiggly and have some cracks on the top. Remove from oven and let cool completely before loosely covering and transferring to the refrigerator to fully set for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
10. Slice and serve with coconut whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or pumpkin pie spice (optional).

I had to use a cake pan because I don't have my kitchen stuff (one month until I move and have all my stuff again!) but it worked fine. The pie turned out great and I have been eating it for breakfast and for dessert for a few days now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Bring on December!

The Not-Thanksgiving One

Well, we've had snow, ice, and rain, so it must be November in Iowa.

This is the Not-Thanksgiving One.  Over the past couple of weeks, I've been extraordinarily busy, which is why this post is a little off-schedule. A lot of the busy is work-related, but some of it is FUN-related. And that's the best kind of busy.  

Two of the recipes I am posting here were quite good. One was...eh. It wasn't awful, but I didn't love it. Which is also why there are no pictures of it. But first things first. We got quite the winter storm last weekend. I was dog-sitting, and she was worthless at shoveling, but I did manage to get her to wear a hat. For about five seconds. It was magical.

The hat was super cute. Rori was less than impressed.

So pretty! Edward Scissorhands soundtrack/snowglobe.

On to the food!  I made both of these so I would have food to eat while dog-sitting and they were both perfect 'snowed in and it's cold' options. 

Meal #1: Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potatoes

Original Recipe on Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes

3/4 lb (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c olive oil

2 T fresh lime juice

3 whole chipotle peppers*

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper

2 cups spinach (about half a 10oz bag)

5 ounces lactose/dairy free cheese**

*I couldn't find chipotle, so I used habenero and Holy Toledo. They were spicy but awesome

**I used less because I just used the pepper jack fake cheese that I already had 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash sweet potatoes and prick all over with a fork. Place in oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender. Place chicken in a baking dish and rub with a T of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in oven with the potatoes and bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool and shred the chicken with forks. When the sweet potatoes are done cut in half and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

2. In  medium size bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Set aside. 

3. Wilt the spinach in the microwave (1-2 min). Toss the spinach and the shredded chicken together, set aside and keep warm.

4. Turn oven up to 400 degrees. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a medium size layer of flesh inside with the peel so that it can stand up on it's own and place in a baking dish. Brush the skins with a little of the sauce and bake for 5-10 minutes until nice and crisp. While the skins bake, mix the spinach, chicken and sauce together. Remove skins from the oven and stuff with the chicken mixture, top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the skins are hot and crisp.

Artistic shot of the GIANT sweet potatoes I used. Too big...

Chipotle [Habenero] Pepper Sauce

Shredded chicken, spinach and sauce

Yum-o

Used the insides to make mashed sweet potatoes.
High Carb Dinner...

Meal #2: Sweet and Spicy Shredded Chicken

Original Recipe on Life and Thymez

Ingredients:

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts

4 bell peppers (yellow, orange, and/or red)

1/2 c chives, chopped

1 c brown sugar (I'll use less the next time...a tad sweet)

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice

Sprinkles of chili pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and cumin

Directions:

1. Take the chicken and place at the bottom of a slow cooker

2. Thinly slice peppers and set aside

3. In a large bowl, combine chopped chives, brown sugar and diced tomatoes before adding in the peppers. Mix well and sprinkle with chili pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and cumin. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for six hours.

4. At five hours, remove the chicken and shred, then add back to the slow cooker

5. Serve over brown rice.

This was super sweet so I actually added pineapple chunks to it when reheating. That was a great addition!

Cyclone Power! #cyclONEnation

Less sugar in the sauce next time...

And...the bowl was a little smaller than expected

Oooh...This is a 'saucy' meal, but adding pineapple also
helps soak up the sauce. As does the brown rice.

Dinner is served!

Meal #3: Hawaiian Barbeque Chicken

Recipe found at The Gracious Pantry. Didn't love this one, won't make it again,

Game Changer

I plan to post about all of the Thanksgiving WINS this week and two hits and a meh later this weekend, but...

I made chili today in the slow cooker with fire roasted tomatoes and it was a GAME CHANGER. GAME CHANGER!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving, everybody! That magical day when it's totally appropriate and expected to have pumpkin pie for breakfast.

Blerg

This week is kicking my ass and it's only Monday... My Monday blog post is happening, but the recipe is not very exciting.

I had a night meeting and then ran to the store afterwards because I've been sick all weekend and had no food. I had to take a call while at the grocery store tonight. Distracted + no list = random crap in my basket. That's what she said.

I got home with the following randos: a box of cereal (that I remember getting-I need to eat breakfast), two Roma tomatoes, a pork loin, chicken tenders, maple bacon kettle chips, and some thin steak thingies.

So, what concoction did I make with that? Pan-fried chicken tenders, French fries from the freezer, and green beans. And I'm on my second glass of wine. Heaven.

I took no pictures. It was all I could do to get my pajama pants on when I got home...don't ask me to find my phone when all I want is wine.

I cannot stress enough how much you
need this in your life

Pan-Fried Chicken Tenders

Ingredients
1 lb chicken tenders
1 T chili-infused olive oil (I didn't measure...I just did a couple of swoops around the pan. Technical kitchen term....'swoops')
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Pan fry chicken tenders about 20 minutes or until done.

So easy, right!? And I hit all the food groups: protein, vegetables, starch, wine. Done and done.

I've been sick for about a week, and finally threw in the towel and admitted it on Friday afternoon.

I'm basically the real/human form of Monica
Geller...'Chandler...I think I'm sick....'

This week is nuts-o, so this is as good as it gets for a recipe. But it's easy and it's good.

Comfort Food Translates in Every Language

Everyone has their go-to comfort food. Mine is and has always been Chinese food or sushi. I can't do Chinese take-out, and today was definitely an 'I need Chinese food' kind of day. I made an amazing Mongolian Beef recipe last week, so I was going to just make that again, but then I came across a Kung Pao Chicken recipe and that sounded delicious too! And I also had this stuck in my head for the rest of the day...

I watched this a lot when I was in college because the boys I nanny'd for were in love with Veggie Tales. Also, so was my roommate :)

How'd your day go? Mine ended with leftover juice box from
Saturday. It's best to have a juice box instead of a glass bottle
when tailgating. Safety first.

I had to make several modifications, and I actually had to remake the sauce because I broke Cardinal Rule #1, I didn't check the ingredients of the Chinese Black Vinegar bottle before I bought it and only noticed that it had onion and garlic in it when I was looking to see if I needed to refrigerate after opening...so, tossed out sauce batch #1 and started over! Also, one of the main ingredients of normal Kung Pao Chicken is peanuts, and if you can eat them, they can be added at the end. The original recipe is on Closet Cooking.

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 T and 1 tsp gf soy sauce*
1 T Chinkiang (Chinese black vineggar) or balsamic vinegar**
2 T chicken broth or water***
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
3 T oil (I used chili-infused olive oil and it was delicious)
1 tsp to 1 T Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground****
1 T ground ginger (You can use fresh, I had ground in the cupboard)
4 green onions (only use the green part and DO NOT use the white part), sliced
1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:
1. Mix the soy sauces, vinegar, broth/water, sugar and corn starch and set aside.
2. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and saute until just about cooked and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chilies and peppercorns and saute until fragrant, about one minute.
4.  Add the ginger and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the sauce mixture, bring to a boil, add the chicken and green onions (and peanuts if you can have them), remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil.
6. I served it over brown rice.

*the original called for 1 T light soy sauce and 1 tsp dark soy sauce. I just used 1 tsp and 1 T of my soy sauce and called it a day.
**the Chinkiang is NOT Kim-friendly, so I used balsamic vinegar when I re-made the sauce
***I used water because I haven't had time to make any chicken broth and if you're low FODMAP, you can't eat commercial brand broths
****because I decided to make this at 3pm, I did not have time to go to the Asian grocery store, and not surprisingly, HyVee did not have this. Instead, I just sprinkled some Chinese Five Spice into the pan when I was supposed to put in the peppercorns. Still good

Dried Chili Pepper-in the Asian
Section of your store

Sauce Version #1...the second round looked exactly the same.
You must always have red wine when you cook. 

The smells! So good

Voila! Kung Pao Chicken

Super exciting weekend of Halloween shenanigans, a big WIN for ISU against the Evil Texas Longhorns, and Sunday Craft Day. I'm moving in two months. And I guess I'm nesting? Is that a thing when you are getting ready to move?

Cold Nights, Hot Pasta

I had to scrape off my windshield this morning for the first time since April. I was not amused.

The weather has officially changed and I think we're going to be cold for a while, so I wanted a delicious comfort food pasta dish tonight for dinner. I succeeded in making delicious comfort food pasta.  Creamy Shrimp Pasta is super easy to make, and was delicious. The original recipe is from the Lauren's Latest blog.

Comfort food + red wine = a good Monday night

Again, this recipe is really easy to make! And it didn't make the entire house smell like shrimp either, which was appreciated by all :)

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb raw shrimp (I used frozen raw peeled and deveined shrimp-THAW first if using frozen)
1 stick lactose-free butter
1/3 tub Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 box of gluten free spaghetti (I use Barilla gf pasta)
1 to 2 T parsley
1 to 2 T basil
1 to 2 T paprika or cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
the juice of 1 lemon
1 can petite diced tomatoes

Voila!

Directions:
1. Start pasta water.
2. Melt butter in skillet on medium-medium high heat. Start this right before you put your spaghetti in the boiling water and the timing should be almost perfect.
3. Sprinkle shrimp with herbs, salt and pepper and seasonings*
4. Put shrimp into melted butter and cook for approx 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. Add lemon juice, stir, and then add tomatoes and cook until heated through.
6. Add cream cheese spoonfuls at a time and stir until combined.
7. Toss in the spaghetti noodles, stir to combine, and enjoy!

*Make sure you've thawed your shrimp if using frozen and dry them really well on a paper towel-lined plate, topped with more paper towels.

Shrimp seasoned and ready for the butter bath

Stir gently to cook the shrimp 

The lemon juice and tomatoes are added

I got distracted and forgot to put the parsley in, so I think it will taste even MORE amazing the next time I make this.

What a Great First Half! And Then...Let's Eat!

Oh to be a Cyclone fan...

Well. Remember how last week I said I was going to make a bunch of stuff for tailgating, including maybe a cocktail? That didn't happen, but I did make a couple of super delicious items last week and this weekend, some of which I actually remembered to take photos of.

But first...Oh man! Football Saturday was not kind to me this weekend. It was Homecoming at UNI and we lost...which is a bummer! ISU played SO WELL in the first half...and then didn't. And we lost. And Minnesota ALSO lost. To Nebraska. And Nebraska is the Worst! Vikings won on Sunday though, so that helped the pain. A little bit.

My Mom came to the game with  me! We had fantastic
seats. This is before the game. We're not freezing yet. :)

Thursday afternoon/evening I made pulled pork in the slow cooker. I made it with a 2 1/4 lb pork loin and am STILL eating it! Original recipe on Food 52 website.

Crockpot Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c water
2 lbs pork tenderloin
1 T cornstarch
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c water
2 T GF soy sauce

Directions:
1. Put 1/2 c water into crockpot. Place tenderloin in the crockpot and then sprinkle sage, salt, and pepper on top and then rub into the meat.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours
3. After 6 hours, mix the cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, and soy sauce together over medium heat in a saucepan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
4. Brush roast with glaze 3 times (every 15 minutes) during the last hour of cooking. Shred the pork with two forks, pour in the rest of the glaze, and cook for another 15 minutes.

I made a batch of homemade mashed potatoes (plain NOT vanilla coconut milk and lactose free butter) and ate it with the pulled pork on top. Delicious!

Reheated shredded pork in my mini slow cooker for the tailgate
on Saturday! 

I didn't take any pictures of the prep of this because it cooked while I was at work and then when I got home, I had just enough energy to make the mashed potatoes and eat dinner. But it tastes amazing and worked really well reheated in my mini slow cooker on Saturday! I had also planned on some fantastic tailgate cocktail for Saturday, but that didn't happen either...maybe I'll be more organized for the Texas game. Maybe...not.

Sunday was another gorgeous fall day in Iowa and I have a new favorite place to walk just north of town. I think it might be Story County's biggest secret, because Peterson Pits (glamorous name, right?) is beautiful, secluded, and really nice. I have yet to encounter anyone else when I'm out there...so if I ever come up missing, look for me there, and then sit back and wait for my Dateline special sometime in the next twelve months. #dontwatchalone

The Skunk River at Peterson Pits.
The scenery is nicer than the names suggest :)

Meal #2 is something that I put together Sunday around noon and then let marinate all afternoon. I actually remembered to take pictures of this one. The original recipe is from the Plain Chicken website.

Yumm-o, right?

Buffalo Lime Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken breasts or tenders
1 c Crystal hot sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 whole limes worth)
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Whisk together hot sauce, lime juice, oil, and salt.
2. Pour over chicken and marinate a few hours to overnight
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes (you can also grill or saute)

I made the chicken with brown rice and green beans. Super filling and SUPER easy for a Sunday night.

Crystal hot sauce is the only hot sauce that I have found that doesn't
have garlic or onion powder, and I use it in a lot of recipes. 

Glamour Shot! Before marination process.

What's up, raw chicken? I love using aluminum foil and a rack
to make meat. Spray the grill with oil for easy clean-up.

Not watching Monday Night Football tonight, but who else is excited about the Star Wars trailer that will debut at some point tonight!? I am :)

Having a rough day? She'll help you out.

1. 
   

This Girl Likes to Eat

So...four weeks in and I'm still going strong! I even made sure to make a meal tonight so I would have something to write about. I was *this* close to just having popcorn.

Tonight's meal is based off of the back of a bag of frozen tuna. Because sometimes, you just want baked tuna, am I right? I am sitting in the living room watching the Cardinals/Cubs Game 3. I don't really care who wins this because my team has been out for over a week. Thanks Twins... And I'm telling you this because I am also drinking a glass of wine and can't be bothered to go to the kitchen to actually grab the recipe from the back of the tuna packaging, so this is by memory. Also, I totally cook by throwing stuff in a bowl, which is what happened tonight too because the recipe is for three tuna steaks, and I only made one. I want to say the recipe is called Hawaiian Tuna, but I'm going to call it Vermonter Tuna because of a substitution. And also because this is America and I can do what I want.

Vermonter Tuna
Ingredients:
3-4 Tuna Steaks, thawed
1/2 c GF soy sauce
1/4 c 100% maple syrup*
3/4 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix the marinade and then marinate at least 20 minutes.
3. Bake for 14-16 minutes

*the maple syrup is a substitution and the basis for the name change to Vermonter Tuna. The original recipe calls for honey, which I can't have.

I served the tuna with brown rice and carrots.

Four ingredients=easy and delicious quick dinner

Make sure you have colorful veggies if your food is all the same
color. My Fiestaware is still in storage, otherwise I would eat
this on a dark blue or purple plate :)

But Kim, are those organic carrots? No, they're not. Guess what, I was at a meeting tonight and marinated the tuna while I was gone, and when I got home, I was hungry, so I just pulled the vegetables available in my freezer. And I'm alive. And my eyesight is probably .002% better because I had carrots tonight.

I have been compiling some awesome pictures for my sister's birthday party that is coming up, and I pulled some of me when I was little too... This Girl Likes to Eat. And it's not a new phenomenon.

I also love that I'm eyeing that butter like I'm about to pounce.

I'm going to try to prep some good tailgate recipes for this weekend and post. We're playing TCU, so the game is probably going to be...brutal...but that's why you bring fun cocktails to the tailgate! Drown your sorrows! OR...be lubricated enough that by the time the game starts, you're having a great time and the final score doesn't matter!

Go Cyclones!

Year of Saying Yes

I decided this summer that the next 12 months were going to be the Year of Saying Yes. If someone asked me to join a team or a club, if I got invited to a concert (or WANTED to go to a concert, movie, game, etc) I was just going to say yes. I have promised my sister that I wouldn't say yes to anything illegal, but other than that, all bets are off.

The last six months have been kind of all over the place for me, with a lot of highs, some lows, and some scary health stuff that turned out to be not scary. (The best phone calls involve the word 'benign' by the way). All I have to say is that my support team is amazing and there is nothing that can't be fixed with drinks on the patio of The Mucky Duck. I re-established my Wine Club With Books that I had started when I first moved to town three years ago, I started a new job that I'm loving, and I am working on breaking patterns, sharing recipes, and learning cool new stuff. Just this week, I decided to learn to kayak, which makes sense, because it's October and we're probably mere weeks away from below freezing temps and river ice. But bring it on, because it's the Year of Saying Yes!  Like last weekend...had the opportunity to go to a Vikings game, so I went! And it was beautiful weather! And we WON! It was a Christmas Miracle!

We won! And we had great seats!

This week's recipe is Kim's Amazing Chili.  It got COLD this weekend, which means it was time for chili. You can't have chili when it's warm. That is a rule. I checked. Feel free to modify as always. I do a mix of ground meat because ground beef is expensive and ground turkey is not, but I don't like the chili just with ground turkey. So again...modify as needed! Also, you might look through the ingredients and go 'shredded carrots?' and 'pumpkin?!?' and I'll explain. I was raised in a house where my mom snuck shredded carrots and/or shredded zucchini into everything for extra nutritional value, and so that's how I cook still. And the pumpkin helps thicken the chili since my chili can't have beans in it. 

Kim's Amazing Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 lb ground beef 

3 15 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 24 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 can pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie)

1 jar jalepenos (I use medium because I like my chili spicy)

1 c shredded carrots (or more or less-I don't really measure-I shred about 4-5 carrots and throw it in)

1 T cumin

2-3 T chili powder (or more...I always add way more)

Directions:

1. Brown ground turkey and ground beef

2. While that is browning, throw everything else into a slow cooker. Stir it up and set the slow cooker to low. 

3. Drain the meat and stir into the mixture. 

4. Cook the chili on low for 6-8 hours. 

Enjoy!

Now, you can enjoy your chili with tortilla chips and [fake] cheese, and be done with it. This makes a huge amount, so I freeze most of it in individual containers and then take out as needed. I made this on Sunday, which everyone knows is football watching day, so I decided to pretend I was like the rest of the world, and made some chili cheese fries 'my style' by baking some waffle fries in the oven, sprinkling some shredded fake mozzarella, pouring some chili on top, and then sprinkling with MORE mozzarella. And it. Was. Awesome. 

And today, when I was home for lunch, I made some gluten free pasta, reheated some chili, and mixed together for a delicious and fast meal. Chili Pasta: It's real, and it's spectacular. 

I really like the gluten free Barilla pasta.
It tastes great and is wallet friendly

Any good book recommendations for Wine Club with Books? Send them my way!

I Have Eaten Over 6 Pints of Salsa Since Labor Day. And I'm Not At All Apologizing.

Concentration is key

On Labor Day, my mom and I canned 7 pints of salsa that I can eat. I love salsa verde so we made tomatillo salsa minus the onions and garlic and added extra jalepeno and red pepper flakes because I like salsa spicy.  Mom has a canning kitchen in their basement, which is awesome.  She also had some fresh frozen blueberries from her summer picking trip to Michigan, so we made some blueberry syrup and canned it as well.  I haven't had any of it yet, because I've been stuffing my face with salsa, but I bet it will be awesome on pancakes.

Stuffing my face with salsa has been a super fun past time these last three weeks. Chips and salsa for dinner, chips and salsa for lunch, chips and salsa for second dinner (It's a thing). When you haven't had salsa in over two years, you kind of lose your mind a little bit.

I now have ONE pint left from Labor Day Canning Fun because I used the last of Pint Six to make homemade Taco Pizza. If you aren't aware of what taco pizza is, you're definitely not an Iowan. Taco Pizza is one of the top twenty greatest dinners on the planet, and I decided to throw one together tonight for dinner. Most of us are familiar with either Casey's Taco Pizza (I love that I live in a state where a gas station is known more for their pizza than their gas) or Happy Joe's Taco Pizza.  My version is different (duh) but I like it.

I was tired and lazy tonight, so I did not make homemade pizza crust. There is a mix that I like that I have been able to find every once in a while at the co-op in my town, but it's kind of hit or miss. If you're only gluten free and not egg free too, you can use almost any gf mix.  I used the Schar pizza crust. If you can't find it at your grocery store, you can order it online. I tend to just use what I have around the house for ingredients, so feel free to add other ingredients if you like.

Taco Pizza
One pizza crust (gluten free, egg free, dairy free) and follow the directions for prep if you're using a mix
1/2 lb ground beef
taco seasoning, to taste* (I have to make my own, so see below)
Your favorite salsa (I don't measure, I just pour)
fresh tomatoes, diced
green chilies, canned or fresh (I had canned)
Pepper Jack cheese (I use Go Veggie**)
Gluten free tortilla chips, crumbled (I like yellow corn)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust directions
2. Brown ground beef, sprinkle with as much or as little as you want
3. Pour salsa onto crust. Now layer your ingredients the way you want. I did salsa, tomatoes, green chilies, beef, more green chilies, cheese, and then finish with the chips crumbled on top. I bake the pizza with the chips on, but you don't have to.
4. Cook pizza according to crust directions and then enjoy!

Center stage is the LAST of my salsa. Time to make more!

I used the Cherub tomatoes and quartered.
Also, I couldn't find my pizza pan, so a cookie sheet it is!

Go Veggie! Cheese...again, not completely dairy free,
so don't use if you have a milk allergy.
I'm just intolerant of dairy. And people who are intolerant
of other people's cultures. And the Dutch.

All the layers except the chips!

*Taco Seasoning: mix together the following and store in an airtight container. I throw this stuff on everything. It's good sprinkled on French fries too.
1 T chili powder (make sure your chili powder is safe-I have to buy ancho chili powder)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes

**Go Veggie cheeses are gluten free and lactose free, but aren't completely dairy free, so if you have a milk allergy, use a different type  of cheese. I won't name names, but I really don't like the other option my grocery store uses because the texture is creepy.

Happy Taco Pizza Monday