Finally, back to a Normal Weekend!

For the past two weeks I have been dealing with my chronic "back issue" and have been laying pretty low. (This is definitely an issue I am finally going to take care of through physical therapy and visiting a spine specialist but let's just say our last couple of weekends have consisted of lots of Dexter, lots of reading, lots of laying in bed, oh, and eating in bed!)

This past weekend was uh-mazing simply because I felt like a normal human again with interaction outside of my house! Friday night we went OUT to dinner (which is rare for us because we love to cook at home so much) because I wanted to celebrate the Hub's raise and bonus! We went to Terracotta Red which is Asian Fusion and it was delicious.

Saturday morning we woke and hung some pictures around the house that I had been itching to get up and I must say they turned out GREAT! I am SO happy with them! We sat around and watched some football and then got together with some friends to head to the pumpkin patch! I haven't been to the pumpkin patch in years and it was SUCH a beautiful PNW day that no one in their right mind would have passed up this beautiful day to partake in such a classic fall activity. Hub have never been to a patch so it was high time he went!

the group

all ready to take home

We then picked up some pizzas and adult beverages and headed back to do some carvin'!

Such a fun, fall day with fun friends!

Sunday, Hub took advantage of the nice weather to smoke some beef and we had my family over for an "impromptu" birthday dinner for my dad. We had smoked beef sandwiched, broccoli casserole (recipe to come) and Mom brought some mashed potatoes. Dessert was Applescotch Crisp (recipe to come). Delicious dinner, quality time with the family and getting my back back to healthy!
What fun, fall festivities is everyone else taking part in these days? Corn mazes? Pumpkin patch? Making cider or applesauces?

Quick and Simple with a Little Spice

I have been wanting to try to make Tortilla Soup for some time now and I just always, plain forget about it! I love soup. I could eat bowl upon bowl. Hub loves certain soups. I think he will like Tortilla soup. I was browsing over on my friend's blog and oogling in awe over how she meal plans so strictly! It is really very impressive. If you would like a peek hop on over to the ::the little pieces of our lives::. Back to Tortilla Soup. Mrs. T had it on her meal plan for the week. Oh, that's right, I thought to myself, I need to make that. So, I took some ideas from Mrs. T's quick recipe and some ideas from this recipe over at one of my "go-to" websites, Allrecipes.com. I followed this recipe pretty closely and also added:
2 Fresh jalapeños
1 can of black beans, drained
1/2 bag frozen corn
and came up with this bowl of goodness:

I also transferred the soup from the pot on the stove into the slow cooker so the scent wafts through the house all day and is warm for dinner. I garnished with a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and a lime. It would also be delish garnished with some queso fresco or shredded cheese, avocados and fresh tomatoes.
**Happy Birthday to my wonderful Dad! Thank you for always being there, always loving AND giving me my love for food!**

Easy-Bake Potatoes

I sure do love a quick and easy side dish. Side dishes are sometimes tricky to me because I like them to be quick but I also like to visit "flavor country". Hub and I find that whenever we sit down to our meal, we always dig into the sides first! I don't know what it is but we do. So here is a super easy potato dish that you can substitute, adjust and enjoy to your liking for very minimal amount of preparation!
Easy-Bake Potatoes
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 1hr.
Oven: 400 degrees
Serves: 2 (adjust accordingly to serve more)

5-6 medium sized red potatoes
3 cloves garlic, halved
3-4 green onions, chopped (or substitute half of a medium-sized yellow onion)
4 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Create a foil pouch in a glass baking pan. I usually line the pan with two pieces of foil and then once all ingredients are added bring all sides of foil together to close.
3. Chop potatoes in half or in quarters depending on size, or how big you like your potatoes.
4. Place potatoes in foil pouch and add garlic, green onions, butter, salt, pepper and garlic salt.
5. Bake for 1 hr. If these sides are done a little early, turn the oven down to 200 degrees for up to half an hour to keep until you're ready to enjoy!
*Substitute any potatoes that you like. When substituting sweet potatoes, sprinkle in 1/4 cup brown sugar. Add any seasonings you like (i.e. cayenne pepper, Italian seasonings, steak/grill seasoning, seasoning salt, etc.)

The great thing about potatoes is that they are so versatile! Serve these with a roast, BBQ, with hamburgers instead of french fries or even with a scramble for breakfast! Happy cooking!

Giveaway By Glamorous!

Hop on over to The Glamorous Life of a Housewife to take a peek at her adorable giveaway!
Happy Tuesday!

A Little Sticking to the Pot is Allowed In This One

My friend, CD, has been talking about this potsticker recipe for some time now. She always comes to work talking about how she "whipped up" this dinner before she came in for her family to enjoy while she is gone. Well, you know I like a simple, tasty recipe so I finally got it out of her! Thanks, CD, for the recipe!
Potstickers
Makes: about 20
Prep: 30 min. (can be prepared ahead of time)
Cook Time: 30 min.
1 lb. unseasoned ground pork
3-4 chopped green onions
3 cloves garlic
1 can waterchestnuts
1/3 cup cabbage
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 pkg. Won Ton Wrappers
1 can chicken broth
Oil to coat the bottom of pan

1. In a large bowl mix pork, green onions, garlic, waterchestnuts, cabbage, ground ginger, salt and sesame oil.
2. Lay out wrappers on a clean surface.
3. Roll meat mixture into tablespoon sized balls and lay into the middle of all wrappers.

4. Brush the perimeter of each wrapper with warm water and fold all four corners (teepee style) or one corner to another (triangle style) together.>

5. Heat pan with oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add potstickers. Brown the potstickers for about 10-15 minutes. They will turn brown and crispy. Make sure sausage cooks all the way through.

6. Once the potstickers have had a chance to brown, add about 1/2 can of chicken broth and cover the pan and reduce heat to low-medium. Let steam for about 10-15 minutes.
The potstickers should be soft.
Dipping sauce: (Can be made ahead of time)
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp. sugar
Cayenne pepper or Siracha (garlic-chili paste) to taste
Mix Ingredients together, microwave until sauce reaches a syrup consistency. If sauce is too thin, add sugar, if sauce is too thick, add soy sauce.

Oh my Hummus, it's Friday!

I don't know what it is about a Friday evening that makes me want to relax, enjoy a drink (alcoholic or not) and some yummy tidbits. My parents do it. Hub's parents do it. Maybe that's where I get it! I came across the recipe for Hummus randomly on the back of the Cumin spice container. I tried it. I loved it. I'm sharing it.
Hummus
1 can drained Chick Peas (Garbonzo beans), reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid
1 clove garlic (We like garlic, I bump my measurement up to 4 cloves)
1 teaspoon cumin (I like cumin, I bump it up to 2 tsp.)
1/4 teaspoon each of ground red pepper (cayenne) and salt (again, you can adjust these measurements to your own taste, i.e. we like a little spicy, I dash in some more cayenne)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Olive Oil
1. Pour chick peas, garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper, and lemon juice into food processor.

2. Pulse a few times to grind up ingredients.
3. Add reserved chick pea liquid and pulse until smooth.
4. If you are not satisfied with consistency (should be smooth), stream in olive oil until smooth.
Serve with pita chips, crackers, fresh veggies or whatever it is you enjoy dipping in Hummus!

I found these delicious Sweet Potato and Corn Tortilla Chips at the store. There are several variations to this recipe to tweak it up a bit. I have added sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic on different occasions. Although it is easy to stop into the store the next time you are headed to a get-together and grab a container of hummus and a bag of chips, as you can see above, with just a little extra effort for less money, you can wow your friends with this simple hummus recipe!

Banana Bread

I just love cooking (and baking). The mixing of the ingredients, scrounging around the kitchen to see what I have to throw together and putting them all together to make something (hopefully) delicious! Well, today's recipe (thanks to the over-ripened fruit on my counter) is a simple, Banana Bread. Something about banana bread reminds me of fall and winter. Maybe it's because I tend not to do as much baking in the summer but for whatever the reason, the smell of baking cinnamon and nutmeg is enough to bring the coziness of fall. So, here is the recipe, courtesy of my beloved:

Banana Bread
Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 55 minutes
Oven: 350 degrees Makes: 1 loaf
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy. Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter in pan(s).

3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning).Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. Wrap; store overnight before slicing.
Streusel-Nut Topping: In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.
Enjoy!