This past week has been cold here in Ottawa. Real cold. That biting kind of cold that gets through your coat and multiple layers of clothing right into your bones. When it is that cold outside, all you want to eat is comfort food. Now for me, comfort food usually consists of lots of carbs; pasta and bread immediately come to mind, but in trying to eat healthier, I have decided to forgo the big bowl of spaghetti and make a stew instead.
As part of my new year’s quest to re-discover healthier eating patterns, I decided that I need to make more of an effort to have breakfast everyday. I have fallen into a rut of just having a cup of tea or coffee for breakfast, but not eating any food. It causes me to get really hungry in the morning and then I find myself snacking or grazing all the way to lunch time. I know that having a real breakfast is going to be key to getting back on track.
I confirmed what I had always believed about myself this past month. I am a stress eater. I threw caution into the wind and settled into a December filled with chips, doughnuts and other fried foods. Let’s not forget the countless desserts and copious amounts of bread that I ate either.
But with 2012 behind me and 2013 and an unacceptable scale reading facing me in the mornings, I am getting back on track with more reasonable food choices. So, I thought that the first thing I would share with you is my new potato chip substitute, Kale Chips.
Drum Roll Please! Finally here it is my tried and true pumpkin soup recipe. Don’t let the list of ingredients or the number of steps intimidate you, this is worth every second of prep.
This recipe was published in October 2001, in one of the first Martha Stewart Living magazines that I had purchased. This particular issue had an entire section on pumpkin foods. The more I read about the different things you could do with pumpkin, the more I wanted to try this versatile food.
In planning for our upcoming move, Jamie and I have taken stock of all of our kitchen appliances and have donated those items that have one use and take up a lot of room in our cupboards. Some examples of items that we no longer own are our electric frying pan, toaster, electric Panini press, indoor grill and flat-topped griddle.
I think that cauliflower is an amazing vegetable. You know how every time you turn around the media is boasting the benefits of a new super fruit (Açaí Berries, Blueberries, Pomegranates, Pineapple, etc), but rarely do you hear the call of a new super vegetable.
Now, I don’t know if this is because all vegetables have been discovered or that we already know that vegetables are awesome, but I want to throw it out there that cauliflower is our super vegetable of choice.
I spent this Saturday taking a cooking course from Le Cordon Bleu. The ingredient du jour was pumpkin and other fall harvest vegetables (spaghetti squash and butternut squash). I was very excited to take this class, as I love cooking with pumpkin.
The class didn’t disappoint! I came home with Béchamel topped ham stuffed with pumpkin and Emmental cheese and spaghetti squash topped with Alfredo sauce. Needless to say, I consumed a lot of cream, cheese and butter this weekend 😉
Jamie and I had the pleasure this summer of stumbling upon a few used book sales. This is a fabulous way to spend a Saturday morning, with your coffee in hand and browsing through well loved books to discover a hidden gem.
I have previously posted a butternut squash soup recipe, but I recently made a different version, and I thought I would share it with you.
While I was flipping through the Make it Paleo cookbook that Jamie had received, I was surprised by the simplicity of their recipe for butternut squash soup. It called for only butternut squash and onions, along with some spices. When I make soup, I generally put any and all vegetables I can find into it, so I was curious to find out how this basic recipe would taste. I made it my mission to find out.
Earlier this week, I was faced with a familiar dilemma. What do I do with all the turkey leftovers? I love preparing and hosting a big turkey dinner. The aroma of turkey baking in the oven is intoxicating, but the real advantage of hosting a big dinner, is all the leftovers 🙂
I am a huge fan of leftovers. I like mixing all the odds and ends that are left into a pot and seeing what happens. This is the creation that I came up with this week, and I think I might keep it my back pocket for our Christmas leftovers.
Ruby Reduction 