a few of my favorite things...

Last night while making dinner I stumbled upon this delicious pasta dish! I don't think I've mentioned yet that my husband and I are vegetarian, and therefor all my recipes will be too! But, vegetarian or not, this pasta is "yum" and the ingredients are just a few of my favorite things:

Garlic Spaghetti
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1 lb/450 g dried spaghetti
3 tbsp dried parsley flakes
teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan, grated

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic & pinch of salt and cook over low heat stirring constantly, until golden brown, then remove saucepan from heat.

2. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to boil & cook according to box directions. Drain and return to saucepan.

3. Add the olive oil-and-garlic mixture to the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly. Add parsley & pepper and toss to coat again.

4. Transfer the pasta to warmed serving dish & sprinkle with Parmesan. Salt to taste.

Enjoy!
~Laura Joy~

(Base of recipe from "Mmmm... Pasta")

A New Year, A New Kitchen!

Hello! I'm Laura Joy, the other "writer" for this blog! I've been a little busy over the past few months, but here I am and I'm ready to blog! This past New Year's Eve my husband and I hosted a party to celebrate our new apartment. Mostly, to celebrate my new kitchen! I love to cook & bake, but when your kitchen teeny tiny, it is difficult to make much more than noodles & sauce. But, moving into our new place also upgraded my kitchen! So, I decided to make everything from scratch for this blessed event. Quite an undertaking when you have been out of practice, but still very fun! I am going to share just one of the recipes with you today... Spinich & Artichoke Dip.

Makes about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 c. (8 ounces) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 c. Fat-Free Sour Cream
1/4 c. (1 ounce) Grated Fresh Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 (14 ounce) Can Artichoke Hearts, drained & chopped
1 (8 ounce) Block 1/3-Less-Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) Block Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 of a 10 ounce package Fresh Chopped Spinach

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350*

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl, and stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm with bread or tortilla chips.

Good luck!

(The base of this recipe is from Cooking Light & myrecipes.com)

Pumpkin Love

Fall is by far my favorite season for three beautiful reasons. 1) the weather, 2) the colored leaves and 3) it's closer to Christmas.
Fall is a great time of family bonding and wonderful memories, thanks to all the holidays jam packed into these few months. One of my favorite memories of me and my family is of my dad and I baking pumpkin seeds right after gutting a huge pumpkin for carving.

This idea is GREAT if you have kids. Let them dig their little hands into the squishy pumpkin guts; they'll love it! And, if reduce, reuse, recycle is your motto, you'll love this, too. Not one part of this wonderful fall fruit goes to waste! Use the actually pumpkin, de-gutted, to carve, use the seeds as a tasty, low calorie snack and the guts go into your garden or compost.

You can use about any size pumpkin for this. I find the medium carving pumpkins give the best green benefit, and surprisingly, the small pie pumpkins have a ton of seeds.

• The most laborious of tasks is to scrape all the seeds out of your pumpkin's cavity (I use two bowls, separating the messy, orange insides from the seeds the best I can).
• After you're done, place the seeds in a colander. Rinse well and make sure to turn the batch so you can find extra innards and discard.
• When you're finished prepping, spread the seeds out onto (a) greased baking sheet(s).
• Next, apply your favorite seasoning. I like seasoned salt, but I know of recipes using Ranch Dressing mix, brown sugar and cinnamon, butter and garlic powder... you name it.
• Give your seeds a 'mild' coating, making sure to toss to coat.

*Tip* If you're using a salt mix, make sure not to over apply. Results will make you thirsty.

• Next place in a 275 degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

These tasty treats save for about 2 weeks in an air-tight container. You can also freeze undressed seeds for later toasting.

*Tip* If you're planning on carving your orange friend, coat the inside with ground cinnamon. It helps keep the fruit from getting infected and rotting; plus it makes your work of art smell like pumpkin pie when you light a candle inside!

Aubrey

Pantry Raid #1

I love pantry raids! This recipe was designed to be easy, but still homemade. The beauty of it is you can add whatever you like to the salad; cucumbers, chicken, even jalapenos. Whatever you have in your pantry or fridge will work great in this salad.

Tuna Salad Over Pasta
2 cans tuna or 1 package
1 carrot, chopped
3 medium ribs celery, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 cups pasta, I used whole grain spirals

Dressing
1/2 tomato, squished
1/3 c Kraft Tomato Basil dressing
1/4 c EVOO
1 T freshly chopped basil
2 T lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flake, optional.

-Boil water, add a healthy dash of salt and drop pasta. Cook according to package.
Chop veggies, add tuna into a medium bowl.
Squeeze tomato cut side down, like you're juicing a lemon, into a small bowl. Add dressing, lemon juice and whisk with EVOO to combine. Add basil and red pepper flake.
Add veggies and tuna to pasta, then dress.

No matter what Italians say, this pasta is beautifully garnished with Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.
Happy Raiding!

Aubrey

Exciting News!

We are very excited, yes we, to bring you a collaboration!
My friend, Laura and I are here to bring you more recipes and reviews! We have just signed on today, together, to start a whole new experience of blogging.
We hope you enjoy us doubly!

Laura&Aubrey

To Tartar or Not to Tartar...

It seems to be my luck that I cannot, for the life of me, make a custard pie. I have tried two different methods and it always turns to soup.
Upon the last time of making a custard pie, lemon meringue, I boiled the custard on the stove top as directed, then baked the pie and let it completely cool to set. Set, it did not. I thought maybe chilling it in the fridge over night would make it set. I went to bed confident it would be set in the morning.
When I learned my aunt and uncle were dropping by unexpectedly from Wisconsin I was excited to see them. I told my uncle about my pie and his eyes lit up. Lemon meringue is his favorite! I trotted out to fridge, only to find lemon vichyssoise with floating meringue.
In a slight panic, because I wanted so badly for him to enjoy my pie, I needed to find a way to make this custard set, and fast. I scooped the meringue off the top with a spatula, like a pancake, whipped some heavy cream and sugar together, and poured the filling into the whipped cream. Strike one. It deflated like a popped tire.
I decided to add more cream to the 'whipped' filling and beat the heck of it with my hand-held beater. Strike two. I wasn't getting stiff peaks.
Getting frustrated, I remembered that I had used a pinch of cream of tartar in the egg whites to make them fool-proof stiff. I dashed to my cupboard and gradually added about two teaspoon to the mix, until it was stiff enough and viola, home run!
The pie still had a wonderful lemon flavor even after I mixed in about a cup of heavy cream.
Lesson learned. If you also struggle with custard pies, try this if you're in a pinch.
Another idea is to serve the filling as a 'pudding' and pile lots of whipped cream on top. Delicious!

Ban Thai Fabulous

In the recent years, I've become quite the foodie. My boyfriend and I enjoy trying new foods and experiences. So when we heard of Ban Thai in our area, we both got really excited. This little, authentic restaurant is tucked away in a strip of businesses along Niles Ave. Easy to miss, but hard to forget once you've eaten there.
Upon entering the restaurant you're greeted by a warm, Thai inspired atmosphere. The space is filled with photographs and artifacts from Thailand.The seating was prompt and we were well taken care of by the charming owner, Jimmy and his wait staff.
While grazing the menu, I found a plethera, more than 60 creations, of authentic Thai food. Not being that familiar with the culture or cuisine, I decided to order something simple. I ordered the sweet chili chicken. Needless to say, it was delicious! Stir fried chicken, onion, green and red bell pepper and carrots are cooked to perfection, while there is a surprising element of cashews. All of the components, plus the umami-ish sauce creates an explosion of Asian flavors in your mouth. Now, I crave this dish.
The food is wonderful, but save room for dessert! One of the most decadent items on the menu is the homemade Thai ice cream. That's right, homemade! Four flavors are offered: pomegranate, coconut, mango and lychee (an asian aril fruit with a sweet, perfume-like flavor). I have tried three out of four flavors. The pomegranate and mango are so pure in flavor, it tastes just like the fruit. The coconut ice cream is divine! This concoction of coconut milk and fresh coconut peices is on a level all it's own.

If you're looking for a flavor and cultural experience, dive into Ban Thai for dinner and say hello to Jimmy.
Ban Thai offers dine in, carry out and catering services.
(269) 983-2989 2936 Niles Ave St. Joseph, MI http://www.banthaimichigan.com/