For many years it seems I have cooked for a small army – our kids, their friends, exchange students, and the people we lovingly refer to as “strays”. Now that we are a smaller family, leftovers have become part of our lives.
Entrées
Spicy Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry
I have a difficult time completing tasks: Laundry gets folded, but not put away. Mail is looked at but not filed or thrown away. Bathrooms get cleaned except for the floor. Am I just too busy? Do I have ADD? Do I need help??? (don’t answer that one out loud, please!)
Chicken with Butternut Squash and Bok Choy
A line by Shakespeare in The Tempest, and distorted with time, comes to mind with this dish: “misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows”. While he meant the phrase quite literally, modern English has changed it to a phrase tossed out when things just don’t logically seem to fit together. It is the more recent usage of Shakespeare’s phrase that describes this dish.
Beef, Bacon & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash
Even though my mind is arguing with me, some dishes don’t actually need to be topped with bubbly cheese in order to be delicious. Every moment that I was planning this recipe, chopping, browning, and assembling, I was trying to think of which wonderful cheese should be the crowning glory. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. NOT NECESSARY. This is amazing on its own.
Red Hot Turkey Chili
Have you ever noticed that the nearer a country is to the Equator, the spicier the food is? It seems like hot food in hot weather makes people cooler and more comfortable. That’s logical, I guess!
White Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Have we ever talked about guilty pleasures? You know, those things we do that we are just slightly ashamed to admit to? I love to watch “Fixer Upper” and “Property Brothers”. I sometimes eat ice cream right out of the carton. Everything I wear (and I mean EVERYthing) has to coordinate.
Refried Pinto Beans – Pressure Cooker
I may be late for Cinco de Mayo, but then again, I was at least one week late for Saint Patrick’s Day. No biggie! Great food can be served year ’round.
Easy Enchiladas
I recently saw a map of the U.S. showing the most commonly spoken languages besides English, and found that more Minnesotans speak Spanish and Hmong than any other foreign language.
It is only logical that states like Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont would have French as their most common foreign language, due to proximity to Quebec. It also makes sense that Ohio and North Dakota would have many German speakers because of immigration patterns and Amish population.
Chicken with Exploded Tomatoes and Balsamic Drizzle
What are some of the craziest diet trends you remember? There was the grapefruit diet. The cabbage soup diet. Scarsdale diet. The cigarette diet. The Atkins diet. And even the Twinkie diet.
What’s the point??? I’m sure the main goal with dieting is to be healthy, but so many of the fad diets seem to ignore nutrition, balance, good health, and common sense.
Read moreChicken with Exploded Tomatoes and Balsamic Drizzle
Ground Turkey and Fennel Chili
Is it pathetic that I’m not quite ready for warm weather? I haven’t gotten nearly enough indoor projects done, and I will always, always love soup season.
