Funny Friday

Love the voiceover on this one....and who can resist cute kitties?

Wonder how long it took for her to file for divorce???

....and so the party ends....

Yep, Mardi Gras is officially over. 

I'll be working on getting some pictures posted, but right now I'm trying to get my blood sugar back to an acceptable level.  

I have officially had my fill of King Cake and every other sinful culinary temptation in the Big Easy. 

Now begins the Lenten season.  I am not Catholic, and I'm not going to get into any religious conversations here, but in light of the PIG OUT FEST I have just gone through...and if I'm being honest, this began back at Thanksgiving, so it's been quite a "Fest" this year....I am swearing off sweets until Easter!!!  I may make an exception for my birthday in a few weeks, but other than that, I'm done...finished...kaput. 

Not a morsel of chocolate shall touch

 these lips until near the end of April. 

Oh..My...Gosh....the reality just hit me...no chocolate...

this could get ugly. 

Consider yourself forewarned.

Anyway....I promise...Mardi Gras pictures coming soon. 

As soon as my sugar withdrawal lets up.....

Meatless Monday - Green salad with Poppyseed dressing

Because today is Lundi Gras in the Crescent City, today's Meatless Monday recipe is going to be super simple....Green Salad with Poppyseed dressing. 

 In all honesty, I've been out celebrating quite a bit and I'm exhausted.  I'll probably be out parading again tonight and will maybe even.....gasp...eat meat on a Monday.   I thought I'd take a second to share this quickie recipe with you today, though.

I have gotten to where I rarely use store bought, bottled dressings.  It's just so easy to make your own and control the ingredients.  I still use bottled for some things, but mostly I wing it.

For the salad, use whatever veggies you like.  I used:

Mixed baby greens

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Tomatoes

Red onion

Walnuts

Dried cranberries or craisins (or blueberries, strawberries, whatever)

The Poppyseed dressing is sweet and thick and takes only a few minutes to make.  I substitute Splenda for the sugar, but other than that I follow the recipe...a rarity, I know.

This is a great salad for your family, and I think it's even fancy enough for entertaining.  The Splenda substitution drastically cuts the calorie content, so you're truly eating a healthy salad. 

Now, let me get back to my regularly scheduled Mardi Gras festivities.  I know it's a regular old Monday for a lot of you, but it's party central in the Big Easy.

Throw me somethin' mistah!!!!!!

Funny Friday

Here are your chuckles for the day

 

The Muffuletta...quite possibly the best sandwich in the world

Now, if you took my advice from last week and organized a Mardi Gras party (and it's not too late people), complete with King Cake, you might be looking for something more substantial to serve with it. 

Well, look no more!

One of my very favorite sandwiches in the world is the Muffuletta.  If New Orleans had a flavor, this would be it.  

Muffulettas are customarily made with a large, round sesame seed bread that looks like this...


 but I prefer them on a good, crusty French Bread.  To me, you just get to taste more of the good stuff that way...less bread, more meat, cheese and olive salad.

Here's what you'll need

Good Italian Olive Salad

Ham

Genoa Salami

Mortadella

Provolone Cheese

French Bread (or any crisp crusted bread)

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut bread in half lengthwise.

Take a little of the oil from the Italian olive salad mix and spread it on the bottom half of the bread.

Place ham on bread

Okay, that pan is not dirty.  It's my trusty Pampered Chef stone.

Put generous layer of mortadella on top of ham

Place salami on top of mortadella

Put Provolone cheese on top of salami

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 mins. or so

(until cheese begins to melt and meats are heated through).

Add olive salad to top side of bread and place in the oven for about the last 5 mins.

To me, the olive salad is the star of the show.  Without it, you're basically eating a ham and cheese sandwich.

When it comes out, it will look something like this.

..and I just had to add this picture because I am literally drooling.

Flip olive salad filled tops carefully over onto bottom half, cut and enjoy.

Look at the yummy sheen of the olive salad oil on the bread

This is not considered a true Muffuletta, it's more of a Frenchuletta due to the difference in breads.  Also, some Muffulettas aren't baked, but I like it better this way.  It allows the flavors to blend and become one big, warm, happy family.

Give this New Orleans classic a try...with or without the King Cake.

  It's like a party in your mouth!!!

Meatless Monday - Pasta Primavera

This is the inaugural "Meatless Monday" recipe post....

please contain your excitement.   

I thought I'd try something pretty easy for my first outing, so I began scouring the internet for a Pasta Primavera recipe.  I ended up taking several, picking them apart and coming up with my own concoction. 

Here are the ingredients you'll need.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

1 12 oz. package of penne pasta

(I used whole wheat, but use whatever you like)

3 yellow squash

(I wanted to use a mix of squash and zucchini, but the store was out of zucchini)

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved

7 spears asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper, julienned (yellow, red, orange...whatever you like)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. Herbs de Provence (or more, to taste)

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning (or more, to taste)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

(store was out of fresh and my plants are dead, so I used dried)

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 tbs. balsamic vinegar

salt

freshly ground pepper

1/2 tbs. lemon juice

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tbs. butter

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano/Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a bowl, toss squash (zucchini), bell pepper, tomatoes and asparagus with 2 tbs. olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, Herbs de Provence and Italian Seasoning. Arrange veggies on the baking sheet and roast 15 mins, stirring about 7 mins. through.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook according to package directions, drain.

4. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until tender. Mix in cooked pasta, lemon zest, basil, parsley and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss and cook until heated through. Turn off heat (you may transfer to a serving bowl at this point) and add in roasted veggies and sprinkle with Parmesan/Reggiano cheese. Adjust your seasonings at this point. I added more Herbs de Provence, Italian Seasoning, salt, pepper and dried basil. You may also want to add a little more balsamic or olive oil, depending on your taste.

5. Serve immediately in individual bowls garnished with a sprinkling of P/R cheese.



Mmmm....veggies all seasoned up and ready to hit the oven.



and here's the finished product.  We really enjoyed this meal and it has been filed away in the "keeper" category.

It really was very simple.  You can add whatever veggies you have on hand, omit the ones you don't like....just wing it.  As I said above, I really wanted zucchini, but couldn't find any, so I just added more squash. 

Hope this inspires you to go meatless, even if it's just for one meal.

Funny Friday

After a looooooong week, I thought it would be nice to start our weekends off with a little chuckle.  So.....from now on I'll be featuring "Funny Friday" where I'll share an amusing video or two with y'all.

Love this first one.  This girl KNOWS what she wants!

...and yes, I have a sick sense of humor, so I find this one cracked me up.

Hope that started your weekend off right.