Turkey & White Bean Chili

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LULA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go give her some birthday love

and try this chili. So healthy yet delicious.

1 tblsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
½ tsp salt
1 medium onion chopped
4 tsp chili powder
1 tblsp ground cumin
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed & drained
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt

In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium-high until hot. Add turkey & 1/2 teaspoon salt, & cook 6 to 8 minutes or until turkey loses its pink color throughout, stirring to break it up with side of spoon. Add onion & cook 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder & cumin; cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes with their juice, beans & 1/2 cup water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium & cook, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle chili into serving bowls & top with a dollop of yogurt.

My Thoughts:

Yogurt may seem odd on top of this but it works. Feel free to sub low-fat sour cream instead to keep this healthy.

Click Here to Print Recipe

And here is the newest addition to the fam, Makayla. We haven't met her yet so hopefully we'll be getting to Arizona soon to do just that.

Just another time to love...

Coming home...





A corner re-created...



Imagining the table set...



Gifts waiting to be given...



And Christmas in the air...

My joy is not in doing things big but just making each bit count, loving now what I love all year round!

While I don't need much help getting in the spirit these days, Tristan's Christmas program is Thursday, Light Up Our Town is Friday and a Christmas Singing Trees celebration at church is Saturday.

Find your spirit, whatever & where ever it is!

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Breakfast of Champions Guests & Merry SITSmas!!!!

Hello to all my SITStas & fellow Tempt My Tummy Tuesdayers. I made some breakfast for you. Come on in, take your coat off & let's sit by the fire..............

This torta is really one of my favorite breakfast casseroles out there & I have been making it for a few years. As for the special coffee, this came from Deanna's Corner Cooking & knew it would be perfect for Thanksgiving morning, and indeed it was. Sure, it has a little more fat than my standard non-fat latte but that's what treats are for.

SAUSAGE, POTATO & EGG TORTA

1 1/2 lbs sausage
1 1/2 lbs hash browns
2 tblspns vegetable oil
1/2 cup each - chopped scallions, green & red pepper
10 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tube crescent rolls
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar
Paprika

Fry sausage until browned, drain well & set aside. Fry potatoes in oil for a few minutes, add scallions & bell peppers. Fry until tender. Combine eggs, milk, mustard & black pepper, whisk well & set aside. Grease 9x13 casserole dish. Line it with crescent rolls overlapping just slightly. Layer meat, potatoes & then cheese. Pour egg mixture over the top & sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to account for oven heat variations. You don't want to overcook your eggs.

My Thoughts:

If you're short on time you can buy the hash browns with the onions & peppers already mixed in. I just enjoy the fresh ingredients added.

Click Here to Print Recipe

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VANILLA CAFE AU LAIT

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups hot, strong brewed coffee

Combine the half-and-half, milk, sugar & vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Right before serving, whisk for 1 minute to get it frothy. Fill each mug with 1/2 cup of hot coffee & 1/2 cup milk mixture. Serve immediately.

My Thoughts:

I am not a huge sweets person so I did a 75% coffee & 25% milk mixture. Depending on your preference the above will make about 4-5 cups of coffee. Also, I had my coffee first while everyone was still sleeping so I kept the remaining mixture off the heat. When I heard my sister getting up, I put it on low heat & just before I was ready to serve it up, I whisked it again to get it frothy.

Click Here to Print Recipe

Merry SITSmas everyone!!!!!! And 'round here we say Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!! But most of all -

Peace & Joy to Everyone!!!!!!!

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays please visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace & for more Merry SITSmas cards & lots of prize giveaways including being Friday's Featured Blogger & a $200 Target Gift Card, please visit the lovely ladies at Secret is in the Sauce

Fried Zucchini

Wow, what a great 4 day weekend with family! Lots of eating & drinking so I am definitely feeling that it's time to take a step back from the over indulging & focus on some balance as well as exercise!!!! We spent some time at Downtown Disney, enjoying the movie Bolt as well as the fairly new T-Rex Cafe. Just think Rainforest Cafe except with dinosaurs & wooly mammoths, since both were built by the same company. There's also one in Kansas City.

Yesterday I had family over for some appetizers so this Fried Zucchini was the 1st to come to mind. It is so delicious, plain & simple, and one of my favorite fried appetizers EVAH!! If you take your time with the breading, you will feel like you were served this out at a restaurant. By the time the breading is golden brown you can be sure the inside is perfect!

4 zucchini (each will make 8-10 pieces), skin peeled
1-2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs & Panko
Garlic powder
Dried basil
Salt & Pepper
4 eggs, whisked
Vegetable oil for frying
Grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling
Sea salt to taste

Marinara sauce for dipping (optional)

Halve the zucchini crosswise, then cut each half into 4-6 pieces depending on how thick the zucchini is. Lay pieces on paper towel & sprinkle with salt. This draws out all the moisture and will make for a perfect texture. I leave out for a couple hours. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic, basil, salt & pepper & place in a dish for coating. Place your flour in another dish with a little salt & pepper. Then whisk the eggs in another deeper bowl with a little water. Have your flour, eggs, & breadcrumbs in an assembly line, in that order.

Coat the zucchini in the flour, shaking off excess. Using a fork, roll zucchini around in egg until coated thoroughly. You never have to get egg on your hand with this method & your breadcrumbs stay dryer. Roll zucchini in breadcrumbs until coated then place on wax paper & set aside. Repeat with remaining. I like to refrigerate it for a few hours as it allows the coating to stay on.

In a frying pan, pour oil to about 1-2 inches in depth, over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough, fry zucchini until golden brown, about 2 minute on each side. Transfer sticks to a plate lined with paper towel or a cookie rack. Immediately sprinkle with a little salt & parmesan cheese. Place on a nice platter & serve with some marinara sauce, if desired.

My Thoughts:

Allow yourself a good 1/2 hour to bread 32 sticks. It takes time but very well worth the effort. 

Christmas Chronicles

So, let it begin, the true countdown. And through out all the decorating, shopping, preparing for guests & the hustle & bustle this season brings, let us not forget the reason we do all of it in the first place.  

Christmas Past 2006

See you on Monday with something delicious. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

I AM THANKFUL!

Happy Thanksgiving...................

From My Home to Your Home!!!!!!!!!!

With preparing for guests tonight, this the best I can do. But really, in the end, and in the true spirit of things, all I want to say is thank you. Thank you for giving me more than you can imagine, for motivating me more than you know, and for inspiring me to be my best self. If you're reading this, then I am talking to you!!!!!

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I also wanted to share these cookies with you. I made them last night for Tristan's class & meant to take a picture to post about it, in case you haven't seen these before & were interested in making them. I borrowed this picture from Melissa at A Little Loveliness.

All you need is a package of fudge strip cookies, Reese's PB cups & some icing. Turn the cookie upside down. Use the icing to "glue" the Reese's PB cups to the cookie. Then draw a square with the icing. I used orange icing for mine.

Brought to you by Angie & Wordful Wednesdays from:

Caramelized Chili Shrimp

I am so thrilled to have come across this recipe in the new Pillsbury pamphlet book at the grocery checkout. I always have all these ingredients on hand, including shrimp in the freezer, so it's nice to know I can whip up a great appetizer in less than 15 minutes. I made this twice over the weekend & took a batch to my friend Tammy's house. A little bit of sweet & a little bit of spice, these have definitely secured a spot at my Christmas appetizer table & any other gathering.

1/2 cup sugar
1 tblsp all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher (coarse) salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb large uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined, tails on
1/2 lime

Make sure your shrimp are patted dry. Heat oven to 500. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. In a resealable 1 gallon plastic bag, mix all ingredients except shrimp & lime. Add shrimp; seal bag & shake to coat with shrimp with sugar mixture. Use your fingers to squeeze the bag to make sure the garlic gets evenly dispersed.

Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Using spatula, group the shrimp together & squeeze fresh lime juice over. Place on serving platter.


My Thoughts:

Next time I may use shrimp without the tail so that people can just use their fork to eat the entire shrimp without getting their hands sticky. The baking time says 7-9 minutes but these are perfect at 7 on the dot. A minute longer will produce overcooked shrimp.

Click Here to Print Recipe

For more Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays please visit Lisa at Blessed with Grace