Pinterest Win: Lazy Sunday Casserole

Has it really been two weeks!?! I have been hanging on to a couple recipes, and keep telling myself that "I'll blog about them tomorrow." Well, obviously after 14 days it is about time I blog about this food!

I really like casseroles. I think they are yummy and love that they are so easy to make. I pinned this recipe in 2012, one because it's an easy casserole and two because of the name: Lazy Sunday Casserole. I heart lazy Sunday's so this recipe makes total sense, at least on the name alone it does.

The Lazy Sunday Casserole comes from a blog called Kayotic Kitchen. Kayotic is a fun word play on the blogger's name: Kay. Sorta like the title of my blog. This all makes total sense to me. Plus, the pic just looks mouth-watering.

I am not sure how anyone can screw up this recipe. Granted, I can screw up queso so I shouldn't really talk, but anyway. This recipe rocks. It's basically baked sausage and vegetables. Throw them into a pan and let them bake. Hello.... AWESOME!

Kayotic Kitchen calls for fennel, and for the life of me and after three grocery stores I just couldn't find it. I totally skipped it and don't think it affected the flavor of this meal at all. Instead of grating the garlic, I finely chopped fresh garlic. I also used Andouille sausage because I like a little spice in my meals. Kinda like my men...

Not only is this meal great the day you make it, but it is really good throughout the week. C'mon, you all know I like leftovers and this meal is great for leftovers. It kept for a week in my fridge and served as a couple lunches and dinners.

I don't have human children, but I do have an ornery four-legged daughter so I understand that the less time spent in the kitchen the better. But you also want something healthy and great tasting. This is truly a meal everyone will love. I highly recommend this recipe, and think you can have some fun with the vegetables you use in the dish.

Have fun with this, and enjoy your lazy Sunday!

Pinterest Win (kinda): Basil Vinaigrette

I think salads are underrated. They are yummy, made from fresh ingredients and very filling. Even since I was little I would make my salads very colorful and packed full of different vegetables. The different textures, colors and flavors make it much more fun to eat.

Obviously we can all have and make unhealthy salads. Add pasta, potatoes, anything fried, etc. If you have read any of my entries, you know damned well I like them unhealthy as well. I mean, DUH! But, I really do like the homemade healthy versions. The weird part of this is that I am not really into salad dressings.

Hear me out here... Salad dressings are fabulous and yummy. However, I actually like the flavor of the lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes... whatever you choose to throw in there. Dressings can help enhance these flavors, but normally people use too much dressing and it masks the flavor of the veggies. I can see you rolling your eyes at me right now. Whatever.

It's fun for me to experiment with homemade salad dressings. Since I made the Tomato Mozzarella Salad, I knew that I had some left over fresh basil. What a great time to try the Basil Vinaigrette I found on Pinterest.

Literally, it's olive oil, apple cider vinegar and fresh basil leaves. The blog has a couple good dressings on here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-delicious-diy-salad-dressings/#axzz3DKEDi44n. Who wouldn't love to make this? It takes less than 5 minutes. Hello! I brought this with my second salad to my Aunt's house for the twin's birthday dinner. I made the dressing about 30 minutes before I left for the dinner and honestly wasn't thrilled with the flavor that night. In usual Lee fashion, I used it and guilted my family into using it too.

Every one said they liked the dressing. I'm going with they are telling the truth. I mean, who would like to family!? ;) I can tell you that the dressing was very good the next day. So you might want to make it at least a couple hours early and then use it. Either way, I do recommend it.

The picture of the dressing was crappy. Unless you have a fancy bottle, it is not easy to take a picture of dressing. Heck, even the blog it came from doesn't have a picture of it. So, for your viewing pleasure, I took a picture of the salad with the dressing on it. Yes, I know it's hard to see the actual dressing. Get over it!

Go make yourself a salad before the veggies aren't in season and then they get all pricey.  Then you get all complainy, etc etc.

Pinterest Win: Tomato Mozarella Salad

Thursday night we celebrated my twin nephews' birthday at my Aunt's house. I was in charge of bringing the salad. I, of course, cannot make just one salad. Yup, I made two.

My Aunt was making chicken parmesan with homemade tomato sauce. Mom was in charge of bringing the dessert. Mom brought two... this runs in the family.

One of my favorite dishes is caprese salad. I especially love it when you can eat it in different ways. I didn't have enough sticks to serve it that way, so I decided to go another route. I remember that back in the day I pinned a caprese salad on Pinterest.

Photo from www.savorysweetlife.com

This recipe comes from a blog called Savory Sweet Life, which is quite the celebrated blog. Alice, who writes the blog, has been featured in the press including Forbes. She makes her kids some awesome cakes. You definitely need to check out her work. Keep in mind that Alice is also a photographer, so once again... her pictures are WAY better than mine. ;)

I did make one change to the salad, and added balsamic vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is similar to bacon in the fact that it makes everything better. Plus, it is always a great addition to caprese salad... especially if it has mini mozzarella balls in it. Calm down, I didn't say that balsamic vinegar is better than bacon... just versatile like bacon. Geesh, tough crowd.

As with many things, this salad is good the day you make it but it is great a day or two later. The longer the basil, olive oil & balsamic vinegar (in my case) marinate they really make the flavor of the tomatoes and mozzarella better.

From the picture you can tell that Alice has some different types of cherry tomatoes in her salad. At my local store I found red and yellow cherry tomatoes. Good enough or me! It really made the salad look more appetizing, and the yellow cherry tomatoes taste sweeter in my world. I like the play on flavors.

 

Go visit my Hungry Hungry Hippo board on Pinterest for this recipe. Or better yet, throw some tomatoes, cheese, olive oil & whatever herbs and other flavors you like together.

 

 



Pinterest Win: Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili

Guess what day it is... MEATLESS MONDAY! Ok fine, so my play on the camel with Hump Day didn't go over well. Just cuz you don't think I am funny doesn't mean I don't think I am funny.

This is my third Meatless Monday post, and I have to say that I am really enjoying these recipes. One of my besties, Bambi, is vegan so I invited her over tonight to try my new dish. Bambi said she liked it, and Bambi doesn't lie. I mean, hello, she is vegan... people who don't eat meat can't lie. They don't have enough energy to do that. tee hee hee

I have said in earlier posts that participating in Meatless Mondays is healthier and saves you money. Pretty sure my clothes aren't fitting looser, but I can say my grocery bill isn't as high. In addition, it is interesting and challenging to find recipes not based on meat. Most my meal planning started with what meat I had in the fridge or freezer, and then building the meal around that. On Meatless Mondays, it is what vegetables and alternative protein choices I have on hand. Basically, it is similar to switching from building an outfit off what shoes I have, and starting to build outfits from the jewelry on hand instead. I might have lost some men on that analogy, but pretty sure I got my point across.

Back to Bambi's and my dinner date. To be clear, a bottle of wine was involved. I know some of you were worried.

I pinned a recipe on Pinterest over a year ago, and am glad that I found it again. This is posted on my Gluten Free board. The recipe comes from a blog called Two Peas & Their Pod. Maria and Josh are a married couple who love cooking & entertaining and created a blog around it. Their blog literally puts mine to shame, it is good stuff. They have great recipes, and pictures of/references about their son Caleb who is a cutie. You should definitely check out their blog, and their stories.  You will feel like you are a part of their inner circle. :)

Maria and Josh have a recipe for Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili. It comes from a friend of theirs cookbook. I agree with Maria that the recipe just looks great with all the fresh ingredients.

Photo from http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com
 

For me, one of the best parts is how quickly you can make this chili. The longest part is chopping up the vegetables. This is such an easy meal. The flavor is simple but so good at the same time. Not complex, not over done, just perfect. It is not a "heavy" chili, definitely one you can have in the summer or spring and still feel you have warm, comfort food.

I started sautéing the zucchini and squash first, then added the mushrooms & onion. I made sure the vegetables were cut around the same size so that they will cook evenly. Then all the other ingredients came in and it made a great meal. This literally took about 30 minutes and was very flavorful. This recipe is a go-to for the crazy busy SAHM's and those of us who spend our days behind the desk. Easy, simple, full of flavor ~ definitely will be loved by all.

If you don't believe me, then just ask Bambi. She had two bowls... fine, we both did. And we finished off the bottle of wine. I call that a great Monday night!

I know many of you have rolled your eyes at me trying this Meatless Monday thing, but I encourage you to try some of these meals. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.... and more importantly, full!

Go make you some Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili!

Pinterest Win: Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole

You know from last week that I am trying the whole Meatless Monday thing. No, I am not becoming a vegetarian. But I hear on The Chew that trying this out can save you $4,000 a year. That is over $300 a month, people! Now, if you are single like me and cooking for only one or two people then it probably isn't that much money. But saving money is saving money, I don't care how much it is. {PS: Yes, I know today is Tuesday. Like I said, yesterday was a recovery day. Quit judging me!}

My friend, Carrie, and I discussed over the weekend to start eating clean this week (after the Monday recovery day, of course). I am not really sure that she and I meant literally eating clean, but at least healthy. Either way, I found a clean recipe on Pinterest a couple months ago that I have been dying to try.

Not only do I like trying healthy dishes, which I inevitably make a little less healthy. (Dude, I am human...) I have been dying to try cooking quinoa. For some reason I have found it to be quite intimidating. The main ingredient of tonight's recipe is quinoa. There are so many health benefits for quinoa, but the one I care about most is the amount of protein it has. I am always trying to find different ways to incorporate protein to my diet. This might sound crazy, but sometimes I am just tired of eating meat. Yes, you read that right... I am a meatatarian, from Texas who just said she is sometimes tired of meat. I would agree that hell has frozen over but it is hotter than (enter explicit here) in Houston. So, that can't be true.

The recipe takes one of the ingredients I am scared of, quinoa, with one of my favorites: bruschetta. How could this go wrong??? Notice how I ask that question long after I made the dish. We both know that would have totally jinxed it. Speaking of the dish, let me get to it.

The Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole comes from a blog called The Iron You. It is written by a gentleman named Mike who is a triathlete and who likes to eat healthy. We obviously aren't dating. However, I am willing to try some other of his healthy recipes. I mean, if the picture of his Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole is any indication... I am eating his recipes all...the...time!

Photo from http://www.theironyou.com

This one is a bit more labor intensive than the last few, but don't let me saying that turn you off. The recipe is not difficult, and I promise that the end product is totally worth it. I swear to you, you must make it.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, except adding more cheese of course. I also added more red pepper flakes. I like things cheesy and spicy... kinda like me!

My version of this came out very well. So well that I ate about 3 portions, rather than one. I don't think this is what The Iron You guy meant when he called it healthy. Don't worry, I did leave some for leftovers for the rest of this week.

Sorry for the portion missing in the picture. It smelled so good that I got too excited to try it and forgot to take the picture first. Rookie move, but I am kinda a rookie so I say it's ok!

If you aren't ready to participate in Meatless Monday fully, try this as a side dish along some grilled chicken or maybe even shrimp. I even think adding mushrooms could make this a little "meatier".

Please visit my Clean Eating Pinterest board for the recipe. I promise you will not regret it! This is absolutely delish!

Pinterest Win: Creamy Chicken Soup!

As you all know, I love soup. Like crazy love soup. It could be 110 degrees in Houston, with 100% humidity and I still want soup. Not that cold soup crap, but yummy warm soup. {Remind me one day to tell you about the one and only time I tried gazpacho, or how I like to refer to it: salsa.} 

I decided to act like I was in my twenties again on Sunday night, and today was definitely a much needed recovery day. There are few things more comforting to me than soup. I knew I had to have it today. I perused my 'Soups' Pinterest Board and found this enticing pin. This is my first cream soup to make, so I was a bit nervous. But, more importantly I was hungry. Very hungry... not quite hangry, but I could see that development. It was on the horizon.

The blog that the recipe is featured on is called The Cookie Rookie. This young woman, Becky, who writes the blog says that she loves to cook and enjoys easy recipes. I am thinking Becky and I could be friends. We seem to like the same things. It's a great blog, you should definitely check it out. Also, check out her picture of the soup.

Photo from http://www.thecookierookie.com

Looks good, huh? The recipe seems a bit overwhelming but it actually was really easy. I used Half & Half instead of heavy cream or regular milk. I had almond milk in the fridge but wasn't in the mood to experiment too much. I mean, I was hungry and I needed to be able to eat what I make. Ya know? I got priorities...

 

The flavor of this soup is amazing! I had two bowls. Yup, fatty had two bowls. I would have had three but I got full. That is right kids, Momma is no longer hungry. You can imagine me doing the Happy Lee dance. It's a fun dance. You should try it. Though, it might not be called the Happy "Lee" dance when you do it. Anyway, I digress...

 

This recipe literally makes about 10-12 servings. I have so much to eat all week, and probably another week or two after that. I am a big fan of leftovers, so this recipe works well for me. If you are cooking this for a family then you'll obviously not have as much leftovers as me. Seeing as I made the soup for one, this girl is going to be eating soup for a while. Again, cue the Happy Lee dance. Check out my version of the soup (as usual, not professionally taken...)

 

 

 Now get off the internet and go make yourself some soup!

Mmmmmm...

Pinterest Win: Dynamite Tofu

I have seen a lot of postings on Pinterest about "Meatless Monday". I know that I surely could eat healthier so I figure "why not"? Of course, I launch this tonight... the same day that I meet my friend Felicia for lunch downtown at III Forks for Houston Restaurant Weeks. That's right, Momma had a steak - medium rare - for lunch. It kicked butt. So, going meatless tonight probably was a really good idea. Look at me! Woot woot!

Over a year ago I pinned a tofu recipe called Dynamite Tofu. Hello... it has the word dynamite in it. The dish has to be good!

The recipe looked crazy easy so I obviously had to make it. Granted, the actual recipe calls for it to be served with broccoli and rice. I skipped the rice trying to be healthy, but still steamed some broccoli to eat with the "dynamite" tofu.

I went to the store on the way home to pick up the tofu and broccoli. I had all the other ingredients on the website. Conveniently I love making Asian food, so that is helpful when I find new recipes.

Yes I have said this before, but the dynamite tofu recipe is literally one of the easiest ones to make. I believe it was written so that you can easily change the recipe for your personal liking. I prefer spicy food so I added more Sriracha than the recipe calls for and I added red pepper flakes. Yes, it was hot... and yes, it was SOOOOO good.

Including the prep time of cutting the tofu (which literally takes less than a minute), the total cook time for me was 24 minutes. That, ladies & gentlemen, makes me happy after a day at work - especially a Monday.

To get to the part you have been waiting for, the recipe can be found on my Hungry Hungry Hippo board on Pinterest. Since I have so many recipes on that board, I recommend you fun a search for "tofu". It will show up much easier. Doesn't the pic look yummy?



Photo from http://www.peta.org

Now, I have to be honest that I didn't realize the above beautiful picture would take me to the PETA website when I clicked on it. If you have met me then you know I heart animals, maybe not roaches or spiders, but definitely animals. However, I also think fur coats are soft & comfy. Man, did I just set myself up to get harassed by a hippie? Dangit.

In all seriousness, the PETA website actually has some awesome recipes on there. I definitely recommend you checking it out. Don't worry all my Oil & Gas working friends, I think your company will allow you on the PETA site. At least I think so. I dunno.

Back to me... I mean the recipe. So easy. So tasty. So awesome. Definitely will make this again. Now, my picture doesn't look at yummy as PETA's but pictures can be deceiving. This dish was delish, or shall I say DYNAMITE! (Below is my sad, pathetic picture...)

Maybe next time I should use a smaller plate...

Now go out there and try some tofu. I swear you won't notice a difference from chicken. That's right, I am not gonna lie - you'll know the difference from steak. Definitely will know the difference between tofu and steak. Give me a break, I am a true Texas girl... through & through.

Hope you join me for Meatless Monday!

Pinterest Win: Salisbury Steak Meatballs!

I remember growing up and loving Salisbury Steak at school. Those cute trays where each food had its own assigned spots, the "steak", the mashed potatoes, the corn, my milk... Ahhh, memories.

Playing on Pinterest one day and found a picture of Salisbury Steak Meatballs, served over egg noodles. I was beside myself, it looked so good. Of course, I had to make it. This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman blog. Yes, people, I was channeling Ree Drummond this evening. I hope she would be proud, but I am also sure she would laugh at me a little bit at the small mistake I made. If you are not familiar with this fabulous woman then you are missing out! She has an awesome cooking show on cable, her blog and her Facebook page rock. Start following her... NOW! Check out her version of this dish:

Photo from http://thepioneerwoman.com

John is introducing me to a new-to-me movie, The Big Lebowski. I figured it was a great night to try a little flashback for dinner! (Ok before you think your eyes have deceived you... yes, I have never seen The Big Lebowski, or as John refers to it "The Dude".)

Now that you are done laughing at me and my lack of movie knowledge, let's get to this tasty dish!

I've always thought of Salisbury steak as a "poor man's meal", not because of the frozen versions from the freezer section of your local grocer. More for the fact that it has always reminded me of meatloaf. I can say that after buying all the ingredients at the store today, it definitely is a great meal for those who are trying to save your pennies. But in addition to that, it has awesome flavor. I am on Cloud 9 after making this. John even asked that I make it again. I swear!

I eluded to a mistake earlier. This recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog makes enough for 12 people. Since we don't include the three dogs in our meal plans, I cut the recipe in half. I made the meatballs too moist. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that they were too moist until the very end. When you see the picture of my final product you will see that the meatballs didn't turn into mush, they just weren't as defined as I would have liked. Yes... I referred to "defined balls", top that!  

This was an easy dish to make, and does not take too long. The last part makes me happy because the last thing I want to do after work is to spend too much time in the kitchen. I want a good meal that is quick and easy, but most importantly delicious. This is it!

I am very happy with this dish. Please visit my Hungry Hungry Hippo Board on Pinterest to grab the recipe. Get off your tush and make it tomorrow for your Sunday night meal!

Enjoy!!! :)

~ Lee

Pinterest Win???? Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts

We just got back from a fun trip to Lafayette and Avery Island (Louisiana), where we ate like a King & Queen. I hella ate, so figured we needed something easy to make and a little lighter for dinner. (Basically, no gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, beignets, etc.)

I found a recipe a couple weeks ago on Pinterest that I really wanted to try. Figured tonight is the best night to do it. We stopped by the store to get fresh ingredients because I've watch too much Food Network and Cooking Channel, so I prefer the fresher ingredients rather than the pre-packaged.

These Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts can be found on my Hungry Hungry Hippo Pinterest board. The pin will link you to a Better Homes & Garden recipe. The picture looks fantastic, and yes - I am aware that BHG has people (probably paid well) to stage & take these pictures. But, still... YUM!

Photo from http://www.bhg.com

This was really an easy and quick recipe. The fresh ingredients really did help. John said he would eat it again. So, I can totally see you sitting there wondering why this was a questionable Win. Well... I failed to give the second part of John's comment. Of course there was a second part!

I wish you could have been there when John took his first bite. I was plating my dinner and looked up as he did it. I was torn... cry at another failure or laugh at his expression. It looked like he might choke if he had to swallow it.

I asked him what was wrong, and then he laughed and said that he needs to quit teasing me because I take him so seriously. Don't worry ladies, I didn't fall for it. And, men, we aren't stupid. Geesh!

I sit down next to John (we ate on the couch to watch the Bar Rescue marathon). I took my first bite, and coincidentally made the same face John did. Once I swallowed it, the taste wasn't too bad. It was actually good. Makes you wonder what was wrong with it, huh?

First, let me tell you some of the "enhancements" I made to the recipe. I added two cloves of freshly minced garlic. Totally a good idea. I also added some lemon zest to the flour. Not sure, but thinking that was the problem.

Overall, this was a good dinner. John is traveling this week, so I am eating the leftovers and I want to. I will be happy doing it. I swear!

Ok, fine... I'll get to the point (aka the problem). The lemon flavor tasted bitter. It's weird. It wasn't too lemony, but it was a bittery lemon. I can't pinpoint what went wrong, but think it is the lemon zest. Maybe I should not have put it in the flour? I don't know. If you have any ideas, let me know.

I'm definitely making it again. But might just do the one enhancement: fresh garlic. Recipes that don't ask for garlic confuse me. Not trifle, cheesecake or a garden salad... but any entrée. We need garlic in our lives. Garlic is a godsend.

I'm sorry, I totally digressed here with the garlic. Basically, this dish is good. I'd make it again and John said he wants me to. It even looked really good (proof below), I just need to figure out why it's so bitter?

You can check out the recipe here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/lemon-butter-chicken-breasts/

Ok, bitter detectives... help me figure this out!

Pinterest Fail: Peanut Butter Cup Bars

So I promise I am not making this up, but I made the bars that I "failed" in this blog for a July 4th party and they were a huge hit. The reason why this particular entry is a "fail" is because I totally bombed it the second time I made it, and of course that happens to be after I decided to start back up this dang blog!

Anyway, there are few people in this world who do not like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. I prefer to call them "weirdos", but I am sure there is a more PC term that someone else knows. (All my close friends know damned well that I edited that "weirdos" comment so not to offend. See, I do have a filter every now and again!) Not only did I think the awesomely simple name made these sound good, but when I read the recipe... well, I just know I was not only destined to make them... I was destined to eat the hell out of them! Seriously, check out the Pinterest picture!

Photo from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/

The recipe comes from a woman named Carolyn who runs the Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog. She talks in the blog entry about how much she loves the peanut butter cup eggs at Easter. I am not a big fan of those eggs because I always think they are stingy on the chocolate. And, well, that is just a sin. But I do get where Carolyn is coming from, and appreciate her researching the internet to find the easy 5-ingredient recipe!

As I stated, and don't doubt I will say it again and again... like your favorite CD getting stuck on repeat. Yes, I referred to myself as your favorite! Anyway, I digress... As I stated, I have successfully made these once and have recommended them to tons of people. I have references from the first batch, they can vouch for me!

Basically, this blog is suppose to be honest so the last time I made them, I failed. Miserably! I tried to double the recipe, which in my vision was an excellent idea. In reality, not so much. The chocolate didn't set in an hour (which the recipe calls for only 30 minutes), and there was so much peanut butter. Scroll up... too much peanut butter, and not enough chocolate = SIN! I can hear the Church Lady from SNL now! If you don't know who "she" is, I feel sorry for you. "She" rocks!

Dangit, I keep getting shiny object syndrome. Ok, back to the dang peanut butter bars.

In a nutshell, I couldn't bring these bars to the pool party. I couldn't bring them any where. They were huge! Twice the size the normal bars are! So much peanut butter. :( Also, each square weighed at least 5 pounds. Fine, maybe not 5 but they were heavy, and solid! You can tell by my picture:

I normally would have thrown them away. However, John likes to eat and will try anything. (This works well for me!) So, he is still eating out of the pan. Yes, 6 days later and he is still eating them. He even put them with chocolate chip ice cream. That might be going to far, even for me!

John says they taste good, but I know they aren't as good as the first time I made them. Therefore, these are a FAIL. Don't worry, I'll make them again. Next time I won't try to be all fancy by doubling the recipe. It's like that KISS saying in middle school: Keep It Simple Stupid! How easily I forget!

Anyway, if you want to try the recipe for yourself, visit my Hungry Hungry Hippo Pinterest Board and have at it!

PS: Did no one catch my play on words there? I said "In a nutshell". Get it, nut... shell... peanut butter...

Well, I found it funny. Whatever...

Pinterest Fail: Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

It is about time... Yes, people... I FAILED. Not a little failed, BIG TIME failed!

John & I went to a pool party on Saturday and everyone was bringing side dishes & desserts. I decided to make roasted chickpeas because they are gluten free, and I have some gluten free friends attending. I have a couple chickpea recipes that I've been wanting to try, so why not do it for Saturday. You know how I love to use my friends as guinea pigs!

This recipe comes from Clean Eating Magazine. I've perused this magazine, and they have some great gluten free tips & recipes. I also like the comments from the other readers about the recipes, they usually have good advice on how to make the recipes a little better.

Don't these chickpeas look good?

Photo from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com

I followed the ingredients to a T, but did make some changes in how I cooked them. I baked them for about 10  minutes less than instructed because you never know with individual ovens. I also used aluminum foil with Pam. No excuse for that change except that (as I have stated before) I am lazy and hate to clean baking sheets.

As usual, I was running low on time so I asked John to pull the chickpeas out of the oven when the timer went off so I could hop in the shower. He did as he was instructed (good boy), and of course sampled some chickpeas. He let me know they weren't crispy but had a good bite. He thought they tasted good...

(Did you like those periods? As if I am building suspense... hmmm...)

I threw the chickpeas in a plastic bag and took them to my friend's house. Keep in mind that I live in town and she lives in Katy. In addition, John & I met Daddy for lunch because I like to eat and I like my Daddy. Win-Win!

We get to my friend's house, and I leave the sealed bag of roasted chickpeas on the food counter. I eventually open the bag and take a handful of chickpeas. Holy crap!! Ugh!

I didn't want to be too dramatic, or I would have spit them out in my friend's trash. Instead, I sucked it up and kept on chewing. Basically, the chickpeas had a little crisp to them when I cooked them. However, throwing them into a sealable plastic bag and letting them sit for almost 2 hours... BAD MOVE! Bad! They turned so chewy. They were so gross. You know it's bad if this fat girl trapped in a not as fat body couldn't even eat one.

Though I lost this fight, I refuse to lose the battle. I will definitely try them again, but will also learn from my mistakes. I know I usually share a nice-ish picture of my end product for you. These were such a fail, I have decided to show you what John & I decided to do with them.

Yes, you are looking at this correctly. These nasty-arse chickpeas are in my trash can.

Even though I threw the chickpeas away, I encourage you to try to the recipe. They had good flavor, I just royally screwed them up. You can find them on my Clean Eating board on Pinterest.

Try them out! I want to hear what you think!

PS: I stated above that people made desserts for Saturday. I, too, made one and will post about that later this week. I've got to have a little suspense here!

Pinterest Win: Chicken Barley Soup

I love soup, all year round, I love it! I think there is always time for soup. It can be 110 degrees outside, and I want it. John and I wanted a low key night on Friday because I had some fun nights on Wednesday and Thursday, plus we had two pool parties on Saturday and a brunch planned on Sunday. I figured I would make John dinner and we would have something comforting and light. (Yes, to answer your question... it is hard to be so popular...)

This recipe comes from my Pinterest board, aptly named Soups. I know... shocker! It is on a pin from Southern Living called 51 Satisfying Soups & Stews. Yes, 51! These soup recipes look really good, and I chose one that seemed the lightest. Instead of making you guys search for this recipe, I am kind enough to give you the exact link: http://www.myrecipes.com/m/recipe/chunky-chicken-barley-soup-10000001536747/.

Of course, since it was Southern Living I am pretty sure they had someone stage the food. Their picture looks really good.

Photo from www.myrecipes.com

Even their bowl is fancier. Once I finish telling you about the experience, you'll see I do not have stagers helping me. Just me!

First, I have to tell you the "DOH!" moment of the recipe. You know there is always one with me...

I went to HEB Friday morning to get the groceries. I got the fresh veggies and garlic, and then remembered to get chicken. I decided to get the already cooked grilled chicken from the lunch meat section. We already had so  much meat at the house that getting a whole chicken to shred seemed stupid to me. (Please keep this last sentence in mind.)

I come home and tell John I am making him soup. Luckily he likes soup, too. Otherwise, he won't be thrilled a lot with what I make! In the middle of telling him about the groceries I got, it hit me. Like a bag of bricks... Hit. Me. HARD! We still have tons of meat leftover from the smoking John did on Sunday. In case you don't remember the picture, I am going to include it again below.

Yes, right in the middle of the picture there is chicken. You see chicken. A crap load of chicken! Geesh! I decided to put the new chicken away and use the smoked chicken for the soup. ( that Still shaking my head...)

This was a great and light soup. Wasn't too hearty that we felt it was more of a wintery soup, but it was filling enough for both of us. Keep in mind, when the recipe says it makes 4 servings... it ain't lying. John and I each had two bowls. Luckily, I don't eat as much as him so there is a small bowl left over. Otherwise, we would have eaten it all Friday night.

I'm a garlic lover so I used a little more than the recipe called for. I'm glad I bought fresh garlic, rather than using the pre-jarred kind I already had in the fridge. I didn't read the label well the last time I bought thyme, and accidentally got ground rather than the dried. I used a little more ground than the dried that the recipe called for to make sure I got the flavor. In addition, I added rosemary and red pepper flakes. The red pepper a perfect amount of heat - it wasn't overpowering, and had a good "bite" to it. Plus, using the smoked chicken rather than regular chicken really added flavor. I was impressed. If you have a chance to do that you really should. If you don't have easy access to smoked chicken, you might want to add  something to recipe to make it more flavorful.

I am really happy with this soup. Definitely making it again. Maybe next time I'll find a stager to help me take a better picture. But knowing me, probably not...

Now, go out there and make you some soup!

Pinterest Wins: Creamed Corn & Potato Salad

The joy of dating John is that he likes to cook, too. Mostly he loves the grill, but since moving to Houston he has become quite the smoker. Not the cigarette, cancer causing kind but more of the throw some meat on the smoker for a long time and see what happens. He is meticulous... the man has a notebook noting the rubs and marinades he uses, how long things cook for, what turned out good & what needs tweaking...

In a nutshell, nothing like me. I search on Pinterest, find something that looks interesting and make it. I "save" the recipe on Pinterest and then I am done. I'm a Pinterest troll, and a tad bit lazy...

On Sunday, John smoked over 14 pounds of meat: sausage, brisket, ribs, pork and chicken. To help you understand this, it is Wednesday and we still have tons of meat left over. John has gotten excited that we recently got to consolidate Tupperware containers. It's the little things for us two...

I, of course, thought that I needed to add more to this cooking extravaganza than my charm and good looks. In true Lee fashion (aka "so like lee"), I went to Pinterest. I found two different recipes, from two different boards (I like to shake things up).

The first caught my eye from my 'Slow Cooking' board, and I knew it was meant for me because it requires a Crock Pot. Who doesn't love easy meals, plus if John was slow cooking then I should follow suit! I chose to make Creamed Corn... um... who (other than my Mom - Betty) doesn't like creamed corn!?! Remind me to tell you about the fried creamed corn John & I had while visiting his family in Minnesota... HOLY HELL!!!

This recipe comes from a blog called Damn Delicious. With a name like that, how do you not automatically like this blog??? Chungah, this cute girl from LA, has some great recipes. Her goal is to make them simple and yummy for all. (Those are my words, not hers.) Her creamed corn did not disappoint! I mean, check out her picture!

Photo from http://damndelicious.net

Now, mine wasn't as pretty but it tasted oh so good! Even John agreed... no, really... he did! No laughing at Lee on this one! I did change up the recipe a little bit: it calls for milk but isn't specific. I used 2% because that is what my sweet man got at the store. We both agree that next time we should go for heavy cream or whole milk. Basically, the end result was good but wasn't unhealthy enough for us. (I told you John & I are a perfect match!) Click here to check out the Damn Delicious recipe: http://damndelicious.net/2013/11/24/slow-cooker-creamed-corn/, and check out my not-as-fancy picture below. (I was too lazy to pull it from the Crock Pot & take a picture in one of my pretty bowls... sue me!)

The second dish I made, while the creamed corn was cooking because I know how to multi-task - gold star for me, was potato salad. I mean, what else goes with a crapton of meat!?! High five me for the great choice!

This pinned recipe came from my Hungry, Hungry Hippo board. (You'll see a trend that most recipes are on this board.) The picture alone on the Loaded Baked Potato Salad was enough for me to pin it. In rare form, I didn't even read the recipe first. I fell in love, and that was it!

This one is from Carole, a mom of SIX children!!! SIX! I have one dog and am exhausted. Kudos Carole... and Kudos on the blog! Oh, I guess this would help: the blog is called My Kitchen Escapades. Carole has recipes dating back to 2008, so get ready to start trying them out! You should see the pic of Carole's potato salad!

Photo from http://www.mykitchenescapades.com

Now, I do call this recipe a Win but will tell you that I made a few mistakes. One of which was a bit rookie... not brown rice rookie, but bacon rookie. The worst mistake you can make!

The recipe calls for 6 large potatoes. I can tell you that Carole probably doesn't live in Texas (not proven, so don't quote that) because "large" potatoes in Texas are pretty much JUMBO anywhere else. I didn't take that into consideration. John got 4 potatoes, at my request, because it is just the two of us. I wanted enough for left overs but not too much that we were swimming in potato salad. He got large, like I asked. They were so huge that we only used three of them. I can tell you, three Texas potatoes are too much! Not sure that is a mistake, per say... but definitely something to keep in mind.

Back to the bacon... I had turkey bacon in the freezer and thawed that out Saturday night so I could use it. Seriously!?! I am making potato salad, nothing healthy about this dish - why settle for turkey bacon? Basically, it would have been a home run if I used real bacon. Total rookie move. People... please learn from my mistakes!

More sour cream and mayonnaise were needed than the recipe states because of the size of the potatoes we had, so keep that in mind. Also, this dish has gotten better the longer it sits. I made it about 3-4 hours in advance on Sunday, but it tasted better today (Wednesday) when I stole a bit out of the fridge on my way to work. Oh don't give me that look, like you don't do that too! Here is the end result of the salad:

 

And, of course, the direct link to Carole's blog with the recipe: http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/05/loaded-baked-potato-salad.html

I have some more recipes I am making Friday for a pool party Saturday. Don't worry your pretty little head, I will share these, too (after everyone at the party tries them first)!  

Pinterest Win-ish: Italian Stuffed Peppers

I have received a bunch of "good luck" messages for this little personal challenge. This is more "good luck" than I got for the half marathon. Seriously!?!

Ok, now on to my Pinterest Win...ish.. Seriously, a total "ish". I have made stuffed peppers in the crock pot for years, and have done it quite successfully. I thought, "heck 30 minutes in the oven... this can't be too hard!"

I "pinned" this recipe to my "Hungry, Hungry Hippo" board on Pinterest. You can visit my board, with all the recipes, here: http://www.pinterest.com/lee_m/hungry-hungry-hippo/

The Pin will lead you to a blog called "Like Mother Like Daughter". They are a cute mother-daughter combo who have some great recipes. Definitely check them out when you get a chance.
The recipe is not complicated and detailed out well on the blog. I was 100% confident going into the challenge. Of course, John was excited because some hot chick was cooking for him. (I might have paraphrased that a tad bit...) Check out the picture from the blog, I mean... YUM-E!

Photo from http://lmld.org

I followed the directions step-by-step, though I did make a few ingredient changes. I used chipotle ground pork sausage instead of the Italian seasoned ground turkey. (So, yes, I took the Italian out of the Italian Stuffed Peppers...) I also used Monterey jack cheese, instead of mozzarella AND I used brown rice. Basically, I used the ingredients I already had the house. (1) I am cheap, (2) I love convenience.

The process was just like the recipe stated. This mother-daughter duo do a great job of explaining the steps. My peppers came out looking pretty good, if I do say so myself!

 



I plated the peppers up for John and me and we sat down to eat them. I cut open my green pepper and just gave an exhausted sigh. John looked over and then laughed. Ok, he wailed and folded over in laughter.

Guess now is a good time to let you know that there are two foods I have not mastered in cooking. Ironically, they are two of the easiest: queso and rice. Any rice... yes, I said rice.

Here comes the Win-ish. The peppers were good. They held up their shape, had a great flavor, were easy to make and an awesome go-to meal - especially after a long day.

HOWEVER... I do have a lesson learned (the "ish" part) that I need to share with all of you. If you don't have white or long grain rice in your house, and you use brown rice... make sure you cook the brown rice a bit before stuffing it into the peppers. Otherwise, the brown rice won't cook enough and you will have al dente rice (giving myself a bit more credit than I deserve on that description). I recommend cooking the rice in the sauce for a few minutes. That's all it would have taken. But, of course I didn't do that...

Overall I did well, and I love the recipe. Will definitely make this again. But, I am not keen on eating hard rice so I'll follow that part of the recipe. Luckily, John & I are still in the "impression" stage, so he is eating the leftovers. I'm gonna milk this stage as long as I can!

I hope you give this recipe a try. Just don't make my mistake!

Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle...

So.... in true Lee fashion... I am going to try something new. I did run the half marathon 7 months ago, and did quite well (aka made it in under my goal time), but I failed at the whole blogging thing.

Now we are going to attempt blogging again, but this time as a fun experiment. I need to confess something first. It is hard to confess things about yourself, your little vices that no one really knows, but at times it also feels really good to get things off your chest. Here goes...

I am a Pinterest Whore. Wait... maybe a Pinterest Floozy. I mean, I don't get paid by Pinterest, but I do spend a lot of time on there. My biggest passion is "pinning" recipes that I want to try. I've tried most of them, but I have like 5 food boards so there is still some cooking that needs to get done.

My goal is to complete this project in the next 6 months. The second goal is to not gain weight. Let's see how both of these work out!

Basically, I will attempt to successfully make at least 60 dishes from Pinterest by my birthday in January 2015. Whew! I will share the outcome with pictures. I'll also share the links to my dishes because you need to applaud (or jeer) the blogs I get these recipes from.

To be clear, I am not Julia Child so I am not creating any recipes. I am basically finding recipes through Pinterest and then attempting to not have any #PinterestFails.

Wish me luck! (and for those I force my recipes on... good luck to you, too!)