Not Rocket Science...

OK...so after my scavenging post from yesterday, TODAY I have a MUCH healthier dinner to share!  This one already went on our "detox from carb heaven Italy" listJ And it's one that certainly couldn't be easier....Sweet potatoes with apples, onions and sausage:

Rocket science?  No  But healthy and delicious?  YES!  And it's pretty much as easy as the title suggestsJ  First into the pan was a drizzle of olive oil and a diced onion...

I let those cook for a few minutes before adding in a diced apple.  I covered the pan and let everything "steam" together for about 4-5 minutes...

While the apples & onions were steaming up, I went to work slicing up a few of these TJ's chicken apple sausage links....

I love that Trader Joe's sausage is MINIMALLY PROCESSED with NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS.  Plus this one DOES taste like apple & maple...sooooooo....win/win!J

I added the diced sausage to the pan along with a little salt, pepper...and yes:  Apple pie spiceJ

Mix it all around and allow it to cook all together for about 5 minutes and you have a perfect blend of sweet & savory!

And it gets even SWEETER when you add the mix to the top of a baked Sweet Potato!  LOVE!

We've had this for dinner before and I thought it was good...but this time I thought it was EXCEPTIONAL!  I think maybe cause I let the onions and apples REALLY break down and caramelize this time.  Either way...it was delish!  And obviously super quick to makeJ

Soooo...who's happy it's Friday???  Guess what's this weekend??????   HALLOWEEN DECORATING WEEKEND, OF COURSE!!!!!!!!!!!!  J hahahahahahhhaha....I don't think I have that much going on aside from scrambling for Italy and festooning my abode in ORANGE & BLACK!  Hope you guys have some great plansJ  Have a good oneJ

Scavenging...

So before I get started on my wayward dinner, I just had to show you my ridiculously PUMPKIN infused breakfast & lunch from yesterday.... 

Pumpkin waffles, leftover pumpkin soup, pumpkin maple corn muffin and even a pumpkin coffeeJ I was thinking how I must have reached some sort of quota with these mealsJ

Dinner, however, was as much of a random compilation as my breakfast & lunch were 'united'...

On my way home yesterday, I got a call from Scott telling me work was running so late that he had NO CLUE when he was going to get done and told me I was on my own for dinner ("and possibly breakfast"J...that, thankfully, was not trueJ)  Sooooooooooo....since I wasn't prepared to 'cook for one' or make something he usually is not a fan of (although I did contemplate running out for a can of clam sauce!), I scavenged through my freezer and came up with a hodgepodge of Trader Joe's treats that I had stashed in there.  First up, were these Vegetable "Bird's Nests"....

A combo of carrots, onion and kale all along with their little packets of dipping soy sauce...

These went from freezer to cooked in about 20 minutes.  I must confess that my house smelled like a deep fried fair while these were baking up.  In a good wayJ

These sorta reminded me of our crispy vegetable fritters...but a hair bit easier to makeJ  These were deeeelish...although, I'm not gonna lie, my heart stopped a bit when I saw the calorie count (which, UNFORTUNATELY, was AFTER I scarfed down the three).  They were 70 calories EACH PLUS the dipping sauce.  NOT the best stats...but REALLY tasty.  DEFINITELY a 'once in a while' treat, for sureJ

And along with the "nests"....yes, the most random thing ever:

Tempura & taco dip??  I know, I knowJ  Not the most well-rounded dinner, butttttttt...sorta hit the spot as a last minute comboJ

Thankfully, Scott surprisingly arrived home not TOOOO much longer after I polished off the last of my chips & dips and quickly reheated all of the leftovers for his dinner.  He probably thought I was just as crazy as you doJ  hahahahahahahaha....

After dinner, I got to reading my recent library bookJ

One week till we leave and I am CRAMMING away!  I'm not planning too much (not NEARLY as well planned out as say, San Francisco & Paris were!), but I still want to get a general idea of what's good and where we're goingJ  It's hard to all even IMAGINE right now...I'm gonna spend the whole week pinching myself J   Anyone even been??  Any 'off the beaten track' things that we shouldn't miss??

Alright....that was a crazy post.  Hopefully tomorrow's will be a bit more normalJ hahahahahahahaha....have a great THURSDAY! 

2 pies in one post.....

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the delay (ONE of these weeks I'm going to have a DAILY postJ), but yesterday was mostly spent in a fog after spending MONDAY NIGHT here... 

Normally, I'm passed out on the couch by 10pm AT THE LATEST during ANY night.  It is only for my lovely husband that I would spend a weeknight seeing his favorite Foo Fighters in concert, where the band played for THREE HOURS!  Impressive right??  They even did SIX encore songs.  Pretty awesome.

I can't even complain, he got even LESS sleep than I did!  hehehehehehe...but at least it was a great timeJ

Sooooo now I must REALLY back peddle and show you my now 'long ago' SundayJ  Where we started our day here:

YES...despite it being WARM, SUNNY & 80 degrees, Sunday was our official yearly Apple day!

Which began as it usually does....with some of these:

Apple picking is WORK, ya know?  You needddd some apple cider & cinnamon sustenanceJ

Not that some "quality control" wasn't also had at the orchard....

We strolled & picked away in the total peace of "first thing in the morning"...

The early bird catches 'the silence', ya know...

And I found something new this year....well, at least to ME...but TONS of "mini" apples.  I've NEVER seen them, or at least, not that many....

I wonder if the soaking rain we got in August affected the apple growing this year??  Just a wonderment...

After loading up our bags, we rallied up our loot and head out...

And start puttin those babies to work, ya know??  And I knew what my first treat was going to be!  We had seen a "Salted Caramel Apple Pie" on an episode of "Best Thing I Ever Ate" recently on the Food Network and knew I wanted to try my hand at it.  Albeit, WITH ASSISTANCE!

I just DID not have it in me to be a heroJ  I ORIGINALLY planned on making my own crust & caramel sauce...but I just KNOW those apples would still be sitting in the bin of my fridge if I didn't have 'help' from Trader Joe's J  hahahahahhahahahaha....

I DO love my Weight Watchers crust recipe, because it's SUPER easy to whip up in your food processor, but damn-how can you beat this???

I didn't even need to ROLL out the crust!  I just unfolded it....

Not gonna lie...I was VERY happy about this on Sunday afternoonJ

Meanwhile, I peeled & sliced my 6 apples and mixed em with:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• a tablespoon of Apple Pie Spice
• a couple teaspoons of All Spice

I layered 1/3 of the apples in the pie plate and then drizzled it with a THIN shake of sea salt & a drizzle of the TJ's Fleur de Sel...

....before adding ANOTHER layer of apples, sea salt & caramel sauce...

I topped the pie with the rest of the apples and the other piece of pie crust.  I cut a few slits into the top crust to let out the steam of the pie and brushed the top with milk and popped it in the oven. 

I baked the pie for 20 minutes at 450.  After that, I placed aluminum foil around the ridges (or they'll burn quickly) and baked it for another hour at 350, or until golden brown.

Now here's the hard part:  You HAVE to let the pie settle & 'firm up' for AT LEAST an hour.  I know it's tough, but ya gotta let it breath, folksJ

At least we had a good distraction in the form of a homemade Chicago Pie (made the same as last time) in honor of the Bears playing on TV on Sunday...

This one is NEVER a beauty, but it's so damn tasty with LOTS of flavors from the crushed tomato, fennel, stringy mozzerella and savory garlic butter crust... 

(although, I fear I may have to cut my "Bears game/pizza" tradition short for awhile!  EVERY TIME I make the pizza: THEY LOSE!!!!!  I'll need a new recipe for the next gameJ)

And OK, OK...an hour of "settling" or not, my apple pie was STILL a bit of a messJ  Probably didn't help that it was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to lift a 'proper slice' out with that ridged BLUEBERRY PIE panJ

But it was still SOOO GOOD!  A mess of spices, sweet apples & melted caramel.  Just call this baby "rustic" and no one will think twice about it's 'looks' J

Alright...well, I'll skedaddle for now and let you enjoy your WEDNESDAY!!  Soooooooooo happy it's MIDWEEK ALREADY!  This is my last full week of work for 2 weeks...yeeeee!  Italy is looming closer & closer...I can't even believe it.  Wohooooooo!

Hope you have a great dayJ

Lots o' cheese & pumpkin in one post...

Hi everyone!  Hope you guys had a great weekend!  Aside from many FALL activites had WHILST bathed in humidity, ours was lots of funJ

It started on Friday night with our annual "Wine & Cheese" party...

 ...and, as usual, we had enough food to have at LEAST 3 MORE parties! 

TONS of cheese, crackers, fondue, mini hot dogs, roasted potatoes, pepperoni crescent rolls, caprese bake, taco dip, fruit, brownies, wine (and non-alcoholic "baby belinis"  SOOOOOO good!)...

It was a SIN what we had to throw out by the end of the night.  Sin, I tell you!

So after all that carb/cheese fabulousness...Saturday, I just needed SOMETHING on the "lighter" side of the spectrum.  It just had to happenJ  And since a can of pumpkin was calling to me from my cabinet, I decided to make an ALL OUT pumpkin dinnerJ

Starting with my beloved pumpkin soup with cran-apple relish...

I "slimmed down" the soup the same as last time by swapping out the 2 cups of CREAM with 1 cup of 1% milk and 1 cup of squash.  This year I used a box of frozen butternut squash that I had in the freezer.  I just melted it in the pan, before making a well in the center and cooking up the onions, celery & bay leaf...

After the onions & celery were soft (about 6 minutes), you cook 3 tablespoons of flour for a minute before adding in 6 cups of chicken broth, 1 LARGE can of pureed pumpkin & LOTSSSSSS of spices...

Swirls of sage, nutmeg & cinnamon...yum!!!!  Bring it to a boil and then let it all simmer for 10 minutes. (or until slightly thickened)  Add in the last cup of 1% milk, let it all warm up together, add any salt & pepper to taste and WALLAH!  Pumpkin soup!

And the Cran-Apple relish really just seals the deal of deliciousness...it's NOT to be missed!  Even SCOTT loves this soup and me thinks that says a lotJ

Did you think that's where the pumpkin-ness ended??  Oh no...the soup just NEEDED a mate...

...and pumpkin maple corn muffins was the answer!

(Fellow Bloggers- Did you ever think you've invented something only to give a quick google search and find 20 recipes for your "creation"???J  It's always a bit of a let down...but at least you get to "follow someone's lead" hahahahahahhahaha...J)

These were super moist and BURSTING with flavor from the maple extract...loved, loved, loved these.  Try em out the next time you have that rouge cup of pumpkin leftover from another recipe.

Well, that wraps up our Friday & Saturday...I'll fill you in on our Sunday, since we're having a bit of a "dinner on the go" tonight.  I'll explain tomorrowJ  For now, here's a pretty previewJ

Have a good Monday!

A few tips & tricks....

OK, OK...so the corn soup was really delicious....but I must say the winner for 'best dinner for the week' goes to last nights meal.  A veritable EXPLOSION of flavors for the silliest, easy dinner in the worldJ

And it probably helped that all of the "layers" of the dish had their own unique flavors to bring to the table to make a super simple dinner 'out of this world' deliciousJ

First up was a round up of all of the ingredients for our paninis...

• "extra loaf" of Great Harvest foccacia
• Trader Joe's rosemary ham (SO GOOD....and I'm not a "ham person!")
• TJ's SMOKED cheese blend
• Thinly sliced apple

And the last fabulous ingredient???  A sliced sweet onion cooked in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter.  20 minutes of occasional flipping and stirring to make them go from this...

...to THIS!

Oooooooh glorious caramelized onions!  How I love thee!  Why do I neglect you so often?  I think you can make any dish go from bland to BAM!  hehehehehheehe....sure, 20 minutes is a while to baby-sit onions, but it just oh. so. worth. it!

Once the onions were ready, I loaded up our sandwiches...

...gave em a smoooooosh on ye ole panini press....

...and 5 minutes later:  a crazy good sandwich!

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area:  PICK UP this flavor combo & try it out!!!!!!!!!!  That rosemary ham is just second to none and the smoke from the cheese just permeate the entire sandwich.  And let's not forget about those beautiful sweet onions & mild sweetness and crunch from the apple slices.  Amazingly simple & delicious. 

Anddddd...if you go through the whole effort of seeking out that bag of smoked cheese:  Never fear!  I have the perfect use for the REST of the bag tooJ  I have spied this new fangled way to make potatoes in a few magazines and blogs and FINALLY decided to give it a whirl.  I doubt it will be long before we try it againJ  First up, you boil or microwave the potatoes until they are fork tender....

Once the potatoes are soft, line em up on a baking sheet and HERE COMES THE FUN PART:  smush them with the bottom of a glass!

Like so...

Till you have a gaggle of smashed potatoesJ

Next up, round up the good stuff, in this case:  Butter, that smoked cheese and some roasted garlic powder....

Or, OBVIOUSLY, you can use whatever you have on hand...but this combo made me HAPPY!

A pat of butter, a shake of garlic powder and a sprinkle of cheese, salt & pepper and these babies were ready to hit the 350 degree oven...

About 25 minutes later, the edges crisped up while the center melted into a gooey mixed of cheese, garlic & potato.  Holy heavens were these good.  As a matter of fact, this whole DINNER was so good that I finished it and wished I had a whole other dish...he he he J

Again...not rocket science, but just a few little tricks and tips to REALLY make the entire meal stand out.  And again, of course you can use whatever you have on hand to flavor up your sandwiches & potatoes....but this combo was a pretty good 'no fail.'  Have fun with it! 

And speaking of fun.....loooooooook what I found at Target yesterday!!!!!!!!!

I just couldn't pass these up!

I packed a couple for breakfast this morning and they are so nice, warm & cozy...and REALLY spicy!  Much more spice than pumpkin...but I ain't complain!  Cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger are the spice of lifeJ hahahahhahhahahha....try em out while they're available for the season!

Uhhhh...and speaking of season:  WHERE OH WHERE DID MY BEAUTIFUL FALL GO????????  It is H.U.M.I.D out there!  BLEH!  (although I scanned through my blog to link to caramelized onions and realized it was in the 90's this time last year!!  EEEEEEE!!  Perish the thought!)  Back to sundresses I go....I already miss you, hoodieL  And I have many a Fall activity planned this weekend...sighhhhhh....

Oh well....still can't complain cause it's the WEEKEND!  AMEN!  Have a good one everyoneJ  Hopefully I'll have some fun stuff to show you on Monday...stuff that involves CHESSE & APPLESJ