Tastefully Simple...

I am sorry I am slacking again on my blogging duties. I have been cooking, but just haven't been posting, sorry. I have been sick for over a week and haven't been cooking anything worth blogging about. However, I did go to a Tastefully Simple Party (Thanks Kari and Jeny) and ordered a few items, which worked out perfectly since I was sick. I made the wild rice soup and the beer bread soup...YUM! I would highly recommend it. Sorry to call this a post, but this will have to work for now. Hopefully I will blog this weekend! The best part is, all you have to do is add water to the soup and beer to the bread mix! Perfect for busy schedules and when you are feeling under the weather. You can order your own from here: http://www.tastefullysimple.com/shopourproducts/breadssoupssides.aspx

It was the perfect weather for chili! Sadly, fall is here and I am slowly losing my motivation to do anything after work that doesn't include laying on the couch under a blanket....Pathetic. Here is my mom's recipe for chili and a cornbread recipe that I got off the cornmeal container, both were delicious!

Basic Chili
1 lb. ground beef browned and drained
1 cup onion (chopped and browned with meat)
1 can kidney beans
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can whole tomatoes (cut into fourths)-We used ones that we canned from our garden

Chili Seasoning Packet (McCormicks)

Brown the meat and onions, drain. Add all ingredients in a crockpot and cook all day. Your house will smell delicious and your stomach will thank you. I served ours with sour cream, cheese, cornbread, and fresh bread.


Cornbread

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. Quaker or Aunt Jemima Enriched Cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt; optional
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. oil
2 egg whites or 1 egg, beaten

**I added honey to the batter and drizzled more on top. I also melted butter and added some honey to it to make a honey butter.**

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 8-9 inch baking pan. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans, Dried Cherries, and Blue Cheese

Another great recipe from the Trader Joe's cookbook, a delicious fall side dish. I could just eat this for a meal and I did the next day. It is really easy to make and the flavors are incredible. This is a great vegetarian, gluten-free recipe.The picture does not do it justice, this was the morning after leftovers. YUM!

1 lb. butternut squash, cubes

1 red onion, sliced

pinch of dried sage

about 1 T. olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the squash cubes and sliced red onions in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sage, drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes. Scatter pecans over the top and roast for another 5 minutes. Remove squash from oven and toss with dried cherries and blue cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste. 

General Tsao Chicken Wraps--YUM

 Another great recipe from my Trader Joe's Cookbook (thanks Kari)! I wanted a quick and easy meal for tonight that I could use for my lunch tomorrow too, this was perfect. I used romaine hearts to make the "wraps" for dinner, but decided to put the ingredients (including the romaine hearts) into a pita for lunch tomorrow to make it less messy. The Trader Joe's General Tsao stir-fry sauce is so good!

General Tsao Chicken Wraps

1 T. Canola oil

1/2 lb boneless chicken breast (I used 2 breasts)

about 1/4 cup Trader Joe's General Tsao Stir-Fry Sauce

1/2 (10oz.) bag shredded carrots

1 head large, sturdy lettuce, like romaine

In a saute pan, heat oil and chicken over medium-high heat until cooked. With a knife or a food processor, chop cooked chicken finely. (I used the food processor). Stir in General Tsao sauce so it is a moist mixture, not too runny. Add shredded chicken and carrots and bundle into lettuce leaves.

Blueberry Banana Bread

I have a slight obsession with banana bread. I decided to use my banana bread recipe and add a twist, fresh blueberries. It was delicious. I suggest you give it a try. Our blueberries were starting to wrinkle, so we threw them in the freezer with our brown bananas to save for a day of baking. With this cool fall weather we are already having, I decided it would be the perfect day to turn on the oven and bake. It was a nice treat for breakfast this morning.

Blueberry Banana Bread

1 1/2 medium sized bananas (as ripe as possible)

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup soft margarine

2 T. milk (I used soy milk)

1 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp soda

1 cup blueberries

Mash bananas, set aside. Blend sugar and margarine in bowl until smooth, add egg, beat until smooth. Add milk and banana blend until smooth. Add dry ingredients into banana mixture until well blended. Grease/flour loaf pan. Fold blueberries into the batter. Pour batter evenly into pan. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.