Homemade Yumm! bowl!

I super-love Cafe Yumm! I am in love with the Yumm-Baby bowl.
So, today I bought a giant jug of Yumm! sauce, and made my own bowl.  Or, plate.  That I used a fork with because I was too hungry to mess with chopsticks.

Jasmine rice, corn, black beans, tomato, cilantro, avocado, Yumm! sauce, and Greek yogurt

It was AMAZING!!!!

I love how filling and fresh this is.  And, if I were to calculate the points (which I will do at some point), I don't think this is too bad of a meal.
I wish I could adequately describe Yumm! sauce, but just trust me, it is awesome, can be eaten on anything, and it hard to replicate (my ex-colleague who basically drinks the stuff she loves it so much tried to make it herself several times and failed).

YUMMY!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

I got the idea to make this recipe from this blog I read, and due to the eternal crappy weather here in PDX as of late, a hearty stew sounded good for meals this week.  

I made some tweaks, but feel free to follow Kaitlin's!

Pre-cook all day!

32 oz beef broth (+ less than a 1/2 container of low sodium chicken broth that I had left over in the fridge)
1 container Premium Angus Stew Meat (from Trader Joe's) My package was 1.52lbs.
1 bunch celery, chopped
10 mini potatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 bag broccoli florets
4+ garlic cloves, chopped
1 package super-sweet corn (frozen)
1/2 bag of crimini mushrooms (+ extra white mushrooms that I had leftover in the fridge)
1 bay leaf


Cut up all your stuff.
Put into crock pot.
Smash lid on top.
Wait for it to cook down.
Stir.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Eat.

YUM.
I will say that it needs seasoning.  I add salt before I eat it, but I am not brave enough to really go all out when I am attempting seasoning.  If anyone has any suggestions to give it more OOMF, I'd appreciate it.  It is mild, hearty, satisfying, and yummy though nonetheless. I love all the veggies!!  And it made a HUGE amount.  Can stew be frozen???? Otherwise I will have to eat this for the next 15 days or so!!

About 7 hours of cooking later...

Homemade Mac-N-Cheese (almost like my mom's)

I wasn't going to post this, but I sent a picture to a friend and her immediate response was "It's not on your blog yet!"  So, here it is. 

Just out of the oven.

Things have been wonky in my neck of the woods as of late.  L has been traveling and gone, I had mini-camp (practice every night of the week!) last week, and grocery shopping/eating right hasn't been on the top of the priority list.  I was craving mac-n-cheese, and I knew we had cheese and some version of noodles, and thought I could make some like my mom used to make.  I had to tweak good ole' Betty Crocker due to lack of appropriate ingredients, so feel free to check her out on your own for your own version. 

Old-Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from my ancient Betty Crocker pgs. 342 & 566
2 C salad noodles (this was supposed to be elbow mac, but we didn't have any.  These were fun though!)
1 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper
3 cups cheese:
Sharp White Cheddar (1 1/2 C)
Mild Cheddar (1+ C)
1/4 C Blue Cheese Crumbles
thin white sauce*
1 TBSP butter

Heat oven to 375. Cook noodles as directions indicate.  Place half the macaroni in ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cheese, repeat.  Pour white sauce over casserole.  Dot with butter. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 more minutes.


*Thin white sauce:
Please note--I didn't have enough milk, so I had to sub 1/4 C of half/half (don't tell L!) and only had 1 1/2 C of this sauce--not the two it called for.
For each C sauce:
1 TBSP butter
1/2 - 1 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 C milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt and pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.  Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.  

On its way to MY BELLY!!!

Cheesey goodness. I'd leave out the butter (at least some of it) next time around.  And I wish I had a 2 Q round casserole dish...a flat dish isn't the same!

Chicken Salad

I bought an oven-roasted chicken from the store after I worked out on Tuesday.  I broke it down (I won't lie, the spinal cord/vertebrae creeped me out beyond belief), put it in a bowl, and had SOME (thx Jules!) on a salad for lunch.  I really wanted to make chicken salad because I finally found Sara Lee Delightful bread (45 calories/slice!), and so I tweaked some of the recipes I knew and made this deliciousness!

Chicken Salad
Makes about 6 sandwiches.
~all are approximate values--make to your taste.
~2 C cooked chicken
~1/2 C chopped celery
1 fatty dill pickle
~1/4 C reduced fat mayo
~1TBSP parsley
1 tsp+more stone ground mustard
~squeeze of lemon juice from bottle (I was out of fresh lemons)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together.  Put on bread. Eat.  YUMMY!!
This is the first time I ever had pickle in chicken salad--it was DELICIOUS!!!

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies and Lemon Shortbread Bars and SUPER-FLY FAIL Crusty French Bread

And now I have a sugar headache.  Sigh.

I am having a couple I play football with over to dinner tomorrow night and the menu looks like:
Salad w/yummy homemade vinagrette
Lasagna (with homemade noodles)
Homemade bread (turned into garlic bread)

I love this cookbook.

Wine
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Lemon Shortbread Bars

So I can go to the gym tomorrow and not be too stressed, I thought I'd make the bread and desserts today, leaving the salad (oooh hard...) and the lasagna for tomorrow.  The bread was a super-fly fail, so I will have to remake another loaf tomorrow.  But at least the desserts turned out!

I love to bake. It puts me in a zone of oblivion where I don't have to think about anything other than the recipe and measuring and the food around me as I create. 

The problem is that I love to sample, and when I am making non-friendly WW recipe, it does a number on my gut.  I had a good amount of leftover whoopie pie filling that I couldn't see go to waste, so I had to eat most of it.  :(  I feel super-gross now, but it tasted so good!  Not worth it.  But the whoopie pies did turn out awesome. 

 Batter

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Source:  Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts (pg. 37)

Cookies
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C light molasses (I use regular full-on dark)
1/4 C granulated sugar
6 TBSP butter melted
2 tsp. ginger (I used extra)
1 tsp cinnamon (I used extra)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Batter in pan

1 egg

Magic Whoopie Pie Pan

Marshmallow Filling
6 TBSP butter slightly softened
1 C confectioners' sugar
1 jar (7 ounces)marshmallow creme (about 1 1/2 C)
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.

I flattened the heaping tablespoons

2. Grease 2 large cookie sheets (I used my whoopie pie pan from my awesome future step-sister-in-law!)
3.  Prepare cookies.
Large bowl with spoon mix until smooth:
flour
granulated sugar
ginger
cinnamon
baking soda
salt
butter
egg
molasses
4. Drop 12 heaping tablespoons batter 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet.
5.  Bake until puffy and toothpick inserted comes out clean--about 12 minutes.
Rotate the cookie sheets from top shelf to bottom mid-way.  When finished, transfer onto wire racks to cool completely. 

Final result..YUM.

6.  When cookies are cool, make filling.  In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat softened butter until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.  At low speed, gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, marshmallow creme, and vanilla until smooth. (I used my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment, and next time I think I would use the beater attachment instead).
7. Spread 1 rounded tablespoon filling on flat side of cookies. Top with remaining cookies.  Cover and refrigerate if not serving within 2 hours. 

**Be warned...whoopie pies leak filling.  I haven't figured out how to store them without stacking them, which also squishes out the filling. Which is irritating. 


Some photos of bread and lemon shortbread bars:

Shortbread Bar.  Lemony awesomeness!

F=Flat

F= FAIL

Recipe Thief: Calzones

Dough

Ever since Beth posted these, I've wanted to make them.
Mission accomplished.

Calzones
Ingredients for Crust:

1 tbsp active dry-yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Dough after about 20 minutes!

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup part-skim mozzarella (I didn't have this, instead I used 1 C shredded colby/jack--which impacted the points significantly!)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 small red onion, chopped (or 1/2 large)

My additions: 

Innards of calzone

mushrooms

minced garlic

diced tomatoes

oregano

basil

Filling the dough

Oven bound

Happy Calzone

Directions:

1. Combine first four ingredients - yeast, sugar, water, olive oil - and let sit until mixture bubbles - 5-15 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, combine salt, whole wheat, and all purpose flours.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry, and combine until a dough forms.
4. Lightly flour a surface and knead dough for ~10 minutes.
5. Place dough in a covered bowl for 10-15 minutes at room temperature and let rise.
6. While dough is rising, prepare your filling. Sauté the red onion with nonstick spray until soft and browning. (I used 1 tsp. olive oil which impacted the points.)  Let cool, then combine with ricotta, mozzarella, and garlic powder.
7. Preheat oven to 400º
8. Uncover dough and separate into 4 even pieces.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into four separate circles on a floured surface.
10. Add 1/4 of the filling to the center of each circle of dough.
11. Wet your finger and use it to wet half the perimeter of the dough - about 1/2" in.
12. Fold the dry side over, and using your fingers, pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.
13. Transfer to a greased baking pan or heated pizza stone dusted with corn meal.
14. Bake for 15 minutes, until the calzones start to brown on top.
15. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before eating. You can also freeze them at this stage, which I did with 2 of the 4.



DONE!

16. Serve with sauce for dipping, if desired.

4 Calzones=8 pts+/calzone

I am going to freeze these so I have some ready-to-eat meals in advance. Maybe L will try one at work!!!  These are REALLY good. Big, hearty, comforting, and YUMMY!!!

Lunch! YUM!

I am going to try spinach and mushroom and artichoke next time!!
YUM!

Two Tweaked WW Recipes: Chili-Mac & Glazed Pear Muffins

Made these recipes this afternoon.
I am going to just put the recipe I used rather than the original.  I halved the recipe and left out the 4 oz. green chili peppers (I can't deal with spicy) and the 2 tsp chili powder (didn't have it).  If you want the originals, check out the WW recipe section.  Or, I will make it easy for you:  Chili Mac & Glazed Pear Muffins. You are welcome.

Chili-Mac
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
9.6 oz. ground turkey breast

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)

Chili-Mac done cooking!

1 1/4 C V8 low sodium
1/2 + 1/4 C salad macaroni (I didn't have elbow mac)
1 can white northern beans (I didn't have pinto beans)

Heat olive oil. Add onions, cook until translucent.  Add ground turkey.  Cook about 10 minutes.
Stir in can of tomatoes (and the juice!), V8, and seasonings (I used a teeny bit of cumin and mustard powder). Bring to a boil.
Stir in macaroni and beans, return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until mac is tender--about 15 minutes.

Each serving is 1 C.
5 C total.
6pts+/serving

I served mine with a 1/4 C shredded cheese (which added 3 pts+).

Total=9pts+  Not too shabby!

It needed salt and pepper, and I actually with I would have had chili powder. It was slightly bland, but the cheese really helped.  It is hearty and filling, and I liked it--but would add more seasoning next time (and garlic).

Glazed Pear Muffins
2 large pears with skin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I didn't measure--there is probably more in my muffins)
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Pre-glaze, post-oven.

1/2 C ff sour cream
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C skim milk
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP warm water + a few more drips

Preheat oven to 375 and coat a 12 hole muffin tin with spray.
Core and chop pears into tiny cubes and place into a large bowl.  Add cinnamon, granulated sugar,and lemon juice to pears. Gently stir and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, beaten egg, 1 tsp. vanilla, and milk.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Make a well with a spoon in the center of the flour mixture.

Post-glaze, post-oven.

Pour in sour cream mixture and fruit mixture, alternating in small batches; mix until barely blended. Do not over-mix.  The batter will be very thick.
Drop batter into prepared muffin holes.  Bake until tops are golden 30-35 minutes (it took mine 30 minutes).  Removed from oven and cool for 5 minutes in muffin pan.  Remove from pan onto wire rack to cool completely.  (I glazed mine while they were still warm.)
While muffins are cooling, make glaze.
Mix together powdered sugar, ginger, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, and warm water in a bowl.  (Add another tsp. of water if glaze is still too thick.)
Drizzle glaze over muffins. 
 
12 muffins
3pts+/muffin

Yummy.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 C granulated sugar and regular sour cream. My recipe shaves off a FULL POINT PER MUFFIN.  I rock.  These are really good.  I would even consider leaving off the glaze next time because the pears are awesome in this chewy delicious muffin.  YUMMY!!!

Creamy Parmesan Orzo

Made an awesome "side" dish tonight, but I will be making this again for sure--comfort food that could easily sub for mac-n-cheese cravings.

In the pan

Creamy Parmesan Orzo
1 TBSP Butter
1 C orzo
1 1/4 C reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 C water
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt

Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Cook dry orzo in butter for 3 minutes--STIR CONSTANTLY!
Add broth and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook until orzo is done (liquid is absorbed~15 minutes).  Remove from heat and add cheese and salt.

2 cups 1 serving = 1/2 C
5pts.+/serving
Worth every point. 

Close up orzo yummyness

My dinner.  Lentils from Tuesday, ciabatta roll buttered and cooked in a frying pan (like my mom used to make with rolls on Saturday mornings for my little sister and I), and orzo.  This meal would have been totally on plan if I wouldn't have super-buttered the ciabatta roll.  Whatever. It was DELICIOUS.

Meatloaf Muffins: Take 3

I made these when I was in Wisconsin, and then tried the non-Stove Top kind in January.  Today I wanted to have something quick and easy to eat for lunch and I had Stove Top in the pantry (thanks L!).

This recipe is beyond easy, and with the changes I made this time, even more flavorful and moist!

Pre-Oven

Post-Oven

Stove Top Meatloaf Muffins

1 lb ground turkey

Close-Up: YUM!

1 box Stove Top Stuffing mix (dry)
1 C water (I subbed 1 C v8 low sodium)
2 egg whites
1 tsp olive oil : sauteed mushrooms and onions and garlic

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray to avoid stickage.
Mix ingredients together.  I beat the egg whites separately and then added the liquid to the dry/meat combo. Hand mixing ensures that all the stuffing mix gets throughly mixed throughout the meat.
Put mix in the muffin tin. Bake 15-20 minutes. 

In a container easily accessed!

12 muffins total:  3pts+/muffin

Delicious.  I didn't need ketchup, and they were YUM!!!!

LENTILS!

I have been cruising along with my goals this month--I think because I actually have at least 18 people who will hold me accountable for them.  YAY BLOG READERS! I SUPER-HEART YOU!!!
Here is what I made today after the gym that cooked during my nap, and let me say this now--I will actually be using lentils more--they aren't as scary as I thought!!

Done!

Sloppy Veggie Sandwiches (Slow-Cooker) (Or, as I call it: Veggie Sandwich Innards)
Source: BHG-Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup brown lentils (I used 1/3 C red & 1/3 C green--it was what I had)
2/3 cup brown and wild rice (I didn't have rice, but I did have red quinoa! Used that instead!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
28 ounces low sodium vegetable broth (I used low-sodium chicken broth)
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Combine carrots through broth in a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until rice and lentils are done. Stir in tomato sauce and vinegar; cover and cook another 30 minutes.

To serve, spoon over toasted buns or rolls.

Close up of the lentil-y, quinoa-y goodness!

8 servings 1 C/serving 3pts+/serving.  (This is without bread!)

You stay classy there Sunshine!

I really liked this dish. YUM! I liked the quinoa, I liked the flavor, I liked the texture.  And it was filling, warm, and delicious.  I ate it with a hot dog bun (3pts+), and it was DELICIOUS!!!
**Do not be alarmed by the initial smell. I was really concerned because it smelled like baked beans (which I am NOT a fan of), but the taste is not even close to baked beans.  More tomato-y/vegetable-y.  

Chicken & Biscuits Casserole

Thanks to Emily for this little gem, who got the idea from Stephanie, so this is a joint effort of awesomeness!

I was craving comfort food and this recipe sounded awesome!




Ingredients:

Everything mixed together minus the biscuits.

1 can Campbell’s 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup (I used Heart-Healthy because the store was out of the other kind.)
3/4 cup fat free sour cream, divided
2 cups cooked chopped chicken (I had frozen chicken breasts that I defrosted and put in a pan with 1/2 an onion and 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tsp. of olive oil which impacted the point value)

Pre-oven, post biscuit-adding.

1 pkg (16oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (I used one bag of Italian-style vegetables (I hate peas so I didn't want normal mixed veggies, and 1/2 a bag of frozen corn which also impacted the points)

Out of the oven!

1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (I used the 2% reduced-fat mexican blend of cheese)
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart baking mix
3 T skim milk

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 375.
2.    Combine the can of soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8” square baking dish (I used a longer, more shallow dish--not sure if I liked it). Add chopped chicken, vegetables, and cheese and mix until well combined.
3.    Mix Bisquick, remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and milk in a medium bowl and stir until dough becomes stiff.
4.    Drop 6 even mounds of biscuit dough over top of the chicken mixture. Bake on the bottom rack for 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.


**Notes: I would mix all the ingredients in a bowl first before putting it in the baking dish--it was super awkward to stir and manipulate without a huge mess.  The Bisquick also becomes SUPER sticky, so use a solid, hard-core spatula for scraping purposes.
6 servings = 8pts. per serving from my adjustments.

My lunch of YUM!

This was filling, the portions are HUGE, and I am super pumped by how the italian veggies turned out in it.  It is creamy, hearty, and YUMMY!! YAY!

Meatloaf Muffins: Take 2

I tweaked this recipe which impacted the original's point value--this revised point value is AMAZING!!!

Post Oven--the plain are on the left.

Everything together

Diner Meat Loaf 'Muffins'

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion  (I used 1/2 onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (+more)
1 teaspoon dried oregano  (+more)
2 garlic cloves, minced  (+more)
1 cup ketchup, divided (I didn't use this much--I used 1/2 C + a squirt on top of 5 muffins)
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)  (in the package there is 1.2 lbs. That is what I used)
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20) (I didn't have this ingredient, so I used 1/4 C + 1/8 C of breadcrumbs--Italian seasoned)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (+MORE--I used stone ground mustard)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (+a little more)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs (I used 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.

Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.  (While the mix above was cooling I mixed the turkey in with all the wet ingredients--not the bread crumbs--and pepper to let it soak in some of the flavors)
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup (I only did this for 4, and I didn't measure--I also topped 5 with stone ground mustard, and then left 3 plain). Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.

LUNCH!!!

12 muffins 2 pts+/muffin!!!


I REALLY love the flavor of these.  YUM.  I like the bite of the mustard flavor, and the ketsup topped ones have a completely different flavor--AWESOME.  
I will say that these did not hold together as well as the stove-top meatloaf muffins that I made did--but I took some chances as I tweaked this recipe.  Next time I will try to do it with the saltines (and the right amount), and maybe one more egg white? I can't figure out which will help hold it together better.  Overall, the flavor of these ROCK, and I'd like to go eat the other 10 muffins, but I am full after two (I also had carrots and yogurt).  

Crock-Pot Chicken Salsa

I made this for three weeks straight when I was back in Wisconsin. It is filling, comforting, and delicious.  I have tried different amounts of stuff, and the recipe below has been the most successful:

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts (they can even be frozen!) : as many as you need--in the picture there are 3 GIANT ones. (I usually use 3-5)

1 jar of salsa (as mild or spicy as you wish) I use the GIANT jar of Pace mild salsa, not the normal, standard size.

1 can of low-sodium black beans rinsed (I usually use the biggest can, or two cans)

1 bag frozen sweet corn (I LOVE white corn)

1/2 onion chopped

package of mushrooms

package (big one) 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1-2 packets of taco seasoning: OR MAKE YOUR OWN (thanks Krista!) which I did this time--soooooo much better!!

My version of taco seasoning for this dish:

2 tsp EACH:

garlic powder

cumin

kosher salt

oregano 

paprika

1 tsp black pepper

so much better without the added random scary crap!

Directions:

The night before, put chicken breasts in crock pot.  Add taco seasoning, salsa, beans, corn, onions, mushrooms.  Put crock pot in refrigerator overnight. In the morning plug crock pot in, turn on low, let cook all day (it makes the house smell so good!!)--at least 6 hours.  45 minutes before eating, I take two forks and pull apart the large chicken pieces so it is in shredded pieces (see picture), and then 30  minutes before serving I add the cream cheese.  Stir and serve.  It is hearty enough to eat as is, or you can put it over rice or in tortillas or tacos.  My friend made this and left out the mushrooms and added jalapenos and used spicy salsa, but I am a baby when it comes to heat.  I seriously love this dish and it would provide lunches for the week.  

This time around I got 10 servings/5pts. a serving.  But it varies depending on the amount of chicken/beans I add.  You could probably use regular cream cheese or fat free.

Now that I have written about this, I am going to go make some leftovers for a late breakfast, early lunch!

Hosting dinner last night in pictures...only minus the dessert (homemade oreo/andes candies cheesecake) and minus the guests (L's mom and stepdad & stepsister and brother-in-law).

part of the sauce

pureed

baking in oven--yep too big...I ignored my gut.

Homemade french bread. Yep. I rock.

See? Some healthy items!  (Well, the veggies at least.)

L helping make the garlic cheese bread.

Our table.  I am super proud of being a grown-up here!

The lasagna wasn't that great. I am sad at its giant-ness and lack of tomato-y yumminess. I made everything from scratch--including the noodles which was a debacle in itself, but oh well.  This might be the last time I stray from Betty Crocker when making lasagna.  Here is the recipe that I was not impressed with--there was far too much, the directions sucked balls, and maybe I should have added the cinnamon that was called for, but that just creeped me out.  P.S.  Did I mention that there was FAR TOO MUCH?  At least my dessert rocked.  As did the baby arugula salad with yummy vinaigrette here.

Even though I miss WI, miss my little sister and my mom and dad and my friends, I love my kitchen.  I love cooking in my kitchen.  LOVE IT!!!

I am looking forward to the end of the holidays to get back into routines--including tracking points hard-core, working out on a schedule (including classes--my gym is finally starting "Body Pump" classes!), and job hunting/trying to figure out my future.

Happy holidays everyone.  I hope you are all wonderful, safe, and happy with all of your loved ones.