Sundried Tomato and Basil Hummus!

The Scoop:
Hummus is so easy to manipulate to your taste and is a healthier snack option!

Suggestions Before Starting:
We use "no sodium added" garbanzo beans in a can.  In the future, we will be boiling our own.  Boiling your own is more cost effective and you can control what is added (preservatives, sodium...) more easily.  Fresh is always better in my eyes when it comes to herbs but if you do not have access, feel free to substitute dried herbs.  Dried herbs require much less than fresh herbs because they are more concentrated.  Remember to thoroughly stir the Tahini before using otherwise the bottom will be completely solid as you finish the container.  Never heard of Tahini?  Tahini is simply ground sesame seeds that is paste-like.  We've found it is cheapest at the local Indian grocery stores but also available at more traditional grocery stores.

Is anybody out there still?

So... we've taken a bit of a hiatus.  During our time away we have made several changes.  When I say we've made several changes, I really mean very little is the same anymore.  Dave and I now live in Michigan and instead of working in mental health, I now work as a Sommelier and an Event Planner.  Dave has been promoted to Senior Engineer.  We now have a beautiful golden retriever puppy named Merlot.  We are constantly going now.

How does any of this have to do with the lone clicker that stumbled upon this ghost blog?  I'm so relieved you asked!  Dave and I are still foodies but now we're looking at recipes from a new angle.  We have both put the effort into eating healthier but not compromising the delicious foods in the world.  Instead of chicken fingers breaded and fried in crisco, we now make whole wheat chicken fingers with hormone free chicken fried in coconut oil.  I honestly barely even taste a difference.  Dave and I will never be vegetarians but we have concerns about what is in the meats we were consuming mindlessly.  When possible, we do hormone free meats and organic produce.  The most important thing about these foods is that they do in fact spoil!  All those great food safety tips probably never mattered until we switched to hormone free and organic.  Food is naturally supposed to have a spoil date unless it's honey.  I cannot promise we will be posting more regularly but we do have a lot of great recipes we want to share.  Also, if anybody is really out there and is looking to make their favorite foods a bit more healthy, please let us know.  We'll get creative and see what we can do!

Stuffed Green Peppers

A great and mildly healthy snack.

The Good: Makes a tasty appetizer or goes fairly as a meal.

The Bad: Takes a bit of time and can be somewhat tricky to cook everything just right.

The Ugly: If we timed it out right, we would have made this recipe from our own grown peppers...

Suggestions Before Starting: 

Basically, we like to have everything as ready as can be before starting anything. That means dicing the tomatoes, cutting the peppers, etc so it's all ready to go. 

Mozzarella Chicken

Succulent and Flavorful

The Good: Easy to prepare, absolutely juicy and fairly cheap.

The Bad: The recipe takes a bit of time to cook up.

The Ugly: I always make a huge mess when breading foods!

Suggestions Before Starting: 
As always, leave items like butter and eggs out for a bit before starting the recipe so it is easier to work with and so it will blend better.  I usually set them out when I start thinking about making dinner (30-40 minutes early).  Please don't forget you set it out and let it spoil after a change of plans!
If you do not have dried bread crumbs, feel free to crush crackers (saltines, cheese Its, butter crackers.. you pick!) and add your favorite spices.  I like to use oregano, basil... and whatever else inspires me that day.
Don't forget to get wax paper if you do not have any!

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes

The Perfect Taste for Fall

The Good:  I made these for my co-workers when I worked at the hospital and they were gone quickly.

The Bad: Fall only comes once a year!

The Ugly:  Crystallized ginger is extremely expensive unless you find the right store.

Suggestions before starting:
I like to "seal" cakes and cupcakes with a thin layer of icing while it is still warm to keep in the moisture.  As you can see in the picture, I was a little impatient when I went back to finish icing them so the icing became a bit runny and not so pretty.

If you don't already have ginger, cinnamon or ground cloves and are wondering if this recipe would be worth buying those spices, check out our Chai Tea recipe.  All three of this spices are in both recipes and are delicious!

Penne A La Vodka

Hearty and tasty

The Good: Absolutely delicious and easy to adjust to your own taste-buds and spicy level!

The Bad: The recipe takes a bit of time to cook up.
The Ugly: Be careful on the type of tomatoes you use.  We have made this recipe several times and it tastes a lot different (and gross) if you use cheap tomatoes or crushed/diced tomatoes.

Suggestions Before Starting:

When buying ingredients, be sure to buy the better tomatoes... We like Del Monte.

It is best to have all ingredients measured and ready before you start.

Be careful when cutting up the tomatoes, sometimes they squirt at you.

We add crushed red pepper instead of black pepper to make the recipe a little bit spicy and so it pairs better with red wine.

As always, feel free to use your favorite noodle type.  I like to use Rigatoni, Penne or Farfalle (bowtie) in order for the noodle to hold in the sauce!  Remember to adjust the time you start the noodles to how quickly your stove heats up and how long your noodles take to cook.  Our stove is generally very quick so we turn the water on when there is 5 minutes left of the vodka step.

If you need help with how to use fresh garlic please visit our older post.

I like to "cook" the sauce into the pasta on low heat for flavor for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly so the heavy cream does not burn.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull-Apart Bread

The Loaf

The Good: Makes the perfect New Years' Eve party appetizer (or any party for that matter)
The Bad: It probably won't be the healthiest in your party-snack lineup
The Ugly: Not good for people with allergies to deliciousness!

Suggestions Before Starting:
Although this particular recipe calls for a round sourdough loaf and bacon bits, don't panic if you can't find or don't have either. It is really quite flexible. We substituted the sourdough loaf with a round Italian loaf, and bacon bits with actual pan-fried bacon. Feel free to substitute the cheddar cheese with any kind you like as well!