Pesto Habit

I am on such a pesto kick lately. Seriously- I want everything to have pesto on it- and garlic basil pesto at that. I mean, wouldn't life be so much tastier and happy if it had more garlic and basil in it? Not to mention how healthy it would be! (Of course, I can settle for randomly placed pinata's around to beat on as needed throughout the day, but I digress.)

I'm trying to grow my own basil to support my habit.  Alas I seem to have a black thumb....or the sun rises in the wrong spot. I'm going with it's the sun's fault because really how could I, the lover of all things natural, kill something like a small leafy green such as basil?

But dead it seems to be. Sigh. That just goes to show that my once virent thumb is now a faded memory.  And that just hurts. Really it does. Because some years ago I had 21 plants in my living room alone. That's not counting the plants I had in the planters outside or in the kitchen. Nope. 21 in the living room. I was the Green Queen.

Of course, it could have something to do with forgetting I planted it and therefore it received no water...outta sight, outta mind. I should really put a sign in my window, 'Water the plant, dumbass!' and maybe I can keep the next plant living. Whatcha think?

Pesto Kielbasa Pasta

Go ahead- say that three times fast! Pesto Kielbasa Pasta, Pesto Kielbasa Pasta, Pesto...oh whatever. You get the idea.

I ran across this recipe while surfing the interwebs a few weeks ago. It seemed simple enough but you know me, let's find a simplier way, right?
The original recipe called for added basil, and some oregano, garlic powder and salt & pepper. I thought? Why go through all that trouble? So I made it easier, and slightly healthier, too. Because you know I'm all about the healthy (ok, quit laughing....).

3 Ingredient Hearty Potato Soup

Upon trying to make a low-cal or low-salt version of my fabulous Potato Soup, there's one thing I have found... that it is pretty much impossible. Potato soup is just one of those [meals] that was just meant to be hearty. It was meant to carry my Irish (and Scottish) ancestors through war and famine.

Friends, my soup is no different. Especially if you use canned anything. Of course, you can always boil your own chicken bones and make your own broth, that way you control the salt. (I have been known to do this, but currently am out of chicken bones! I mean, I checked my freezer for bagged chicken skeletons, and alas! there were none...)

Sweet Pepper Salsa

I usually like my salsa a tad on the sweet side. This turned out beautifully, but I do think a tad too sweet. Oh, not sugary-sweet. No, in this instance it came out pepper-sweet. Which is great- but I was in the mood for something a bit more tangy than sweet. Of course, you can always reduce the sweet red pepper to half and add in green chilies. That would be awesome! For now- here is an awesome Sweet Red Pepper Salsa-

Blue Cheese Skinny Chicken Salad

Grau and I have been on a health kick lately. Watching what we eat and trying to exercise more. It is working, believe it or not! Who knew?  I mean, really, eating less calories combined with exercise helps you lose weight? Wow!

Creamy Yummy Goodness!

Okay- so yeah, I'm joking. But, for me, watching what I eat means actually EATING. When at home, I tend to not eat much. I can go the whole day on a few strawberries and a couple cups of coffee. And no, I don't have low energy. I am naturally a high energy person. I always have been. I tend to eat very little when at home, and eat to excess when out at a restaurant. I *love* bad, bad, tasty food!

CRACKers

Oh- so I told you about making a spicy cracker recipe yesterday? Well, here's the pics:

CRACKers

Equivalency Exam

I love to cook. And bake. And mess around in the kitchen. Sometimes with food.
Today Grau and I went to the store and I grabbed a box of saltines because, well, they were on sale. But more importantly, I 'pinned' a recipe for spicy crackers and desperately wanted to give it a try.

Well, the recipe calls for a packet of powdered ranch dressing mix. Which I have, but I don't have. You see, I purchase ranch powder by the BIG shaker container, not the little bitty packets.

Since this recipe calls for one packet, and I had to look up exactly how much  mix was in a packet. Apparently it's .4 ozs. or 11.3 grams
My next problem came when I had to convert .4 ozs into a measurement I could actually measure.

Color My Fire

A few years ago, I found a story about salt-saturated pine cones that give off different colored flames when burned. I was so fascinated with them, I decided to make a few. Of course, I didn't have a fireplace, but my parents did and that was good enough for me!

So I set out gathering and making a couple dozen 'firedancers' as they were called. A few different types of salt alters the color rendered with each pine cone.

Equinox and Leap Year

Grau and I have had discussions in the past about the first day of Spring. He said it always falls on his father's birthday and I said that can't be because sometimes it falls on my father's birthday (both gentlemen were born in March two years apart).

Fast forward a few weeks and suddenly it's March...wow how time flies.
And I wondered yet again, how it is that I remember the first day of Spring being on my father's birthday, but it hasn't been for a few years.
So I looked up Vernal Equinox.

And a friend posted about the equinox (which, for those of you wanting to know, actually means "equal night") and how it snuck up on her this year. And I posed the question to her- how could the equinox be on the 21st every four years but not have been on the 21st for the past five?

Little Tubs of Joy

I have found the promised land! Ok, maybe not land, but at least butter. Two things I love, garlic and bread, need butter. And when you are tired of slathering butter and garlic powder onto bread, come back to this post. Seriously. You'll be amazed at what I am about to tell you.

But, it's a secret....shush!

You see, a while back I realized there was literally a gold mine of garlic butter just begging to be eaten. 
Once a month, Grau's work provides a minuscule pizza dinner for employees (two pieces, no more!) as a 'thanks for not maiming yourselves' gesture. (I don't know about you, but I would prefer better working conditions, better pay or better hours. Just sayin')

Anyway- they always use Papa John's Pizza. And you know PJ's  *always* serves garlic butter with their pizza. And when you order 20 pizza's at a time, you get a boatload of little garlic butter cups.

Tubs of pure golden , garlic-y joy!

A Little Quiche in the Morning

A few months ago, a friend of mine wanted to know about quiche. She didn't know what it was, what could be put in it, how it was done, etc. So I helped her out because, well, I used to make quiche all the time. After all, quiche is a good, economical way to stretch the last of your ingredients. A few of eggs, a dash of milk and whatever else is lying around in the fridge.

So, my friend has been on a quiche kick lately. And posting pics of them.

And now I want quiche. Again.

Except, I couldn't figure out what kind I wanted to make, let alone eat.

I had a couple ideas in my head, and thought, why not? I'll make them both. So I did.

I give you:
Turkey Broccoli Blue Cheese and
Chicken Bacon Broccoli Cheddar