Beet Hummus

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 Somebody missed me.    Maybe even more than one somebody.
 I actually had a few people urge me to continue to share recipes here.  After taking a  little break,  I realized that I wanted to come back here and talk about food.   I love to cook and I love food, so it just makes sense.

 I had a Roast Chicken disaster in the middle of February and it was really sad.  It was quite the debacle and after that happened, I felt like I lost my mojo for a couple of weeks.  The defeat of the Chicken made me lose a little confidence in the kitchen and I played it really safe for a little while.  Then, I got inspired  and decided to try a few things that I had been looking forward to for quite some time.  This Beet Hummus was on that list.

 I love Hummus.  I have made every kind imaginable and I love beets, so combining the two didn't seem that weird to me.  I pinned a few different recipes and waited for the perfect opportunity to make this lovely dip.  One of my best friends was coming over for lunch one day and I wanted to make the best lunch ever.  I made this Beet Hummus, Homemade Veggie Burgers (the best one's I've ever had-don't worry, I will share the recipe later), Kale Chips (with Red Russian Kale), and Meyer Lemon Sorbet. 


  This Hummus was fantastic with all sorts of veggie dippers, but it was also really good smeared on top of the Veggie Burgers.   I made it the day before we enjoyed lunch together and that made it really easy to pull off a great lunch menu. I would like to try it again using golden beets as soon as possible.  It is delicious!

I used this recipe from Our Share of the Harvest and this recipe from Erin's Food Files as a basis for this Beet Hummus, but didn't follow them completely.  I have made hummus so many times that I know how much of what to add to get the consistency that I want. 
  

Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread

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  I still have quite a problem with my bananas turning dark brown or black before I can use them all.  I don't buy them for any other reason than to make smoothies, but somehow they always get the best of me.  I'm super picky about eating a banana as is (it has to be fairly unripe and slightly green, not too sweet or mushy), so I feel like it is always a race against the banana.


 A few weeks ago, there wasn't any chance that I would use the bananas before they were ready to be transformed into a baked good.  I've made just about every variation of banana bread there is ( I think I have made every Cooking Light version), as well as cakes, muffins, etc., so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I immediately decided it would be the perfect way to use my bananas.  I knew I could send it to work with my husband, so there were not any worries about it being eaten.

I never, ever use more that a 1-2 Tablespoons of oil when I make quick breads or muffins.  I discovered that low-fat buttermilk can be a wonderful substitute that has less calories, less fat, but still makes things moist and delicious.   I always use this method and I have never had any problem. 

 I did cut a slice of this bread for my kids to try and I had a small bite.  It was pretty good.  It could never dethrone my favorite banana bread recipe, but it was a fun twist.  And, my husband brought home an empty plate, so I know that it was enjoyed by quite a few people.



Here is the recipe for Reese's Peanut Butter Banana Bread 
* I used low-fat buttermilk in place of most of the oil, all but 1 Tablespoon
* The mini Reese's stuck to the bottom of the pan a little bit, so I had to get creative and make a glaze to cover some of the holes and spots I had to patch up.


  

Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs

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  In April, I drove to Washington D.C. with my children for Spring Break.  My sister lives there with her children and it is always so much fun to visit them.  We go on tons of outings and see so many amazing things when we are there.  It's pretty great that so many of the museums, the zoo, and so many other activities are completely free!

On Friday night, my sister took me on a Girls Night Out to Georgetown.  The first thing we did involved enjoying gelato at Dolcezza  ( I had blood orange and  meyer lemon;  my sister had salted caramel and apple cider), ate at a delicious pizza place (but I can't remember the name of it!) and then we did some window shopping.  Our first stop was Dean & Deluca. 

   I realize that some people might not find this type of store exciting, but let me tell you that I could've stayed in there all day long.  It was fascinating to see so many beautiful foods and packages.   You might be wondering at this point what any of this has to do with Homemade Spaghetti-O's and Meatballs.    Well, when we were wondering around Dean & Deluca, I just happened to spy a cute little bag of ring shaped pasta.  Anelloni to be exact.   I had to have those cute little rings.  I had been looking for them because this particular recipe was on my to-make list.  (I will let you know that I did not pay as much for them in the store as the price that is listed online).

I had found my must-have item and my sister was trying to decide what kind of treat to buy from the bakery section (She settled on a ginormous peppermint brownie that we shared the next day with both of our entire families-10 people- after a hike) .  We made our purchases and went on our way.

My little ring pasta made it back here to Georgia and this recipe was one of the first things I made for dinner once we were home.

I didn't grow up eating canned Spaghetti-O's, but when I got married, I discovered that my husband really liked them.  But only the ones with meatballs.  I haven't eaten them, but he usually has some on hand, in case of an emergency.   As soon as I saw this recipe on Tracey's blog, I knew I would have to try it, if for no other reason than just so my husband could compare the homemade taste to the can.  

This homemade version is pretty easy and actually quite tasty.  My kids really liked it and my husband seemed to enjoy it too.  I made extra mini meatballs and froze them, so next time we want this yummy dish, part of it will already be ready to go.




  Here is the recipe for Homemade Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs
* I used ground chicken breast for the meatballs


  

Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie

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 I have a confession to make- up until last week, I had never, in my life, made Shepherd's Pie.  I don't remember ever eating it before.  My mom never made these types of dishes growing up.  I've never been a "meat & potatoes" type eater, so it just never  was something I was interested in making.

 2 things changed that for me- Pie Week and Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger.  

  Ellie Krieger's recipes never, ever disappoint and I like that she uses a combination of cauliflower and potatoes for the mashed topping.    I made a few changes, like using lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef, but that is just because of my personal taste preferences.

I actually put this together on a Saturday night and then covered it and put it in the fridge, so I could just pop it in the oven after church on Sunday and we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hot meal to be ready.

My family really liked this meal, (it is a meal in itself), and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and fun it was.  While we were eating it, we took turns telling stories about how this dish might have gotten the name Shepherd's Pie.  For your sake, I won't repeat any of those stories.  :D

Here is the recipe for Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used chicken broth
* I added 1/2 cup of celery to the veggies
* I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the filling
* I added some garlic powder, salt & pepper to the mashed potato/cauliflower topping and used an extra Tablespoon of butter

  

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits

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 There isn't a child in my home who still watches Sesame Street, but that didn't matter to me when I saw the new book- B is for Baking . This cookbook uses the characters from Sesame Street and I couldn't resist it.  I have had C is for Cooking for quite a few years and we use it all the time.

 I made Sweet Potato Biscuits last fall that we really loved and I noticed the version in B is for Baking was a little bit different and that it didn't use butter at all.  I was intrigued and decided it would be the first thing that we tried from this cookbook.  I made them on a night that we had a family favorite for dinner.  Whenever I make this stew, we have some sort of bread/biscuit to go with it and  I  knew these sweet potato biscuits would be great with it.  They didn't have the exact texture of a normal biscuit, but they were soft and fluffy and we loved them.   I froze a few of the leftovers and we made breakfast biscuit sandwiches the next week.  I will be making these again!

Elmo's Sweet Potato Biscuits from  B is for Baking by Susan McQuillan
1 large sweet potato, cooked and mashed to equal 1 cup1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup whole-wheat flour1/4 cup cornmeal1 Tbls baking powder1/4 tsp salt1 large egg1/4 cup olive oil1/4 cup skim milk2 Tbls honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (ap flour to salt).  In a medium bowl, with a wooden spoon, stir together egg, oil, milk, and honey.  Stir in the mashed sweet potato.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  With your fingers, gently pat the dough out to a 9*12-inch rectangle.  Cut into 12 squares.  Places biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on rack and serve warm.




 

"Tag You're It!" - Blogging Game

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Just in time for school - it's like an old fashioned school yard "tag" game with a modern twist - It's a "Tag you're It" blogging game.  Heather from "A Mom, A Kid and Art" (please checkout her blog it's totally cool) tagged me and now "I'm It!"  (actually this was a very delayed reaction on my part - it took me over a week - sorry).  Here's  how it works:
Once you're tagged, you must follow the rules:
1.  You must post the rules
2.  Answer the questions the tagger set for you
3.  Create 8 new questions for the people you will tag
4.  Tag 8 bloggers with a link to your post
5.  Let them know they've been tagged


Here are the questions that Heather gave me and my answers:

1. If you could visit anywhere in the world, regardless of cost, where would it be and why?  Vienna, Austria to visit the place where my mom once lived. 
2. If you could eat only one kind of food for a month what would it be?   Dark chocolate
3. What did you want to be when you were a little kid and why?  An artist because I loved (and still love) everything about being visually creative. 
4. What's a bad habit you should give up?   Letting the pots & pans air dry instead of drying and immediately putting them away.
5. Is there a celebrity or famous person that you are really sick of hearing about and who is it?  President Obama (I'm just being honest)
6. What's your favorite author or book? Bible
7. What's the worst piece of advice you've been given and followed? "Wheat Grass Juice tastes good - try it!"
8. What is a funny or weird fact about yourself that no many people know?  I had many episodes of "sleep paralysis" well into my 20's. 

OK - here are the 8 bloggers that I have tagged and below this list are their questions:
HoliMessThe Dorothy DaysA Humble BumbleSaved SisterOur Everyday HarvestEtcetorizeCountry Momma CooksChristy Cottage
The Questions for the 8 lovely Bloggers That I Tagged:1.  What is your earliest childhood memory?2.  What language do you think this word is: "Ausgezeichnet"?3.  Bungee Jumping, Hot air balloon or neither?4.  What TV show is this quote from: "Hi,  my name is Larry, this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl"5.  What is your favorite decade?6.  Have you ever had a recurring dream or nightmare?7.  What is the messiest room in your house?8.  When you think about or look at the color "green" - name the first thing that comes into your mind________.

Frank's Flowers - The "Rolly" Rose

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Frank's Flowers - The Eiffel Tower Rose A few months ago I showed you how to Prune & Trim Roses and in that post I promised that I would show you how to start a rose bush from cut roses.......well, I just ran out of time this year. I do apologize - but this will be one of the first posts in the spring next year. However, this year I will still feature a few of my father's roses. Today's Flower Feature is The Rolly Rose.
My grandparents lived beside a man named "Rolly" - he used to walk around his backyard on his hands.  He was amazing!- he never faltered and would walk the perimeter of his property.  As a child I could watch him for hours - I thought that my grandparents lived next to a carnival man (no offense against "carnival people").  This rose was from his property:  Rolly gave my dad a cutting from his rose bush and my dad grew these rosebushes from that cutting (I will share that technique with you in the spring of 2013).  That is why we call this rose the "Rolly Rose."  This rose has the most sweet scent of all of my dad's roses - it is as sweet as candy.  This was the most difficult rose to photograph because it is all the same color - there is no white edge or color variation of any kind.  I noticed that the first and last picture that I included in this post show a little red & pink tints but that's not accurate- it is solid orange (it also didn't help that my parents have an orange brick house - as you can see in the second picture below). 
I have just sent you a digital dozen of the "Rolly Rose" - please ENJOY these digital versions of this fantastic flower!
   

  Other Roses on this blog:The Eiffel Tower RoseThe Black Cherry Rose
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