Golden Days of Summer September 22, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food.Tags: Beef, Cucumber, Onion, Pepper, Radish, Zucchini
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Colorado weather strikes again! I can’t tell if it’s going to be hot or cold, dry or rainy, sunny or windy. All I know is when I dress for warm weather, the office is cold. If I try and prepare for the cold office, it is inevitably hot. Difficult to do anything but layer, I suppose.
Tonight was a grilling night. We made kababs with veggies and beef. They turned out to be a perfect end of summer meal!
I love the warm crispy vegetables next to the crunchy fresh cucumber and radishes. Poor radishes, they are an under appreciated veggie, but I love them so!
In an Orange Mood September 20, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food.Tags: Carrot, Cheese, Crouton, Ginger, Onion, Pumpkin, Soup
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Today did not start out as one of my better food days. I woke up later that I’d like, hopped in the shower for a few minutes, and scrambled to get dressed. This left me with no time for breakfast, so I packed some fruit and ran to the car. I just made it to work in time, but my stomach was grumbling all morning. To make matters worse, I didn’t get to leave for lunch until 1:00! That’s a long time for my tummy to wait!!!
I got home and munched on the leftover artichokes, broccoli and mashed potatoes from last night. Definitely felt much better after getting some food in me!
Tonight, I decided on a soup full of veggies. Orange veggies at that!
Pumpkin, Carrot, Ginger Soup! I even made my own croutons. Perfect for a cool, fall evening!
For the soup:
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions:
- Put the onions and carrots into a pot on medium heat with the olive oil. Sautee until tender, about 5-8 minutes.
- Once the veggies are tender, add in the ginger, salt, pepper and white wine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Add in the pumpkin to the vegetable mixture.
- Add in the stock and let the soup come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes.
- I added in a splash of half and half right at the end. It just made the soup creamier… totally up to you (or your pantry) as to whether you want to add it in!
For the croutons:
- Sourdough bread (1-4 slices)
- Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400*.
- As the soup is simmering, tear the bread into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the bread. Cook until the bread is golden brown, turning often for about 5-6 minutes.
- When the bread is cooked, mix the croutons in the grated parmesan cheese until coated.
- Place the croutons on a well greased cookie sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
The soup said it made 4 servings, but that may have been if the soup was being used as a side. We got 3 hearty portions out of it, but I’m sure if you used the whole can of pumpkin and added in a little more liquid, it would produce 4 servings easily. I really liked this soup because it was quick and easy. The croutons are definitely an added bonus, but take a little while so could easily be left out of the mix!
I love it when a recipe is good enough to be written down to be used again for later! This is definitely going in my book!
Monday, Monday September 19, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.Tags: Artichokes, Broccoli, Capers, Chicken Piccata, Mashed Potatoes
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It’s Monday. Work had a few too many lulls for my liking, so I had plenty of time to think about dinner. I wanted something light and delicious, so decided on chicken piccata… always a good choice!
This meal combines everything that I love. Broccoli, mashed potatoes, lemon, capers and artichokes… especially the artichokes.
It’s an easy enough meal to make. Just needs a little preparation.
For the piccata for two:
- 1 chicken breast halved
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- juice of one lemon
- 1 can quartered artichokes
- 2 tsp capers
1. Dust the chicken with flour until evenly coated. 2. Cook the chicken in the olive oil until done. 3. Once the chicken is cooked, add in the stock, wine, lemon juice, capers and artichokes. 4. Let simmer for 15 minutes. 5. Enjoy!!!
Sunshine on a Sunday September 18, 2011
Posted by cirellih in Food, Lunch.add a comment
This weekend has been lovely. It’s so nice to just sit and relax every once in a while. Basking in the sunshine and reading a good book… what more can a girl ask for?
A turkey burger salad, that’s what! Take the fantastic burger from the other night and put it on a heaping mound of veggies. It really does make something special.
I love having something hot in my salads. It definitely makes it seem more hearty.
Chris and I are heading to IKEA… let’s hope it’s open this time!