Roasted Chickpeas

My hubby came back home last Friday night! Lordy I missed him. He was away for 144 hours. 6 days if you want to count it like that. It was a really long time for me and for Moose too. He really missed his belly rubs.

So the boys and I roughed it alone. It did snow while John was away, so the kids had to get out and get shoveling alone. Jesse's friends stopped by and helped too. I paid them in hot oven grinders. It worked! I'll have to remember that, pay them in food.

We had a lot of quick dinners so I really didn't make anything "post worthy". I did make these roasted chickpeas.

My kids are hummus lovers. I always have a container in the fridge for them to snack on.

They can go through one container in an afternoon with no problem. I don't mind because there could be much worse things to snack on.

Since I knew they both loved the taste of chickpeas I thought I'd try roasting them with different flavors to give them something different to eat.



This recipe is so easy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly spray it with cooking spray. Heat the oven to 450. Drain 2 cans of chickpeas and lightly rinse. Put them on the baking sheet and roast them in the oven until they really puckered and dry (mine took about 40 minutes). As soon as you take them out of the oven throw them in a bowl and pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them. Then let your creative juices flow by adding in whatever seasoning floats your boat. I made cumin, chili powder and garlic for the first batch. I used a teaspoon of each. Second batch was cinnamon. Just a dusting. So good.

The possibilities for flavors are endless.



Happy weekend all~

Invisible Children

As I sat down last night to visit some of my favorite blogs, I never imagined that I would come across a story that moved me to tears.

I didn't intend to sit for 30 minutes, mesmerized by the words and images that I saw and I certainly never imagined that I would immediately need to share in this movement.

We waste a half hour watching TV, scanned the net, doing the laundry, etc. This is 30 minutes that everyone needs to watch.


KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.


We ordered our kit.

Minnie's Chocolate Pie

Who in the heck is Minnie? Are you asking yourself that or did you read the book The Help, or see the movie? If you did, you are now nodding your head yes, correct?

This is the famous pie that the character Minnie makes. Minnie does add one special ingredient to her pie that is not in mine and if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, let me just say you’ll thank me for not knowing. Those of you who know…well you know.

Now since Minnie is a character in a book and on screen, she really didn’t make this pie. Lee Ann Flemming, one of the best bakers in Greenwood made this pie. Here’s a little excerpt from Food & Wine magazine:

The Help’s ending hinges on a secret involving Minny's famous chocolate pie. Newspaper columnist Lee Ann Flemming, one of the best bakers in Greenwood, made 53 chocolate pies during filming, including 12 vegan and gluten-free versions she prepared in just one day for actress Bryce Dallas Howard. Her fudgy version here is neither vegan nor gluten-free: It's as classic as it gets. You can make your own crust, but Flemming uses packaged.

My youngest son is all about the chocolate pie. He requests pie for every holiday and every birthday. He’s also very picky about his pie. He will eat a graham cracker crust but he prefers it be chocolate. He does not like whipped cream. He is a pie purist so I left out the whipped cream but please add it if you'd like.



This pie was rich with a capital R. One small piece was all it took. I think it would go really well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too.

Minnies Chocolate Pie
Recipe from Lee Ann Fleming
1 packaged pie dough crust
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
Whipped cream for serving

Oven to 350. Ease the pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan and crimp the edge decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment and fill pie with weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.

Meanwhile in a bowl whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes until the filling is set around the edges but the center is still a little jiggly. Cover the crust with foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a baking rack to cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream.

Easy Cheesy Dilly Loaf

I'm alone this week. Well not totally alone, my kids are here, but my husband is off on a business trip for the week, so for me, my other half is truly absent. Mama no like.

It's the first time we've been separated for this amount of time since we got married. *sniff*

It's just going to be strange going through this whole routine we call life without him for the next 6 days. I told the boys they better pray we don't get a snowstorm cause Papa is the only one who can operate the snow blower. I hope I won't be saying "get out your snow shovels".

I'll be making lots of quick and easy stuff this week and let me tell you it doesn't get much quicker or easier then this Easy Cheesy Dilly Loaf.

I threw this together in like 5 minutes and 40 minutes after that we had a delicious warm loaf of bread.

Aside from eating this straight outta the pan, I sliced this thin, toasted it and then make a delicious turkey, avocado and cheese sandwich. Yum! This would also make an amazing grilled cheese. Can you imagine oozing cheesy goodness sandwiched between this stuff or served up with a pipin' hot bowl of soup?

The possibilities are endless!

Make it! Trust me, you'll be so glad you did.




Easy Cheesy Dilly Loaf
recipe from Betterrecipes.com
3 cups Bisquick
1 ½ cups sharp grated cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 1/14 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon dill weed
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt

Oven to 350. Generously grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In a large bowl combine the Bisquick, cheese and sugar. In a second bowl combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mixture blending thoroughly to remove any lumps. Turn the batter into the pan and bake until golden brown (about 40 minutes).

This bread can also be baked in a 6 cup bundt pan.

Cheeseburger Pasta

Growing up our house was "the house" in the neighborhood that everyone wanted to hang out at. We had a huge basement with a kitchen, a ping pong table and a pool table. Free pool. No quarters necessary. Needless to say, all the guys wanted to be there.

My grandmother and my Mom (we lived in a duplex) would happily provide homemade pizza, munchies and an endless supply of baked goods.

My Gram would often embarras me by loudly yelling down the stairs whenever possible, "Lisa Anne". Never just Lisa, always Lisa Anne. She never just said it, she sang it.

My friends loved spending time at that big old house on Wood Street, a house my father and granfather built back in the early 70's. I was always wishing that we could be hanging out at anyone elses house but mine.

Looking back now I realize how lucky I was to have the kind of family and home that kids felt welcome in. To know that my Mom and Gram would be in the kitchen smiling to greet us as a line of teenagers bounded down the stairs and that my Dad would be in his recliner, tilting the newspaper down just long enough to see who was coming through the door as we whizzed past him in a blur.

My Mom says now "well at least I always knew where you were".

Now all these years later, we have "that" house that all the kids hang out at. We don't have a ping pong or pool table, but we sure do have plenty of food.

If you want to feed a crowd of hungry teenagers, one sure fire way to make a beeline directly to their grumbling bellies is with pasta. Make that pasta taste like a cheeseburger and you have one happy group of kids.

Don't worry it's not overly cheeseburgie. The mustard, pickle and ketchup flavors don't smack you in the face.



Cheeseburger Pasta
Adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home
1 pound penne pasta (or any pasta you like)
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1/8 cup dill pickle relish
1/8 cup Dijon Mustard
¼ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons of seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the beef, onions and seasoning over medium heat until cooked through. Drain any grease. Add in the tomatoes, relish mustard and ketchup. Heat for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake

Ahhh pears. One of my favorite fruits.

I love to cook with apples, but when it comes to just picking up and eating a piece of fruit, I'll always pick a pear first.

Bosc, used in this recipe, are my favorites.

I love to let them get really ripe so that when I bite into them, the juice runs down my chin. To me, the sign of perfectly ripened fruit. I am also that type of person who likes her toast on the dark side, the crunchy ends of the lasagna and the bananas when they really ripe.



I told you I was on a breakfast kick didn't I?

I thought this spicy pear cake would qualify as a breakfast type cake...and it did.

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake
recipe form Taste of Home
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 large pears, peeled and sliced
½ cup butter softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup warm water

Pour the melted butter into a 9 inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with nuts and brown sugar. Arrange the pears over the mixture.

In a large bowl cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powdered and soda and add it to the creamed mixture alternating with the water. Beat well after each addition.

Spread the batter carefully over the pears. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and invert onto serving plate.

The little things....

Things that are making me smile now.

Old Photos.

I found this picture of me laying in my great-grandparents yard. I don't remember the picture being taken, but I remember the house and the porch where we would eat graham crackers and butter, or Lorna Doone cookies. I remember the smell of my Papa's cigar and the sound of the tea kettle whistling. Maybe that's where my love of tea originated from?



I just love the peaceful, carefree me in this picture. I thought I might need a little visual reminder of those times so I framed it and it now sits in my living room.

Bright yellow flowers.



I have to confess, I'm not really fond of the color yellow except when it's a coloring a flower. Then I love it. Sunny.

Feeding hungry teenage boys.

There is always a steady stream of teenagers running through my house. Saturday night I had 2 sleep over. They not only enjoyed a delicious dinner (Cheeseburger Pasta - recipe coming soon!) they also awoke, tousled hair and all, to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes and sausage.





Fat Birds.

In addition to teenage boys, I also love to feed the birds. Fat birds make me happy.



Enjoy your week!