Yummy Lumpkins

It has been quite some time since I was last able to put up an entry. I've been a bit busy and the computer is the last thing I was spending time with. But I've actually kind of missed blogging and talking about delicious foods so I decided to get back on it and share, share, share! I've made tons of great dishes over the last few months and have taken some beautiful photos. All of which I plan on posting up for you. But first, some news! Recently my hubby and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary in Las Vegas. On this wonderful (but killer hot) trip we were lucky enough to catch The Bodies Exhibition at the Luxor. You may have heard of this and you may think it's somewhat disturbing, but it was incredible! It’s a display of the muscles, bones, tissues, ligaments, etc of the human body. Along with healthy human bodies and parts, there is an assortment of unhealthy parts as well. Healthy lung vs. smoker’s lung, etc, etc. Anyways, there were organs shown that were par...

Have you ever bought a few packets of fresh herbs for a recipe, maybe only used a 1/4 of each and then frantically tried to find recipes to use up the rest of the herbs before they went bad? I have. Fresh herbs are expensive and sometimes only come in one size. I wish more places sold them by weight because then you wouldn't have to worry about money going bad in your fridge. Sadly, that's not how it is. BUT! I recently found a fantastic idea in the newest issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray! Herb cubes. Sounds strange, right? Well it's an amazing idea that I wish I had thought of first. Here's what you do: Puree 1 1/2 cups leftover fresh herbs with 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. (Mixture won't fill whole tray, but fill each cube to the top) Throw the cubes into hot pasta, soup or risotto, or defrost and drizzle over grilled veggies (or chicken for you non-vegans)! You may no...

Portobello (also called portabella) mushrooms are probably my favorite meat stand-in. They have a great meaty texture and the best flavor. Plus, you can marinate them just like you would your steaks! Portobellos contain high amounts of Vitamin D. This mushroom has also been shown to possess possible immune system enhancing properties. These mushrooms are actually the common button mushroom, just matured. My most common way of preparing portobellos is by marinating the cap for 30 minutes to an hour, then either cooking them on the bbq or grilling indoors on a grill pan. I serve them just as "steak" side or if I use lighter marinade ingredients we'll throw them on a bun with all the fixings and enjoy a great veggie burger! They are to die for! I like to char them a little bit because I think that helps give a meaty texture, plus, the grill marks just look pretty. You should definitely consider giving them a try! And to woo you, here are some recipes and photos. Enjoy!! ...

I recently posted a little note about how I was craving margarita cupcakes. Of course, I went and ahead and made some up! They came out so moist, springy and zesty!  In fact, they came out so delicious that I will actually be selling some at an event called Montavilla's First Friday, located on Stark Street in Portland, OR! Along with my very popular pumpkin muffins, brownies and pumpkin cookies. I'm very nervous, but at the same time I'm very excited. I've had friends and family pushing me to do something like this for quite some time now. So, we'll see how it goes!  First Friday is held on the first Friday of each month on Montavilla's Stark Strip where restaurants and other businesses get together and have special deals for their customers from 5pm-9pm. I will be located inside of Duds, an amazing little resale shop with hot deals on great clothing. You can find out more information about First Fridays here!! Wish me luck!

Lately carrots have been a favorite veggie of mine. I mean I've always liked them but just thought there was only so many ways to eat a carrot. But once I really jumped into vegetables I started exploring different recipes for so many different kinds. Carrots, making it to the top of my list. Now, carrots are great for you. They are fat free, low in sodium, cholesterol free, a great source of fiber and are high in vitamin A. No other fruit or vegetable contains as much carotene as carrots, which our bodies convert to vitamin A. Plus, they just taste great! Not to mention they very inexpensive. The carrots greens can also be eaten and are high in vitamin K, which the actual carrot itself, is lacking. For the greens, just sauteing in some olive oil with some red pepper flakes and garlic would be good. You can add a little earth balance butter or real butter to make them a little richer if you want. But for the carrots one of my favorite ways to dress them up is with a lemon-thyme...

I had never tried buckwheat waffles before, well, buckwheat any thing. I was a little nervous about their flavor and considering I was planning a savory dish to serve up to friends, I decided I should give them a test run. I made some up and poured on some delicious pure maple syrup and let me tell you....AMAZING! It was just me to test drive them so I wrapped the extras up in parchment paper and a plastic bag and tossed them in the freezer. Now I can just pop them into the toaster and have delicious waffles anytime. And i must admit, when I made them I thought the batter seemed reallllly thick, but they ended up coming out perfect anyways. Come to find out, when I was getting ready to make them for the savory dinner, I had forgotten an entire cup of water on the test run. So i made them the right way for dinner. Still just as good, but I would say either way works fine. But onto the savory plans. I made a red wine tarragon mushroom gravy to pour on top of those lovelies. Delicious...

YES! Today i am craving margarita.....cupcakes!! So that will be going down. Just have to get my butt to the store and make the magic happen. Of course i will post photos after wards  :)