 |
| Mushroom Soup (Image) |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Oranges |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
An Untraditional Valentine's Day Dinner
As I have established, in my previous post, I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day, but I like to enjoy it in some form as a way to remember to love the little things in life. To celebrate I made what I would consider to be an untraditional Valentine's Day dinner.
Mushroom Soup - Untraditional Valentine's Day Dinner
For the first course I made mushroom soup. This soup is fast, creamy, healthy, and surprisingly filling. Being a mushroom lover I use about 16 ounces when the recipe calls for 8 ounces.In my opinion, the more mushrooms the better. I also use button mushrooms because they are the cheapest but any mushroom that you choose would be wonderful. I adapted this recipe from my favorite soup book, Soup's On, by substituting skim milk for half-and-half to make this soup a little more figure-friendly.
|
| (Image) |
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced
8-16 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup beef broth
2 cups skim milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Melt the butter in a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once melted add the garlic, just long enough to brown it, careful not to burn it. Add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Stir in the flour, then slowly add the stock, stirring constantly.
Heat the milk in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Add the milk, nutmeg, mushrooms, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer over low heat until the flavors marry, about 10 minutes. Don't let the soup boil! Remove the bay leaf and serve immediately.
Cheeseburger Pie - Untraditional Valentine's Day Dinner
For proof that I am a major foodie and love to cook, I had saved this recipe, along with many others, from my cooking class that I took in high school. I cannot give proper credit to the recipe's creator because unfortunately I don't know where my teacher found this recipe. It is a fun, easy, satisfying dish to make.
Cheeseburger Pie
Ingredients:
1 1b lean ground beef
1 medium sized onion
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 can crescent rolls
4 slices of cheese of your choice (we used mozzarella)
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Pasta sauce
Directions:
1) Process the ground beef meat in the Marinade Express using an unflavored or Italian MX seasoning mix. Remember, the ground beef only needs to be processed for 3 rotations. Watch carefully and stop the rotation while the beef is resting on the divider, out of the water. Let it stand for 5 minutes to help drain the water out of the beef. Remove the beef carefully.
2) Brown the beef. You will notice that the beef is less greasy because the short time in the Marinade Express has helped to break down the fat.
3) Blend in the onion, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste.
4) Pat the crescent rolls into a 9 inch pie pan or casserole dish.
5) Place ground beef mixture on top of the crescent rolls, spreading it out. Top it with the cheese.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown.
7) Heat up the pasta sauce and serve on the side to dip the cheeseburger pie into.
8) Sprinkle the green peppers on top of the Cheeseburger Pie for a splash of color and a crunch. Serve and enjoy!
 |
| Cheeseburger Pie |
Cheeseburger Pie
Ingredients:
1 1b lean ground beef
1 medium sized onion
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 can crescent rolls
4 slices of cheese of your choice (we used mozzarella)
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Pasta sauce
Directions:
1) Process the ground beef meat in the Marinade Express using an unflavored or Italian MX seasoning mix. Remember, the ground beef only needs to be processed for 3 rotations. Watch carefully and stop the rotation while the beef is resting on the divider, out of the water. Let it stand for 5 minutes to help drain the water out of the beef. Remove the beef carefully.
2) Brown the beef. You will notice that the beef is less greasy because the short time in the Marinade Express has helped to break down the fat.
3) Blend in the onion, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste.
4) Pat the crescent rolls into a 9 inch pie pan or casserole dish.
5) Place ground beef mixture on top of the crescent rolls, spreading it out. Top it with the cheese.
6) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown.
7) Heat up the pasta sauce and serve on the side to dip the cheeseburger pie into.
8) Sprinkle the green peppers on top of the Cheeseburger Pie for a splash of color and a crunch. Serve and enjoy!
Chocolate Covered Oranges - Untraditional Valentine's Day Dinner
Chocolate Covered Oranges
Ingredients:
2 oranges
1 container of Baker's Dipping Chocolate
Directions:
1) Follow the heating directions on the container. I used the microwave method for convenience.
2) Peel the oranges. Use a paper towel to dry each segment.
3) Dip half of the segments into the chocolate. Place on waxed paper to dry. We were too anxious to wait 15 minutes for them to harden in the refrigerator, so we ate ours at room temperature. They were delicious!
I hope everyone had a wonderful and delicious Valentine's day!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Plans
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!
I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day because the media hypes it up too much and there is too much pressure to make it filled with chocolates, flowers, and red hearts. However, I do like to celebrate Valentine's Day in some form. It is a day to celebrate Love and to realize all of the little things there are to love in life. Like the beautiful light dusting of snow we received yesterday; it wasn't so much snow that we had to deal with shoveling but it was enough to add a magical white layer to the earth.
A preview of what I will be making for an untraditional Valentine's dinner tonight: Hamburger Pie, Mushroom Soup, and Chocolate Dipped Oranges. Of course I had to include chocolate in my menu; I am a girl after all. I look foward to sharing with you how the meal tonight turns out. I know I am excited to eat it!
Happy Valentine's Day; take note of all of the things you love in life!
I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day because the media hypes it up too much and there is too much pressure to make it filled with chocolates, flowers, and red hearts. However, I do like to celebrate Valentine's Day in some form. It is a day to celebrate Love and to realize all of the little things there are to love in life. Like the beautiful light dusting of snow we received yesterday; it wasn't so much snow that we had to deal with shoveling but it was enough to add a magical white layer to the earth.
 |
| (Image) |
Happy Valentine's Day; take note of all of the things you love in life!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Turn A Purse Into A Creative Wall Decoration
When one of my old roommates was moving out of the house she was gathering together items she wanted to get rid of. One of the items was a purse with scenery of Venice, Italy decked out in sparkly rhinestones and big black handles. I loved the look of it but wouldn't want to use it as a purse because of the uncomfortable bulky plastic handles. Yet, I didn't want to discard it either because I have a personal attachment to Venice; I spent a few days there when I was abroad.
 |
| Enjoying A Ride On A Gondola |
It remained hidden in my closet untouched for quite a while until I finally had an idea of how to display it on my wall. I went to Hobby Lobby and found a hook that compliments the purse and found the perfect spot to hang my Venice purse, right next to the Venice shadowbox I had made to display a masque I had bought as a souvenir. I hung the hook and stuffed the purse with tissue paper so it looks like it is full. It was the perfect addition to my wall, not to mention a cheap and resourceful decoration. I enjoy the sparkle and character it brings to my room.
 |
| The Hook |
 |
| The Venice Purse |
 |
| The Results |
Soon after I hung the purse my other roommate gave me a wire Eiffel tower art piece that I hung beside the purse. My wall was complete. It is still my favorite wall to look at in my room. It is unusual, artistic and shows some of the places I have traveled to.
 |
| My Favorite Wall In My Room |
What kind of purse do you not like to use as a purse but can't part with because of its beauty? Would it look stunning on your wall?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Italian Pasta with Chicken and a Side of Skier's Thumb
Exactly a week ago I made Italian pasta with chicken for dinner. I had it ready right as Paul got off work. After dinner we were to go to Chestnut Mountain just outside of Galena, Illinois for a night of downhill snow skiing. Being a lover of all things with cream cheese I had decided to try out the Philadelphia Cooking Cream I found in the store. It was an easy, quick way to add a delicious sauce to a pasta dish. I used the Italian Cheese and Herb flavor. As we devoured our Italian pasta with chicken, little did we know that later in the evening we would have a side of "skier's thumb".
We arrived at Chestnut at about 6:30pm and began skiing down the various ski runs, enjoying the rush of adrenaline, then relaxing as we took the lifts back up the runs. We were having a wonderful ski night; the snow wasn't too icy considering our Midwest conditions for skiing, and it was an exceptionally warm night in the beginning of February. At 11:30pm we were trying to get our last couple of runs in before Chestnut closed at 12. We were skiing down our favorite run called Crazy Horse when all of a sudden I saw Paul sprawled on the snow. One ski was above him and the other one below. Paul is an advanced skier; he skis black diamonds in Colorado every year, so when he doesn't get up right away I know something is wrong. His first thought was that he broke his thumb. Thankfully we were close to the bottom of the run. I helped him get his skis back on and we made it down to the bottom and found the ski patrol. At the base of his thumb was a huge bulge. Our guess was that it was popped out of its socket but ski patrol said it looked like a case of "skier's thumb".
Hoping the Doc at the ER in Dubuque would be able to answer our questions of what "skier's thumb" is, we were in the hospital until 2:30am and left with a heavy-duty splint, a prescription for pain medicine, and a note to call the orthopedic doc on Monday to take a look at it. When Monday came rolling around Paul found out that his thumb was dislocated with a fracture that fragmented the bone in two spots, requiring surgery to fix. Apparently this type of accident is common among skiers; hence the nickname, "skier's thumb."
Paul's surgery was successful. He now has two permanent metal pins holding his bone fragments together. Currently he is learning to perform daily activities with one hand until he has recovered six weeks from now. Thankfully his accident was fixable with surgery and some healing time. Despite Paul's accident we still had a great night skiing and enjoyed the Italian pasta with chicken dish.
Now for the recipe you've been waiting for...
Italian Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients:
1 T Garlic
1 tsp butter
2 chicken breasts processed in the Marinade Express
1 container of Italian Cheese and Herb Philly Cooking Cream
Noodles (eyeball it to how much pasta you like in your dish)
1/2 bag of frozen broccoli
2 cups of frozen peas
2 hand-fulls of fresh spinach
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken that has been processed in the Marinade Express (using either the unflavored or Italian MX seasoning mix) into bite-sized pieces.
2. Begin boiling the pasta in water. Boil until the noodles are tender.
3. In a large pan cook the garlic in butter just until the garlic is browned.
4. Add the chicken. Keep stirring so the chicken cooks evenly.
5. Add the frozen broccoli and peas and fresh spinach. Cook until the vegetables and chicken are cooked through.
6. Add the container of Italian Cheese and Herb Philly Cooking Cream to the pan. Make sure the sauce evenly coats the mixture and is melted. Serve immediately.
This dish is quick, easy, creamy, and healthy. The best part about it is that you can use whatever kind of frozen veggies you have on hand or fresh veggies, or any kind of meat. There are endless possibilities. I will be testing out more variations of this recipe with the Philly Cooking Cream, but I will omit the side of skier's thumb.
 |
| (Image) |
We arrived at Chestnut at about 6:30pm and began skiing down the various ski runs, enjoying the rush of adrenaline, then relaxing as we took the lifts back up the runs. We were having a wonderful ski night; the snow wasn't too icy considering our Midwest conditions for skiing, and it was an exceptionally warm night in the beginning of February. At 11:30pm we were trying to get our last couple of runs in before Chestnut closed at 12. We were skiing down our favorite run called Crazy Horse when all of a sudden I saw Paul sprawled on the snow. One ski was above him and the other one below. Paul is an advanced skier; he skis black diamonds in Colorado every year, so when he doesn't get up right away I know something is wrong. His first thought was that he broke his thumb. Thankfully we were close to the bottom of the run. I helped him get his skis back on and we made it down to the bottom and found the ski patrol. At the base of his thumb was a huge bulge. Our guess was that it was popped out of its socket but ski patrol said it looked like a case of "skier's thumb".
Hoping the Doc at the ER in Dubuque would be able to answer our questions of what "skier's thumb" is, we were in the hospital until 2:30am and left with a heavy-duty splint, a prescription for pain medicine, and a note to call the orthopedic doc on Monday to take a look at it. When Monday came rolling around Paul found out that his thumb was dislocated with a fracture that fragmented the bone in two spots, requiring surgery to fix. Apparently this type of accident is common among skiers; hence the nickname, "skier's thumb."
Paul's surgery was successful. He now has two permanent metal pins holding his bone fragments together. Currently he is learning to perform daily activities with one hand until he has recovered six weeks from now. Thankfully his accident was fixable with surgery and some healing time. Despite Paul's accident we still had a great night skiing and enjoyed the Italian pasta with chicken dish.
Now for the recipe you've been waiting for...
 |
| Italian Pasta with Chicken |
Italian Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients:
1 T Garlic
1 tsp butter
2 chicken breasts processed in the Marinade Express
1 container of Italian Cheese and Herb Philly Cooking Cream
Noodles (eyeball it to how much pasta you like in your dish)
1/2 bag of frozen broccoli
2 cups of frozen peas
2 hand-fulls of fresh spinach
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken that has been processed in the Marinade Express (using either the unflavored or Italian MX seasoning mix) into bite-sized pieces.
2. Begin boiling the pasta in water. Boil until the noodles are tender.
3. In a large pan cook the garlic in butter just until the garlic is browned.
4. Add the chicken. Keep stirring so the chicken cooks evenly.
5. Add the frozen broccoli and peas and fresh spinach. Cook until the vegetables and chicken are cooked through.
6. Add the container of Italian Cheese and Herb Philly Cooking Cream to the pan. Make sure the sauce evenly coats the mixture and is melted. Serve immediately.
This dish is quick, easy, creamy, and healthy. The best part about it is that you can use whatever kind of frozen veggies you have on hand or fresh veggies, or any kind of meat. There are endless possibilities. I will be testing out more variations of this recipe with the Philly Cooking Cream, but I will omit the side of skier's thumb.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)