Mexican Lasagna, aka MEATY CHEESY GOODNESS

This weekend, I had my closest girlfriends over for dinner, wine consumption, and a chick flick. We watched It's Complicated (LOVED that movie).

We had a wonderful time catching up on life and promising to spend more time together, being present in each other's life. We also promised not to worry about the calories in the dinner...sometimes you just have to throw the best intentions to eat well out the window. And we are VERY GOOD at doing that.

I typically like to experiment on dinner with this crowd. I know that if I bomb a recipe with them, that pizza is always a close second best.

Like many of my bloggy sisters, our "go to" recipe gal has become Pioneer Woman. Last week, she posted an homage to Pastor Ryan and included a number of his recipes. I saw the pics of Mexican Lasagna and felt like I HAD TO HAVE IT IMMEDIATELY.

This dish was INCREDIBLE, but it's not for the faint of heart. First of all, the recipe says it feeds 8. Well, I cut that sucker in half and it was like the Loaves and Fishes. I had enough Mexican Lasagna to feed an army. It was a massive dish of meaty and cheesy goodness and I would recommend it in a heartbeat!

This was supposed to be a serving for four...linebackers, perhaps!

So, ya want to know what is in it? Head on over to The Pioneer Woman and see Pastor Ryan's incredible recipe!

AND, if you want to see some other incredible recipes, check out Tasty Tuesday at Jennifer's site. There are countless other women (and men) in blogland who whip up incredible meals each week and share them with the class!

A Darling and Flirty and Sparkly Apron

I can't believe I'm just now blogging about this...but my slackerness doesn't surprise me so much because I won the following apron in a giveaway on the Apronista sometime last year AND THEN FORGOT ABOUT IT. Yes, I'm a loser. At any rate, I was in the Orange Circle not too long ago and went into Heavenly Hostess, then remembered that I'd won one of their darling and flirty and sparkly aprons, but then picked it up. I felt insanely embarrassed, but the shop's lovely proprietor was gracious and didn't make me feel silly. Instead, she let me pick my favorite of her aprons, then she gave me a matching headband to boot! If you're ever in Orange County, you MUST stop by the Heavenly Hostess. It's a beautiful shop with wonderfully fun gifts for the hostess in your life!

If you're here from Sandy's site, you may be wondering about why I'm going on and on about my silly apron story. Well, I'll tell ya!

I LOVE to entertain, even in my small home.

I LOVE to have my friends in my space drinking good wine, eating yummy food, sometimes playing games, but always sharing our lives together.

In spite of my small home, in spite of my singleness, in spite of the fact that I sometimes feel I don't measure up to my friends' beautiful lives, I choose to have them in my home where I can share my life, my encouragement, and my hospitality. Sometimes that's all I can give, but it always (in that moment) feels like enough.

To me, my home is not just my shelter; instead, it is an extension of me. I want to share my life with my friends and that means bringing them into my home...a place I've lovingly renovated and decorated...for me and for others. I always set a pretty table, create a centerpiece, buy flowers, put out the good dishes, and attempt a fancy meal (sometimes it fails!). But my effort is a part of my heart and my friends and family are worth it.

What does this have to do with my cute apron? Well, I'll tell ya...if I'm playing the hostess, you're darn well gonna see one who has gone to the extra effort. If you knock at my door, I'll greet you in my darling and flirty and sparkly apron, too!

Now, go and visit my friend Sandy's site, the Reluctant Entertainer, and see what home means to others!

Virtual Vino: Stemless Wine Glasses

Sooooo, you know those super cute stemless wine glasses that everyone is carrying these days?

I'm here to tell you that they don't really work well for all wine...in spite of their cuteness.

Here's why:

Red wine tastes best when it has time to breath and open up. Using a stemless wine glass is great because the heat from your hands causes a natural chemical reaction in the wine to open up all the flavors. If you're going to use stemless for your reds, make sure they have a wider opening, because this, too, allows for oxidization with releases even more flavor!

However, the same is not true for white wines and sparkling wines. The beauty of white wines and sparkling wines (IMHO) is their crispness. The cold enhances and encapsulates the flavor. Many people enjoy white wines on a hot day because they are so refreshing and delicious...but as they begin to warm up or go room temperature, the flavor is not enhanced like a red wine, but rather flattens a bit. So why would you do that intentionally by drinking out of a stemless glass and allowing your body heat to ruin the flavor?

Be merry!

No Boil Noodle Lasagna

I love lasagna, but the process of making it never seems fun. That was until I found the perfect no boil noodles from Barilla! If you haven't used these before, I'm telling you they will change you life! This review was not sponsored in any way...it's just my PSA to the world, so you can trust me on this!!!

I've also made the recipe a little healthier. Lasagna is super easy to edit into a lower cal meal. By adding spices and vegetables, you'd never know that it was missing any of the delicious fat!

Start by browning a pound of beef. Feel free to use turkey, too. I used ground beef this time because my market has started carrying a 4% fat package! During the browning process, I add onions and garlic. I find that it makes the beef much more flavorful!

Just before it is done, I add in some red peppers. I don't want them to lose too much flavor, so they only go over the heat for a bit.

In a separate bowl, mix 2 egg whites, a 16 oz carton of non-fat cottage cheese, and 4 cups of low fat parmesan cheese.

Here is the pièce de résistance! The noodles come out of the box just like this and you don't have to do a darn thing to them!

Layer a cup of sauce (I like an italian sausage and pepper sauce for THAT much more flavor), then place four noodles down upon it, then layer a 1/3 of the cheese mixture, half of the beef, and a cup of skim mozzarella cheese. Do another layer of sauce, noodles, cheese mixture, then another of sauce, noodles, beef, cheese and cheese mixture. Then do you final noodles, sauce and cheese.

Once it's ready to go like this, wrap it in foil and bake it for 40-50 minutes at 375!

Then, when it's done, serve it to your guests and DOMINATE that bad boy. It doesn't taste low fat, but it does taste DANG GOOD!

This recipe is SUPER simple, really yummy, and it also tastes good for left overs! If you've never used the no boil noodles, I urge you to try them. It makes the prep time for a tasty lasagna only 15 minutes. I'm telling you, these noodles are from Jesus and you MUST try them.

I'm sharing this recipe with my friends at Tasty Tuesday today. Please stop over and see what else is cookin!

Virtual Vino: the 5 S's of Tasting

I love wine. I love wine tasting. But not because I'm a lush (well, maybe just a little).

There's a social side of wine that I've truly grown to love over the last few years. Being at a vineyard, amongst the grapes, is truly one of my favorite places to be in this whole world. I've never seen anything more beautiful. Sure, the ocean is amazing in all of its glory and power, but if I won the lottery, I'd move to wine country in a heartbeat. Anywhoooooo...

When I'm tasting wine with friends, I truly enjoy talking about flavors and the unique differences we all experience. I love how we can all taste something and say "that would go great with steak/fish/a summer salad/chicken." I also love how we can have a taste of something and say "this would be so and so's favorite." It's just fun!

Last week, I was invited over to a friend's house for an event with a private sommelier. It was a blast. But it was also educational...and today, I'm going to share the things I learned from her, with YOU!

The Five S's of Wine Tasting

See
First, start by looking at the color of your wine. Is it almost clear? Greenish golden? Buttery in color? The tone of the wine will help determine what kind of wine you're about to drink.

Swirl
Swirl your glass around and look at how long it takes for the liquid to run down the glass again. If it's thick and kind of drips down, it has a different chemical equation and taste than if it's thinner. This is also known as the "legs."

Sniff
After you've swirled your glass, the oxygen has opened up the notes and "bouquet" of the wine, so take a deep sniff. Stick your nose right on into the glass and determine the flavors you smell. Berries? Mellon? Grass? Pepper? Nothing is wrong and your sniffer will give your taster a heads up next.

Sip
Take a small sip, and determine if the notes you smelled are the ones you taste. Make an initial assessment.

Savor
Now, take a larger sip and roll the wine around your tongue. Make sure all your taste buds interact with the wine. Sometimes, the flavor will be stronger on the tip of your tongue, sometimes on the back; sometimes the acidity will react with the underside of your tongue, too. This is truly where you will determine if you like the wine and want to have a full glass. (A taste is usually just one to two ounces; a full glass of wine is 4 ounces.)

I hope you've enjoyed this first installment of Virtual Vino! I know that some people have challenges with alcohol, and I hope this doesn't offend anyone. I'm not talking about abusing it here, but enjoying it with friends!!!

Special thanks to my wine club girls (and Amy's dad, who was our special guest star). What started as a small group from church, ended in a wine club. Yes, Jesus turned water into wine, and we've taken his example and learned to enjoy it and fellowship with each other!!!

Kitchen Confidential: Delicious Pork Rub

I'm a huge fan of pork. It's delicious, nutritious, and lean. Last weekend, when I made the baked chicken, I purchased a ton of fresh herbs, so I scoured the interwebs trying to find another healthy dish utilizing them. And I found a killer pork rub recipe.

Pork chops are a standard at my house, but I haven't made many tenderloins. That will change now, because this dish was so fantastic that I ate all of the leftovers throughout the week. DELISH, my friends, I tell you, delish!!!

As always, my first step in the kitchen was to open a yummy bottle of South Coast Winery's Chardonnay Sans Chene.  It was mellow, buttery, and strong.  It makes me happy and if my dinner guest was a drinker, that bottle would have been dunzo immediately.  But, I threw the vacuum seal on it and it happily lasted me through the week.  South Coast is a So Cal vineyard that produces really great wines.  As I'm allergic to tannin, I have become a connoisseur of whites, and this vineyard consistently produces great ones!  I highly recommend you check them out!

But next up, the REAL ingredients: 2 lbs of pork tenderloin, 1 tsp black pepper, oregano, sea salt, garlic salt, and 2 tsps of fresh thyme.  You'll also need 2 tsps of EVOO.

Coat your baking dish with non-stick spray, then cover the tenderloin with the EVOO. In a separate dish, mix the dry ingredients together to make the rub.

Then, take the rub and work it into the tenderloin. You'll want to make sure you've got the dry ingredients on the top and bottom.

Bake on 400 degrees for about 40 minutes...but you're really going to want to rely on a thermometer here. Pork is done at about 160 degrees at the center. When you pull it out of the oven looking like this, your guests will oooh and aaah!

It will likely look too pretty to eat, but at this point, I implore you to TEAR into that sucker because it is mouth-wateringly good!!!

It was divine and EASY...and who DOESN'T love the other white meat???

Kitchen Confidential: Baked Chicken Provençal

Sooooo, I finally cooked. It's been ages. Why has it been so long since I've stepped foot inside my kitchen??? Your guess is as good as mine.

Do to the poopy weather this weekend, my shoots were cancelled, so I had plenty of time to organize/clean out my atrocious car and garage. I also had time to grocery shop and cook...and it felt good!

I invited some friends over for dinner and we had belly laughs and tons of fun AND I tried a new recipe that wasn't disastrous!!!

Check out my latest dish, Chicken Provençal:

First, I began with a delicious cava (the Spanish version of champagne). It was AMAZING!

Hello yummy ingredients! 4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, thyme, tarragon, EVOO, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 (3 1/2 lb) chicken, 1 lemon, quartered, 1 lb whole small red potatoes, 2 red onions, each cut into 6 wedges, 3 plum tomatoes, halved, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash.

Using the fresh herbs, EVOO, and some salt, create a paste and mix it together, then rub it under the skin and onto the breast and legs.

Quarter a lemon and jam it up inside the chicken. Ya, I just said that.

The last step involves wrapping the legs together with kitchen twine, then placing the vegetables all around the chicken. Cook on 425 for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is done (at about 180 degrees internally). I ended up having to cook mine for longer as I'm not really a fan of raw chicken. : )

Sadly, I didn't get an after picture because we tore into the delicious meal like vampires (sorry, Twilight was a topic of discussion at dinner). However, the bird was juicy and perfectly seasoned. We all agreed the recipe was a good one and that this would go into a regular rotation!

I'm sharing this recipe with my friends at Tasty Tuesday. Head over there for more yummy recipes STAT!

The PERFECT Hard Boiled Egg

I love eggs. Scrambled egg whites. Poached eggs. But I REALLY love hard boiled eggs. They're easy to make ahead of time and have for breakfast on a fast moving morning!

However, I'm not the kind of person who likes to leave things to chance.

I was screwing around in Crate and Barrel a while back and ran across this fabulous little gadget. And it's something I can trust to make the PERFECT hard boiled egg. If you're antsy about making runny eggs, too, you MUST try this out!!!

It's red when you start boiling eggs.

And by the time it's done, the egg timer turns black, letting you know it's PERFECT!

By the way, the whole time I've worked on this post, I keep singing "the incredible, edible egg" over and over again in my head. Eek!

I'm sharing this at Works for Me Wednesday, because guess what?! I'm making more!

The Sister Wife and Her Utensils

Last week, my cousin and her family packed up and moved to a house nearby. When I asked her what she needed the most help with, she said her kitchen, so I went to be an extra set of hands. For the last few years, they've been living in her step-grandfather's house which is SOOOO groovy. He had been an interior designer in the 60s and 70s, and that house hasn't been updated since then. Carlee and Bryan had done a few things to make the house more livable, but knowing that they weren't owners, they pretty much made do...and the house was GREAT!

But, it was time for the family to sell the house...which meant packing up all of their stuff, then sorting through a lifetime of memories.

So, being that my job was the kitchen, I helped pack up dishes, pots and pans and china. But then I started coming across some of the step-grandfather's items and they were CRAZY! So crazy that we didn't know what they were.


Join me on a little tour, won't you?


This ladle would be SO AWESOME if it still worked. Why do you ask? Because it has a thermometer built right in. Great for making sure your soups won't burn the taste buds off your tongue!
This one stumped me. It was a metal spatula-type thingamabob with a lever. When pulled it fans open. We believe it may have been a pancake turner.
Lastly, we were CLUELESS on this one. In my opinion, it's some sort of walnut cracker. Why does it have a little catch basin on it? We'll never know!
So, you may be wondering why I labeled this post "The Sister Wife and Her Utensils." Well, we also found the amazing long apron (that I'm wearing above while making my crazy face). It was so hideous and long that all we could do was laugh. Also, I'm holding a fish shaped copper mold. Isn't THAT just the shape that you want to make jello out of???

I hoped you enjoyed this little tour of the 60s and 70s as much as we did!!! Maybe if we start saving some of our favorite appliances and utensils now, OUR grandchildren will say the same thing!!!

A Lovely Lil' Dinner for One

Raise your hand if you ever have a delectable dinner for one that is a freezer/microwave combo. Oh c'mon, you know you've done it, too. Well, there are times when that piping sucker comes right out of the micro and I stand in the kitchen scarfing it down. And frankly, those times were coming too frequently lately.

That's when I made a pact with myself. If it needs to come out of the microwave, it can still be enjoyed slowly and beautifully. Don't be afraid to use your good dishes or to pour your diet coke into a pretty glass!

Treat yourself to a nice evening at home, girl. I promise you, it will be worth doing the dishes because you'll have had a nice relaxing meal!

Or, if you totally disagree, you can call me white trash. I assure you, you won't be the first to say it. Ha!

What Do You Eat for Christmas Dinner?

I was recently talking with my mom about what she wants me to bring to Christmas Eve dinner with the whole fam. My parents are hosting the big family get together this year because my bro, SIL, and the kiddos are in town. She's sure to go hog wild for the babies! But back to the food... My cousin Carlee jacked me and is bringing the sweet potatoes this year. Instead, I'm making some sort of peppermint-y ice cream dessert. FINE by me! No baking, no problem!

This got me thinking about what we traditionally have at our family dinners. For some reason, we ALWAYS have root beer at Christmas and drink them in the dark red goblets that my grandma and grandpa had when their kids were young.

For some reason, root beer is an obsession for Swedes. (Incidentally, A&W is WAY better than Mug!) We never questioned it, we just went along with it, because that's what you do with family traditions. Come to think of it, I wonder if my grandparents even know why they started the tradition... Anywhooooo, one year, someone forgot to buy it and you'd have thought someone keeled over and died on the Christmas table. That will never be repeated.

Do you have a traditional meal or dish at Christmas-time? Turkey? Ham? Swedish Meatballs (my FAV!)? Christmas goose, perhaps?

Salsa or Guac?

Oh gosh, I'm going to really upset some of you right now, but I have a confession...I don't like guacamole. I DO like mockamole, though.

Anywhooooo, I got these adorable servers (salsa, guac) for my birthday and I've been remiss in blogging about them. I promise you, your mexican dinner table isn't complete without them. AND, they come with recipes for both from scratch. But girl, you know I like my salsa straight out the Pace Picante Sauce jar. Yes, I am THAT white trash girl. But that's okay, I accepted it long ago. : )

Thanksgiving Wouldn't Be the Same Without You

Dear Turkey Carver from 1973,

I love that my parents only bring you out once a year when it's time to carve the turkey for our Thanksgiving Eat-a-Thon. I love that you were a wedding gift that they received and they've never bothered to replace you. I love your funky funky mustard color. I love that you live in the cupboard in your original box that has yellowed over time and is just as worn as you. I love that my mom does the entire Thanksgiving meal (except for the sweet potatoes, which are my specialty), and yet, my father stops all hors d'oeuvres eating and football watching to use you just before we eat.

Thanks for being a part of our holiday tradition...Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without you!

XOXO,
the BLAH BLAH BLAHger

Taco Salad Salvation

I had a couple of girlfriends over for dinner last night, but didn't really want to go all out on dinner. Thankfully, these were the kind of friends who wouldn't care if I didn't cook them a gourmet meal, or really even notice. They're dear friends and our time together is more valuable than what I put on the table.

Having said that, I always try to do my best when I have friends over and the vain side of me really likes to impress them. HOWEVER, tonight, I was impressed by a friend's quick suggestion on how to keep my fabulous taco salads from sliding all around on the plate!

Barbie recommended that I slap a little bit of refried beans under the tostada shells and you know what, IT REALLY HELPED! The best part about this "cooking" save was that Barbie is my one friend who doesn't spend any time in the kitchen! She has a brand new gourmet kitchen, but homegirl can't cook. Oh, the irony!!!
Thanks to my funny friend Barbie for the fabulous tip! I hope it helps you out, too!

Visit Tasty Tuesday for recipe ideas! It's the bees knees!

Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news about last night's dinner. Let's start with the bad news:

DINNER WAS DISGUSTING

But the good news is:

DESSERT TOTALLY ROCKED!

So guess what?! I'm only sharing the good recipe with you and I think you'll find it just in time for the holidays! And even better...IT'S LOW FAT!

Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (from our friends at WW - 3 pts)

The ingredients that will tickle your tongue are as follows: 1 spray(s) cooking spray, 9 whole reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers, 3 Tbsp butter, 16 oz fat-free cream cheese, 1 cup(s) sugar, 2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 3 large egg(s), 1 cup(s) canned pumpkin. Now in all fairness, I didn't have ground ginger or cloves, but I DID add a dash of pumpkin pie spice.Preheat oven to 325ºF. Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can use a 9 X 13-inch nonstick pan.

Grind graham crackers until fine in a food processor or place crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush with rolling pin. Place crumbs in a small bowl.

Melt butter on stove top or in microwave and pour over graham cracker crumbs. Mix with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly into bottom of prepared pan and place in refrigerator while preparing pumpkin filling.

Place cream cheese in bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.Add sugar and mix until incorporated.

Mix in 1 cup of sour cream until just combined and then add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Add remaining sour cream and mix until just combined.Slowly beat in each egg one at a time until incorporated, and then mix in pumpkin. (Note: For best results, all ingredients should be at room temperature and mixed as little as possible, until each ingredient is just combined.)

Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pan, spread evenly throughout and smooth top.

Bake until set at edges, about 30 minutes. (Note: The very center will be a little loose.)Cool completely and refrigerate overnight before cutting into 18 pieces and serving.Your guests will LOVE this dessert and the flavor is just right. It doesn't have a low fat flavor to it at all, and don't be surprised if one serving becomes two or three or four! ENJOY!!!

And, for other yummy recipes, please visit Tasty Tuesday!

My Organic "A Ha" Moment

I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm not as healthy as I should be and I don't get a lot of calcium in my diet. I don't take supplements and one day I'll probably be on the Sally Field osteoporosis medication that always makes me think of this because I'm apparently, a 12 year old boy.

Anywhoo, I DO love cereal. Sometimes I eat it for dinner, sometimes I'll have two huge bowls on the weekend, you never know.

Several years ago, my SIL started going all organic and I thought that it was silly to pay SO MUCH MORE for grocery items that you buy every week or so. Then I went on vacation and a friend bought organic cereal and when I questioned it, she said it lasts longer, which didn't make any sense to me.

When I got home, I realized she wasn't kidding! I bought a carton of fat free organic milk a week ago and it's good until 12/4/09! As a single person who only uses milk for cereal and some recipes, I realized the extra two bucks makes up for it in that I don't have to replace it so quickly.

And there you have it folks, my organic "a ha" moment!

Healthy Mexican Chicken Pizzas

Don't let this recipe confuse you or scare you off. It's really yummy! Today, we're making HEALTHY Mexican chicken pizzas...starring QUINOA! Yep, that's right a whole grain!

I recently bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it up for different meals. For 5 bucks, it was a steal and has lasted me through a few different meals! I also used white corn tortillas, 2% milk cheese, and salsa.I began by heating the tortillas over a griddle. Heat your griddle and just move the tortilla around with your hand. When it gets warm, flip that bad boy over and repeat!Then I added the cheese, chicken, and as soon as the cheese was melting, the quinoa (which I'd made the night before). Here's a tasty tip: boil your quinoa in chicken broth instead of water!Lastly, when it's all heated up, add the top tortilla. When it's time to eat, smother that bidness with salsa and enjoy!!!I also recently found a new obsession. Now I certainly haven't been shy about professing my addiction love for diet coke, but sometimes you need to drink water, too. But I'm not gonna lie. I like flavor and bubbles. Enter flavored sparkling water. No calories, no sodium, no problem! It's a new love and I encourage you to give it a try, too!!!Thanks for visiting and checking out last night's dinner. Please let me know if you give it a try or have any healthy variations!!!