My Cajun "Chick" Pasta

Coming home on Sunday from an exhausting weekend of skiing didn't leave me the energy to embark on a grocery trip.  Nor did I want fast food, pizza or the like.  Honestly, standing near the warm stove and playing with spices and food seemed like the perfect way to end my weekend. :)

I raided the pantry and settled on a box of mini farfalle pasta, bottle of olive oil, some Cajun spice, 2 cloves of garlic and grabbed what was left of some Morning Star Chicken Grillers or as I refer to it in this recipe, "Chick."



The  Cajun "Chick" Pasta

 

This meal was quick, cheap and easy.  It was also a good dish to make spicy.  I can always rely on spicy food to calm common cold symptoms.

I boiled the pasta, drained it, then added chopped garlic, olive oil and spice to the pan.  In a separate small pan I added a splash of olive oil and cooked the fake chicken for a couple of minutes.  I seasoned the "chick" with black pepper, Cayenne pepper, and Cajun Seasoning.  I topped my pasta with  grilled "chick" and shredded parmesan.  This dish was warm, tasty and indeed a good end to a fun filled weekend.





Game Day Spinach Dip

Game day in Kentucky is a really big deal,  I mean HUGE! Everything in your life pretty much evolves around the games.  Most Saturdays are reserved in the fall for UK Football Tailgates at Commonwealth Stadium.  When that season ends you have UK Basketball at Rupp Arena.  The games never seem to end and neither do the celebrations.  Kentucky Fans are crazy fun and love, love, love to cheer on their beloved Wildcats!

This past weekend we threw together a last minute game day at a friends apartment since the City of Lexington was frigid and covered in snow.  Upon the invite, I ran to the grocery and got ingredients to prepare a quick and easy Spinach Dip recipe which was adapted from a Woman's Day Magazine.  I used the recipe as a guide for ingredients but didn't precisely follow it.  I picked this recipe because everyone loves Spinach Dip and I really wanted to use my new Food Processor I got for Christmas.  Thanks Mom!!

Ingredients:
10 ounces of  Fresh Baby Spinach
1 med white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped

6 ounces of Feta Cheese

1 cup of Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste






Saute chopped onion and garlic in olive oil for 3-5 minutes over medium heat or until onions are soft

  



Gradually add the spinach to the onions and garlic

  




Toss together spinach, garlic and onions, salt and pepper- until spinach begins to wilt

  




Remove the spinach mix from heat and cool to room temperature.

Once cooled pour mix into food processor and pulse until blended.
After lightly blending- add sour cream, feta cheese and pulse until blended.

  

This dip can be served warm or chilled. 

The taste is great either way but the texture is better after a few hours of refrigeration!

For a thicker dip- blend less!




Did I mention we brought our dogs to the party?

 




Racheal & Riley

 



Kari and Kolby

 




Paisley and Me

 


Nicole and Chloe






Paisley, Nathan and I

 

Game day was the perfect opportunity to for us to stay inside and still have a good time with out leaving our dogs at home.  Unfortunately, UK was slapped with a double loss day (I won't mention final scores!)

We may have pouted for a minute but quickly got back to the party!



Ended our night @ Harvey's in downtown Lexington



Funnies

A friend sent me a forward of funnies that seemed appropriate for most of our 2011 New Year's Resolutions. 
I would love to find a comic strip showing someone using the excuse, "It's too cold to go out for a walk today, I'll try to go tomorrow."  This is my daily excuse during a Kentucky winter and an excuse I need to destroy for the New Year!  Granted it is only in the 20's and snowing today.... :)  Wish me luck!!!

Happy New Year!



Veggie Sloppy Joes

I guess I'm not the only one with Vegetarian Sloppy Joe's on the mind!  Being a lover of the show "Lost" I was excited to see this actor with the same idea.
http://vegetarianstar.com/2011/01/04/jorge-garcia-eats-vegetarian-sloppy-joes-for-new-years/

My Favorite Meatless Food Brand

I love to keep my freezer stocked with MorningStar Farms meatless food items.   If it wasn't for these wonderful meat substitutions than I would have starved my freshmen year of college.  It was crucial that I had these items to turn to when hunger struck during those good ole college days.  The first couple of meatless items that hooked me on the MorningStar Farms product was the 

Buffalo Wings (Veggie Wings) and the Chik Patties Original.

These two items were my absolute favorite!   Back then I didn't worry about the calories so I would fix the patty on a bun with cheese and Miracle Whip or eat it plain with BBQ Sauce .  Now that I'm older, I try to cut back on the bread and cheese so I occasionally eat the Chik Patties cut up and dipped in spicy BBQ sauce.  Yummy!

After the fake chicken days I moved on up in the world to eating Veggie Bacon Strips.  Wow! After not eating meat for so long and sitting at numerous tables being the only one with out meat on my plate- eating fake bacon made me feel normal.   So I started "bringing home the bacon."  I still eat this product a lot for breakfast.  I heat it up long enough to achieve a slight crunch and eat it on my way to work.  It must smell very similar to the real thing because so often someone walks into the house and asks, "Who's cooking bacon?"  Finally, being from the south and loving home grown tomatoes, I like to fix my own version of the fabulous BLT with MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips.  This is by far my favorite summer sandwich!

My new go to freezer item that always satifies my meatless craving is the MorningStar Farms Grillers- Chk'n Veggie Patties.  These grillers are really easy to spice up and use in other dishes.  I like to add cayenne pepper and garlic to spice them up.  Just cook, chop up, add some veggies or cheese and wrap in a whole wheat tortilla.  This meal is easy and fast for a healthy dinner or a good afternoon snack.

My latest frozen purchase was one from the Meal Starters line of MorningStar Farms.  I purchased the Grillers Recipe Crumbles and used them as a meat substitute for "Sloppy Joe Night".  I really wanted sloppy joes and needed something to give the sauce a meaty texture. These crumbles were the perfect addition.  I fixed the Sloppy Joes for my boyfriend and he absolutely loved them!  Even the meat eaters in my life are a fan of the MorningStar Farms product.

If you've never purchased any of these items than I highly recommend you do so on your next grocery trip.  Any of these products will serve as a healthy substitution to any meat dish.  They are also a smart purchase for those trying to become a vegetarian.

Enjoy your meatless meat meals!

Sassy Spratt

I just started another blog to show my appreciation for my Mom's hardwork.  She owns a fabric, floral and home decor store called Sassy Spratt.  Sassy Spratt is located in Mt.Sterling, KY.  It is an adorable shop worth visiting for anyone that enjoys gifts, decorating or just loves flowers!
Check out Sassy Spratt today! If you see anything that you would like to order or if you have any request please just send an email my way

Eating Well

Today I subscribed to Eating Well and in return they let me download a free mini cookbook of "favorite fast desserts..."  The mini cookbook includes a recipe for a Lemon-Poppy Seed Cake that I am looking forward to fixing on my next day of baking.  I rarely bake sweets but when I do I make sure the recipe is going to be something special.  This recipe contains only 1 gram of saturated fat per serving! Definitely sounds like a cake worth trying.
I plan on printing this tonight with my new HP Photo Smart Printer that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas!

A Chex Mix Holiday

Chex Mix is the one snack that I can't resist over the holidays.  A holiday without Chex Mix is like a holiday without a Christmas Tree!  It is one of those special treats that after my first taste I vow to make Chex Mix a monthly treat rather than a December only treat.

This year I decided to start with a trial batch of Chex Mix.  I compared a few recipes online just to get an idea of the quantity of chex, cheese crackers, pretzels, and nuts needed.  I didn't want to overestimate and have too many ingredients and not enough flavor to go around.

The first batch turned out fine.  It was edible and yummy but didn't have that special zing that I expect from the perfect batch of Chex Mix.  The first mistake I made was preparing the mix in a small broiler pan that wasn't deep enough to accuaratly cover most of the mix with flavor.  It was very difficult to stir and toss the mix without some spillover onto the floor, counter and oven floor.  It was somewhat that of a messy kitchen disaster.  The only one that benefited from the experiment was my dog who managed to find the treats all over the kitchen and my boyfriend who still enjoyed the finished product. Half way through baking the mix, I decided to divide the mixture into pans and added more seasoning to finish up the product. 

I learned a lot from the first mix. 

• The larger & deeper the broiler pan, the better!  I bought a disposable aluminum broiler pan that saved time on clean up.  Just bake and toss!
• Be sure to take your time stirring the mix into the wet ingredients.  This way you are sure to get a flavorful bite everytime.  (My first batch didn't get covered entirely because the pan was to shallow.)
• It's okay to make the Chex Mix your own.  It really is one of those difficult recipes to mess up.  I think that anyone could make Chex Mix and it would still be edible.  If you want more flavor, add more seasoning.  If you love garlic add a couple extra dashes.
•  Be prepared to make this dish over and over again.  I made 4 batches of Chex Mix with in a two weeks.  It disappeared fast!
• Each time I made the mix I changed it up a bit, adding and taking out some of the ingredients.  The final batch was by far the best Chex Mix I have prepared.  It was just the way I like it!

Here is my new go to Chex Mix Recipe:

6 cups of Chex (Rice, Wheat, Corn) (I switched it up sometimes only using Corn or Rice)
4 Cups of Cheerios (My favorite ingredient!)
2-3 Cups of Pretzel Sticks
2 Cups of Cheez It crackers
1 small can of Cashews
1 Stick of Butter
5 Tablespoons of Worchestire Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon of Celery Salt
1/2 Tablespoon of Seasoned Salt
2 Tablespoons of Garlic Bread Seasoning ( I found a jar at Tuesday Morning and loved the added flavor)

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  As the oven is heating add the stick of butter into the broiler pan and place in oven to melt.
2. Once melted, add the seasonings and stir well. 
3. Slowly add in the Chex Mix ingredients such as Chex, Pretzels, Cheez It, Cashews and Cheerios.  Be sure to toss and cover ingredients as evenly as possible.
4. Place the broiler pan with Chex Mix ingredients into oven and bake for 1 hr and 15 minutes.
5. Set timer for 15 minute intervals and be sure to stir the ingredients well every 15 minutes.
6. When the product is finished store it in an airtight container and enjoy your break.  You will probably be making more very shortly! :)
7. I prefer a bold, flavorful and zesty Chex Mix.   For those that like milder flavoring than feel free to decrease the amounts of salt or garlic to your liking.  Have fun experimenting and be sure to have some guinea pigs around to taste your finished product!