This isn’t like me, but I really want to win this so I can take better pictures of for my friends since they are all on this baby making bandwagon.
Isn’t that a great giveaway?! Thank you for the opportunity Crave Photography.
iPhone cooking
I love cooking
I love talking pictures
I hate the process of uploading and writing. So, technology in hand I’ll be posting a lot more from my phone because it’s easy, I’m lazy and this is the best way I can think of to actually post!
If you ever see this pomegranate vinegar, buy a case!!! It’s damn delicious on everything and makes the best salad dressings. Like this one…pomegranate, toasted pumpkin oil and cashew. The toasted pumpkin oil is great too, it’s from Castoro Cellars. I can’t say I loved their wines, but I can say I’ll go there again just for all the delicious oils, vintagers and mustards they have.
Gluent free, Dairy free Spinach salad with roasted butternut squash and chicken. & pomegranate–pumpkin dressing.
Dressing:
2 tbl pomegranate vinegar
1 tbl toasted pumpkin oil
1/4 cup unsalted cashews
1tsp honey
S+P to taste
Put everything in a blender. Let it soak for 30 minutes, or however long fits your time budget, blend until smooth. After blending I added water to get it a little thinner for salad dressing.
Salad:
Roasted butter but squash
Romain
Spinach
Carrots
Olives (because it’s salty like cheese and I miss cheese. A lot)
Chicken was season with a Cajun spice mix and baked for 15 minutes @ 450
Baby Penelope
Does doing what you love give a person a gorgeous glow, a beautiful soul and amazing style?
If I was going by thee lady photographers I have had the pleasure of meeting I would have to say yes. Maybe it’s a photographer thing? Each of the three lady-photographers I’m talking about are very different, each beautiful, strong, well-styled, well balanced, down to earth, fabulous ladies. One of these ladies just had twins, another is about to pop any day now. My relationship to the second is sweaty, difficult, and educational; I know her from CrossFit. Get this, she can still bust out a row of unbroken push-up, baby-in-womb-9-months pregante-and all. AMAZING, she even smiles through it all.
Check her work out here
The other two beauties you can find here and here.
Now on to the shower, our gluten free shower. And, yes, I am proud, this was my first GF party.
Recipe links: GF Brown Rice Salad, GF Chinese Chicken Salad, Shrimp, Avocado, Mango Salad, Chocolate Cupcakes
ps. Do you have any idea the utter horror that ran through my bones taking a photograph of 2 photographer, at the same time! Eak.
Thank you Susan for the use of the gym! Thank you Jules and Val for co-hostessing!!!!
Beef and Butternut Squash Stew
I love fall. I actually love all the seasons, but I’m super ready for fall to be here. And, it’s been almost 100 all week. Hot. Hot is not fall, but I won’t let that stop me, it’s all kinds of fall up in my house.
I made it up all by myself, so don’t follow it, I mean, make it your own.
It was rich and just a touch of sweet. I waited until the last 30 minutes of cooking to add the squash to prevent it from falling apart.
I kindly gave someone some for dinner. They covered it Hinz 57, yup, covered my beautiful, strong, sensitive, handsome stew in catsup. Before even tasting it, might I add. I was so hurt. Is that wrong? Should I even care? And, I’d love to hear who puts catsup on stew?!?!
Shake it up baby
While choking down a protein shake the other day I was inspired by this little doing ball in a plastic cup… Whipped cream the go!! Don’t limit your blender bottle to protein drink and prework out, make something that actually tastes good.
Pinot Pot Rost
I really want a French Bulldog, his or her name will be Brimbo, to go with my over sized Bully Enzo. I am not allowed to have another dog right now, so I named my crock pot. I actaully dislike the crock pot, but I used it for this recipe because it was a better option that leaving the oven on for 9 hours, unattended. Much to my surprise, Crocky did a pretty good job, very tender. But, Crocky, don’t get too full of yourself, it was my sauce that made it amazing.
Pinot Pot Roast
1 4-5lb Chuck Roast
1 C all purpose flour
2 T streak seasoning
2 T dried thyme
2 T olive oil
1 heart of celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
¼ C chopped garlic
3 T tomato paste
¼ C Worcester sauce
2 C beef stock
2 C chicken stock
2 C Pinot Noir
1 T butter
Combine the flour and seasoning. Coat all sides of the roast with the flour. Set 2 tablespoons aside.
In a large heavy pot, over medium high heat, brown all the sides of the roast. When it’s crispy on the outside remove the roast from the pot and set aside.
Add the garlic, onion and celery to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the tomato paste, stir well and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the Worcester sauce, chicken stock, beef stock and wine. Bring to a boil , shut off the heat.
Plug in the Crocky-the-crock-pot, and set him to low for 7 hours. Add the roast and all sauce from the pot. Go to work, or go do something fun and come back in 7 hours or so.
Remove the roast from the liquid. Using a stick blender, blend everything that is left in Crocky.
In a pot, big enough for all the liquid in Crocky. Melt the butter and the flour that you set aside. Whisk well, and cook for a few minutes. When the flour is slightly brown add the liquid from Crocky and whisk well. Keep whisking until the it comes to boil. Then turn off the heat and serve.
*I mixed ½ cup of the sauce with some chopped potatoes and carrots and roasted them at 400° for 45 minutes.
* If your sauce is too thick, add wine
*If anything else is wrong, add wine to your glass, you may need to open an additional bottle for this
Print the recipe here
4th of July Jello
“Look I make jello!”
“Hold on.”
“Try some!”
“I don’t drink jello shots, for breakfast.”
–duh, you eat jello, not drink it.
Inspired by an Affair
Last year some friends and I partook in a tasty affair, Wine Roads Annual Food and Wine Affair, if you haven’t gone to this event check it out, it’s tasty and fun. I thought I remember this being a delicious recipe, but it was towards the end of a very long, hard day of wine tasting anything could have been delicious, or not, I don’t recall.
The winery, who’s name I also do not recall, served this on tri-tip. I served it on chicken that was marinated in white wine, herbs, lemon and a lot of garlic. I added a few herbs, changed the amount, added more acid and used black forest bacon. I don’t care for black forest bacon, it’s not nearly as flavorful as regular or apple-wood bacon. I took the left over chicken added it to some lettuce and called it a salad. I added some extra lemon and vinegar, then some water to the chimichurri and turned it into a salad dressing. I love this stuff!.
Bacon Chimichurri
¼ C garlic cloves
1 C flat-leaf parsley leaves, we used ½ the grocery store bunch.
½ C oregano leaves, we used a whole grocery store bunch
½ C cliantro
3 green onions
¼ cup rice vinegar
½ C lemon juice
1 T lemon zest
1 Colive oil
½ lb bacon
Salt and pepper
big pinch of chili powder
Roughly chop the bacon. Cook it in pan on the stove over med heat. When done, remove the bacon, chop into small pieces, save the grease.
In the bowl of a food processor add the garlic though the lemon zest. Pulse the everything about 5 times, for 2-3 seconds each time, until everything is chopped up.
To herb mixture, add ⅓ cup, give or take, of the bacon pieces and 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease.
Turn the food processor on and slowly stream in the oil.
Season with salt, pepper and the chili powder.
The Seeds of my Soul
came from my Grandma. We have many difference but we have very many similarities. I am beyond grateful for her and the family that she gave me.
My Grandma makes hands down the most loved carrot cake I have even come into contact with. I have been for bidden to give her recipe away. A few years ago my Grandma made recipe binders for all the girls in the family. Real binder, a 2 inch binder full of recipes. Almost all of the recipes came from family member or have been in her collection for years. Before handing over the ‘family bibles’ we each received a contract to sign. Stating that if we ever divulge the information in the binders that she would come haunt us in our sleep. Not one ounce of my being doubt her threat in anyway.
This is a version of her carrot cake recipe. It’s my version and many ingredients are different. And, hell, I love the lady if she wants to come visit me in my dreams, why not?
Healthy-er Carrot Cake:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 Cups oil
- 1 Cup apple sauce
- 1 Cups sugar
- ½ Cup honey
- 1½ Cup Flour Whole Wheat flour
- ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Teas. cinnamon
- 2 Teas. baking soda
- 1/2 Teas. salt
- 1 Cup pureed carrots (steam, boil or bake then run though the food processor)
- 2 Cups shredded carrots
- 3 large eggs
DIRECTIONS:
Mix sugar, honey, apple sauce and oil
add all the dry ingredients.
Mix
Add carrots, both shredded and pureed, and the eggs.
Mix well
Add some toasted nuts and raisins if you’re into that.
Bake at 350 degrees, until you can poke it with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean.
About 45 mins for a 9×13. About 25 mins for cupcakes.
Icing:
- 2 8 oz cream cheese softened (It’s ok to use the light one, I go half and half)
- 1 stick butter softened
- 2 teas vanilla
- 2 boxes powdered sugar
- a few table spoons of maple syrup
Mix everything together, add milk if you need the icing thinner.
Genuine Health Chocolate Protein Waffle
My friend Nocole work for Genuine Health. They are a pretty awesome company and make some pretty cool stuff. Check some of it out http://shop.genuinehealth.com/
I cleverly used my cooking skills to trick her into giving me some samples in exchange for recipes. I’ve kinda fell flat on my side of the deal.
Until now, the man friend wanted waffles… I wanted something chocolate, i mean healthy. We had these.
In all honesty these were pretty good… The waffle maker did nothing for them except change the shape, they would be great pancakes as well.
Genuine Health Chocolate Protein Waffle
Ingredients
1/2 cup egg white, whipped if you can
1 tbsp Agave Nectar
2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1.5 tbsp Canola Oil
2 Scoops Genuine Health vegan proteins+ Chocolate
1/2 cup Flour, white
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
.5 tsp Salt
1 cup Almond Low Fat Vanilla Milk (Pacific Natural Organic)
1 tbs Giant Baking Cocoa-Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Directions
If you can whip up the egg whites, if you can then proceed, other wise up add them out of the carton.
Add eggs, agave, sugar, oil and cocoa powder together. I used a hand bender for this, it’s wonderful!
When that’s all mixed, add the baking powder, salt, protein, wheat and white flour. Mix again, then add 1/2 cup of the almond milk, mix again….Continue to add the milk as needed until you get a regular waffle mix consistency.
I used Pam on my waffle maker and used 5 of 8 for the heat setting, leaving each batch in the waffle iron for about 7 minutes
Serving Size: 8 4 inch square waffles
Miss Liss's Hott Mess 