The return of the "Foodie"

Ok, so it's no secret that I haven't posted in a LONGGGGG time. This does not mean that we have not been eating! :) We don't really eat out that much (schedules don't allow it) and, more than ever, we feel it is important to have a FAMILY dinner. Our kids help the Chef and I prepare meals by pouring things into bowls, mixing, and serving as commentators/critics. It's important to establish this important tradition early on. We've also made it even more of a point to know what is in the food we are eating. We hardly eat any processed foods and have upped the veggie intake by a great deal (and I'm 9 lbs lighter to prove it!)

This past summer, we joined a local CSA. It was exciting to go pick up our share each week and see what we received! We also planted an organic garden with 10 varieties of vegetables and 2 varieties of herbs. Our kids loved helping in the garden and the fresh produce was gobbled up quickly! It was exciting for the kids (ok... and us too!) to see our harvest!  Needless to say, the fresh produce we harvested and received each week is greatly missed- especially the fresh garlic! We can't wait for next year and plan to increase the size of our garden.

I literally have about a year's worth of pictures that I took with the intention of blogging about them so stay tuned!

Tomato/Tortellini Salad

Inspiration for this one came from a Rachel Ray recipe. I made a bag of frozen tortellini, tossed it in olive oil and minced garlic, and then added green beans and heirloom grape tomatoes. I also sprinkled it with parsley and added cubed mozzerella.

Something like this is super easy! You can add any veggies you want to pasta to make a complete meal. Oh yeah, and did I mention healthy? :)

Chilli

Some of the "secret" ingredients. And yes, I use a spice kit.

Yep. Fogged up the camera lens on that first one. That's how you know it's good.

Anyway, it was a cold and rainy Saturday and the Chef and I were watching football. Naturally, chilli sounded like a good idea! We typically make 2 lbs of ground beef with the Carroll Shelby's kit you can find with all the McCormick sauce packs at Meijer (it's in a tan box)

Chilli-making is so easy! Basically, just pick your protein, add beans, veggies and spices and BAM! A delish but filling meal for a cold day:) I'm not going to give away my secrets, but let's just say it's mild in spice, BIG in flavor! We typically eat about 1/3 and then freeze 2 containers to take out for lunch another day.

Authentic Mexican!

Some of our neighbors had a baby recently, and we made them dinner so they wanted to return the favor. My neighbor just brought over a bag of food... made by her mother-in-law who is visiting them and lives in Mexico! This was our one acception to the "no beef, pork, or chicken" week. Those of you who know me well, know that I LOVE Mexican food- authentic or not. In fact, my husband and I have "Mexican Monday" most weeks (we eat some sort of Mexican dish).

Pasta with Poblano Pepper Sauce

MMM! Delish pepper flavor, not too hot.

The meat. Peppers included. MMM!

Marcelo's own homemade salsa! Get out the Zantac! Great flavor with some spice on the end.

<3.

Thanks, neighbors!

Sweet Potato-Topped Shepherd's Pie

Sadly, I did not take a picture of this one. Here's the one from the recipe on Rachel Ray's site:

This is a recipe that I found in Everyday with Rachel Ray from September 2010. Click here for the recipe!

So on a serious note, what couldn't be better than Shepherd's Pie.... topped with sweet potatoes?! Well...

It was good. I wasn't that impressed though.

First of all, I did not use a dutch oven. I used a skillet and it worked just fine. Also, you might want to make this dish when you are having dinner guests because it made ALOT. Since I wasn't that big of a fan and The Chef isn't home during the week to eat it, I ended up pitching most of it today. If I make this recipe again, I would use Russett's instead. The sweet potato flavor with the gravy for the meat was a little weird.

Cheese, Wild Mushroom 'n Bacon Pie

First let me say that anything involving bacon is a great idea! I found this recipe in a Rachel Ray mag...It was a contest-winning recipe by Barbara Estabrook.

3 Garlic Cloves (although I used a fair amount of roasted garlic sauce)
4 Bacon Strips cut into pieces(I used 6)
1 Lb of sliced assorted fresh mushrooms (I used 3/4 lb of baby bellas)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 eggs
1- 8oz pkg of Philadelpha cream cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Pilsbury refrigerated pie crust
1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (I just covered the top)
1/8 tsp paprika

If you aren't using garlic sauce, roast the garlic at 425 for 15-20 min. You'll want to wrap it in foil and drizzle with olive oil.

Cook the bacon until crisp in a large skillet (I made bacon for breakfast and saved a few slices a couple of days prior). Saute the mushrooms and onions in the bacon drippings until tender. (This grosses me out, so I used butter).

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add softened cream cheese and beat well. Mix in salt, pepper and mushroom mixture.

Unroll the pie crust in 9" pie plate. Fill with cheddar cheese and bacon, then add the garlic. Pour bacon and egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with parmesean and paprika.

Bake at 375 fir 30-35 min until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 15 min.

Ok, so this was super easy, quick, and delish. "A" for the day! However... it was very rich and did not please my tummy. Verdict? I probably will not make this again for that reason.

Crabbies!

My friend (we'll call him "The Marine") came to visit from Maryland this week. He drove here so he picked up few crabs on his way....

"The Marine" and his dad steamed the crabs in a roaster and then cracked them all (like..80 crabs!)