Dinner, Wine, & My Spare Time

So this morning as I was rushing out of the door for work. I opened the fridge to grab my yogurt. And I noticed some leaking. Stupid strawberry yogurt I thought. So I go back to the fridge to get another yogurt and realize the strawberry yogurt is innocent. It's my %$#* Thanksgiving turkey leaking all over the top shelf of my fridge. So I have to toss all my yogurt and a jello pudding and Clorox spray the bottoms of my expensive french sodas, because I am not throwing those away, I had to drive an hour for those bad boys. I finally shimmied the heavy turkey into a roasting pan. And then proceeded to clean up all the disgusting blood. Did I mention I am a vegetarian, which makes this extra disgusting? I had to sop up all the (gag) liquid before I could remove the shelf and then had to clean my entire fridge, just to be safe! But it gets better. After all the fridge mess is cleaned up and I text work to say I will be a little late due to Turkey-gate 2013, I proceed to start a lau

Buffalo Popcorn 6 C popped popcorn 3 Tbsp melted butter Few dashes hot sauce Nacho popcorn seasoning Smoked Paprika 1/4 C crumbled blue cheese Put cooked popcorn in large bowl. Melt butter and hot sauce. Pour over popcorn. Top with nacho seasoning, paprika, blue cheese, and prepare to be amazed!

What is better than warm soup on a cold and rainy day? How about Broccoli Cheddar soup in a slow cooker? And how about only 4 ingredients? 1 package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed 2 cans cream of celery soup 1 pint half and half 1 jar salsa con queso season to taste Put all ingredients into slow cooker and mix well. Turn to high and cook for 2 hours and then turn it down to low for 1 hour. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and a crusty bread stick.

Comfort food reminds me of childhood and nothing was more comforting than a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Once my dad even mixed mac and cheese with spaghettios, it was terrible and my siblings and I still won't let it go. Recently due to a coupon which the grocery store doubled, I purchased a box of Betty Crocker macaroni and cheese. So I decided to do a Betty vs. Kraft challenge. Let's see how they add up. Betty Can cook everything in one pot (+1) Has the ultraviolet orange color (+1) Not as cheesy tasting (-1) Took awhile for liquid to thicken up (-1) Kraft Classic taste cannot be denied (+1) Childhood memories (+1) Mac and cheese is available in a ton of flavors, shapes and some even have whole grain (+1) Missing that ultraviolet orange color (-1) So it looks like Kraft is the hands down winner. Just like the commercials used to say "I've got the blues Kraft macaroni and cheese!" But I would buy Betty again just because of the convenience

Basically I find an oil I like and then I use it on everything. My latest obsessions are organic extra virgin coconut oil, lemon oil, garlic oil, and white truffle oil. So what the heck am I doing with all these oils? Let's start with the coconut oil-with this I am making cookies, pasta, rice dishes, tacos, and my husband even cooked hashbrowns with it. It even tastes amazing spread on toast. Try it!!! Lemon oil-no it doesn't taste like pledge. This is great on asparagus or drizzled on some baked feta cheese. Garlic oil-I use this on my pizza, pasta, bread, or veggies. Or any Italian food for that matter. Truffle oil-OMG! This is the most delicious decadent stuff. I make mouthwatering fries with this, pizza, bruschetta and it even goes on my popcorn. I recently acquired a bottle of basil oil, I betcha can't wait to see what that goes on???

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers 1 pkg flavored quinoa mix or other prepared quinoa 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 6-8 Bell peppers with tops cut off and seed scooped out. 1/2 C tomatoes, chopped 1/2-3/4 C crumbled feta cheese Prepare quinoa with water suggested. Add coconut oil, beans, and stir well. I put it all in the rice cooker. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Steam the prepared peppers in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes. Remove peppers. Take prepared quinoa and add tomatoes and feta. Stuff peppers and bake 30-40 minutes. P.S. Thanks to my mother-in-law for these yummy peppers!

French Onion Soup 1 pkg Cugino's Baked Burgundy  French Onion Soup Mix 7 C water 1 large onion, chopped Swiss or Gruyere cheese, sliced Green onions, chopped Smoked Paprika 1 loaf baguette bread Heat water, soup, and onion in large bowl over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile bake bread for 10 minutes at 375 degrees, slice when cooled. Ladle soup in oven/broiler safe bowls. top with soup, layer of bread, layer of cheese, repeat layers and top with green onions and smoked paprika. YUMMY!

So I had a pretty productive Sunday, piles of laundry were washed, dried, and hung. The bathrooms are mostly clean and freezer meals are prepped for busy work nights. All in all about 5 meals. 2 Spinach Enchiladas, 2 Cheesy corn and rice casseroles, and 1 French toast casserole. Is it ironic that we ate leftovers for dinner? I do feel a nice sense of accomplishment in completing this task, I think I may just do this once a month. It solves the big problem that working late causes, I'm so hungry! What's for dinner? and eliminates growling noises. I put all the meals in small square foil containers, wrapped them in foil and labeled what it was and how to cook it. I know some people use their casserole dishes for this but at .94 cents a container and not having to wash extra dishes, it seems like money well spent. Also Thanksgiving is coming up, I can't have all my casserole dishes in the freezer. I know I could use plastic locking bags, but that just doesn't appeal t