A Fiestaware Christmas

We were amazingly lucky this Christmas and received EIGHT place settings of Fiestaware! We now have place settings for twelve people...wow! Since we ended up with twelve place settings we decided to go back to our original six different colors and get 2 of each color : )

Look at all the pretty colors!

Our cupboard isn't even big enough for all of the dishes, haha.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun New "Hair Do"

okay, maybe a few words...

it's actually not that overly shiny in person.

this is a horrible picture with flash,

that's why it's so darn shiny!

Yet another food post...

When trying a new recipe,

make sure to read the recipe in its entirety

before starting to cook...

to avoid spills like this because the pan you use is way too small for everything!

Even with the spills, it turned out delicious!

It's pretty simple.

Just some veggies, noodles and sauce.

(The sauce is soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water and chili sauce.)

Amazingness in an all natural bowl

I just tried spaghetti squash for the first time ever.

YUM!

I am so going the store after work in the morning to get another one to try it this way...

Doesn't that look like pure amazingness?!

ick.

I think I need to live in a different state.

I've been big into cooking lately...in case you couldn't tell ; )

So, I thought I would share my dinner from last night.

Pizza!

A little less than conventional pizza, but pizza none-the-less.

It is schiacciata bread with a basil canola oil and minced garlic blend brushed on top.

Then, alternating rows of yellow squash and zucchini, onion scattered all over and finished off with a Colby-Jack cheese blend.

I also had a very small amount of mozzarella that I crumbled over one section and another very small amount of pepper-jack cheese that I crumbled over another section. (just to test it out)

I did not use much cheese because I wasn't sure the Colby-Jack cheese was going to taste quite right and I figured less would be more in that case.

If I were to make it again...a little more cheese.

Hearty Grain Soup with Beans & Greens

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups cooked kasha (buckwheat) *see note at bottom
1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed, divided
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 lb. kale, trimmed and chopped
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 to 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Heat 1 Tbs. oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, and cook 5 minutes more, or until onion is lightly browned.

Stir in broth, kasha, tomatoes, 1 cup beans, oregano and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Press half of kale into liquid with wooden spoon until it wilts. Press remaining kale into liquid. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until kale is tender.
Purée remaining beans in food processor. Add puréed beans, parsley and remaining 1 Tbs. oil to soup. Stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, and serve.

I added lots of salt and pepper and still think it needs more. It makes quite a lot of soup, so maybe my "lots" wasn't really lots for the amount of soup! I also should note that I used an Italian seasoning mix instead of the oregano and rosemary because that was what I had on hand and I accidentally used 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar instead of tsp.

ENJOY!!! : )

*Kasha/Buckwheat-
To cook place 2 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt in pot and boil. Add 1 cup kasha and stir well. Turn heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and kasha is softened, but not mushy.

Wordless Wednesday: New meaning of "cat tree"

Buckwheat and Black Bean Soup *updated*

I made this batch of Buckwheat and Black Bean Soup this morning before I went to bed after work. It turned out alright. Next time...I'll be leaving out the lime juice though. I liked it a lot more before I put the juice in. I actually almost didn't because I had a feeling that I might not like it, but thought...no, no, it's in the recipe for a reason. Ugh. Big mistake.

Recipe:

1 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)

1/4 cup kasha or buckwheat groats

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups veggie stock

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15oz can black beans

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp lime juice

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic, kasha and chili powder and saute 3 minutes more. Stir in broth, beans, carrots, corn, bay leaf and 2 cups water. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes or until kasha is tender. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.

(recipe courtesy of www.vegetariantimes.com)

I did not use any cilantro as I do not really like it and did not have any on hand. I also only used 1 Tbsp of lime juice. Personally, I will not use any lime juice next time I make it. I added a little cumin to my soup as well.

...I seem to never follow recipes anymore! I remember when I was little, I would yell at my mom for not following recipes because I thought they were written in stone and HAD to be followed. I now know I was completely wrong and have turned into my mother and never follow them at all!

The beginning of a beautiful love affair...

(Okay, colors are a bit off cause I had to use the flash. It was dark and I just couldn't wait to share! But, you get the idea! I will try to get a better, more accurate picture later)

I had only purchased three sets because Bob's mom is possibly going to give me another set for Christmas, so we'll have a normal four sets then! The goal is to get 8 total, but that will be a while...