Shrimp Kabobs

Shrimp Kabobs

One of our favorite easy summer meals are making kabobs. It's also a great meal full of nutritious whole foods! Simply gather some good ingredients - we used bell peppers, red onions, fully cooked shrimp, and red potatoes (I roasted them ahead of time). You could also marinate some chicken,  or add pineapple or apples to the skewers for some sweetness. 

Chop the veggies into large bite-size pieces and place them on the grill! We used the George Foreman because we didn't want to go find our camping grill in the basement, but any grill will do! 

Delicious! Ahhh the glory of summer. =)

Early Retirement?

In church the other day the pastor was talking about stages of life, and what people do everyday, their vocations. Ross and I fell into the "do nothing/retired people" category, since the pastor did not include unemployment. After feeling left out and some reflection, I decided it really is like retirement.... we slept in, napped, read the paper, played cribbage at 2 in the afternoon.

At any rate, I guess I'm pulling a Michael Jordon and coming out of retirement... had some interviews, working part-time at the Y, hopefully things will be looking up! 

 But hey, what do you know? A slow-cooker chili recipe? Yummy! 

Slow Cooker Turkey and Bean Chili

Ingredients: 

1 pound ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup dry black beans (or a BPA free can) 

1 cup dry pinto beans (or a BPA free can)

1 can diced tomatoes (BPA free)

1 4oz can green chilis

1-2 cups frozen corn 

32 ounces stock (vegetable, chicken, turkey, homemade) 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 Tablespoons chili powder 

cheese to top (optional)

Directions: 

The night before or early in the morning, rinse and then add the dried beans to the slow cooker with 6 cups of water. Cook on high for 3 hours, so that they are close to being done but still firm. Drain, store overnight or put back in the slow cooker. Omit this step if using canned. 

First, brown the turkey along with the onions and peppers, then add everything together into the slow cooker. Leave on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Serve up with cornbread and enjoy! We loved this meal and ate leftovers for days. 

Famous Bowls

Oh man - it's my last month in grad school - as in graduation is one month from today!!!! That means I am in full-on project writing mode. I've been busy, trying to take it easy when I can and writing furiously the other times.

This means that my darling husband Ross has been doing most of the cooking and cleaning around here lately, which I LOVE (thank you honey!!!), but I honestly haven't spent much time in the kitchen in the past week.

One meal we worked on together that was out of this world, however, was our very own version of those KFC Famous bowls! <--- Please click on that link for a hilarious video. But you know what I mean - those commercials that keep cropping up on Sundays during football games for KFC's Famous Bowls. Now I wouldn't say that they looked good, but the idea of them with my own local & organic twist, now that sounded amazing. And we tried the happy lamp to help with the lighting in the pictures... it totally overdid it. But I'm not skilled nor willing to spend time with photoshop right now, so here goes!

Famous Bowls 

20 organic mini yellow potatoes 

1/2 medium organic onion, chopped 

1 cup organic corn, frozen or canned 

2 slices Hempler's local bacon, chopped

2+ leaves organic, local kale 

2 organic chicken breasts, cubed

1/2 cup cheddar cheese 

Salt, pepper, garlic, al gusto 

Start with oven roasting mini yellow potatoes for 40 minutes at 400F. They were just coated in canola oil and sprinkled with garlic powder and pepper. 

Cook up the bacon in one pan, then use the bacon grease to saute the kale in. In another skillet, saute the onions and chicken until cooked thoroughly. 

As the potatoes roast and the bacon sizzles, you can chop up the kale, and nuke the corn in the microwave or heat in a saucepan on the stove. 

Then let the fun begin! Start with a layer of sauted kale in the bottom. 

Then add those cute mini potatoes! 

Then the chicken and onions. 

Layer on the corn. 

Finally, top it with the bacon and the cheese! 

They. were. AMAZING. 

Ross added ranch dressing to his, while I layered on Frank's Red Hit Buffalo Sauce. We were both raving at our delicious creation! 

Take that KFC! 

Oh, and hopefully see you soon? I honestly don't know when... but I'll be back. Wish me luck on finishing everything up! 

Jack-O-Pepper

Happy Halloween! 

This year Ross and I decided not to carve a pumpkin. Instead, we carved peppers! 

Those beautiful peppers I got from the Farmer's Market! 

To make your very own Jack-O-Pepper you need these local and/or organic ingredients:

2 large orange bell peppers. 

1 cup cooked brown rice 

1 cup cooked black beans (canned are fine) 

1 green or poblano pepper

1/2 medium onion 

1/2 cup shredded cheese - cheddar or pepper-jack 

1 Tbsp canola oil 

Seasonings al gusto 

Slice open the top and clean out the guts just like you would a pumpkin. Save the top. 

Chop the green pepper and onions into small pieces and saute with the oil. You could also add mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. Be creative! 

After the onions are translucent add the rice and beans, mix together and cook until hot. Add any seasonings you want here - garlic, cumin, chili powder, s&p. 

While the stuffing is sauteing you get to carve your peppers! 

Carve then anyway you like, keeping the openings reasonably small.  

Then stuff them! Fill with alternating layers of stuffing and cheese.

Take care to place the black beans in the mouth and eyes for a dramatic effect. 

So creepy! 

Cap them and place them upright in an oven safe dish and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes... 

or until its hot and the cheese is all melted. It kinda looks like his brains are falling out! 

Then enjoy! We put some tortilla chips on the side, and I definitely added a lot of hot sauce to mine! 

Happy Halloween! Be safe! 

______________________________

I met nearly every one of the goals I set for myself in October! The only one I didn't really get into was meditation. I like meditation and prayer in conjunction with yoga, but not on its own. 

Raclette Dinner

Last night Ross and I were invited over to our friends Sarah & Stead's house for a wonderful Raclette dinner!

The Beautiful Sarah 

And her wonderful husband Stead. 

And Raclette! What is it? Good question. It is a "party grill" of sorts, similar in idea to fondou and oh so much fun! Each person gets this great shovel-type tray to place items such as bread, veggies, but most importantly CHEESE! You place it under the grill to broil. 

While things are broiling down below you are grilling all sorts of things on the top with your personal mini spatula. It's super hot and cooks quickly, and tastes amazing!

Things that work well on the Raclette include asparagus, peppers, onions, sausage, chicken, and mushrooms. The possibilities are endless! Alongside this we had red potatoes, french bread and three types of cheese - cheddar, Swiss and Muenster - just in time for Halloween. 

Once everything is cooked up you mash up the potato, add the veggies, and top with the broiled cheese! Or you could make a cheesy sandwich like Ross did... he makes a sandwich out of everything. It's a fact. I love how creative you can be mixing up the veggies, cheeses and meats - but the best part was getting to cook and enjoy time with each other. This is how a meal should be - time spent together! 

Our Raclette evening gets two thumbs up! Great friends, great food, and a great time. 

Thanks Sarah and Stead! And a special thanks for doing the dishes too... =) 

Happy Weekend! 

Paquinalaya

Do you ever get to that point where you've run out of fresh ingredients, you have a few random leftovers in the fridge and some enormous bags of various items from Costco in your freezer? Like a 5 pound bag of sweet potato fries? Yeah, we're there. We had 3 onions, no fresh produce, some frozen shrimp and a single remaining chicken sausage. And a few pantry staples - like quinoa. While I had no intention of putting this meal on my blog, it was so simple and delicious I decided I have to! It's like a Paella, or a Jumbalaya, so we're calling it:

Paquinalaya

Ingredients: 
2 sweet onions, sliced
12 shrimp, thawed and rinsed (raw or fully-cooked)
1 or 2 chicken sausages (your choice, we used sweet Italian from TJ's)
1 cup quinoa (cook it in broth for better flavor)
Corn Salsa (also from TJ's)

Directions:
1. Prepare the quinoa according to directions on the package.
2. Slice the onions and cook in a non-stick pan until caramelized ~ about 25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning, and you can add a little oil along the way.
3. Add the shrimp and the sausage to the onions and cook thoroughly - until the shrimp are pink all the way through. If they are fully cooked, wait and add them right at the end and cook them only until they are hot.
4. Serve by filling a plate first with quinoa, then the onion mixture, and finally top with the corn salsa.

Ross said this smelled and tasted like something he would eat in a restaurant. I took that as a compliment. The caramelized onions and corn salsa provide such flavor that you really don't even need salt or pepper. There were no leftovers - so good! This is now going to become an intentional meal, not just a thrown together meal.

Fortunately it was a CSA Box day - so now we have a plethora of fresh ingredients, including corn, kale, tomatoes and much more! More on that later.

Have a great night!

Our Favorite Happy Hours

I mean, who doesn't love happy hour? 

Bayou on Bay is one of our favorite spots in town - we always try to take out of town guests here, and I love meeting up with my friend Ruth there for Happy Hour: 4-7 Monday thru Saturday, and all day Sunday. 

The bar is adorned with remnants from many a Mardi Gras, classic looking wood stools and tables, and plenty of local, rotating brews. I, however, am dying for the days when we sit outside on the patio in the sun! It's perfectly positioned by the water so that the suns rays shine until the very last moment when it sets behind the San Juan Islands. 

It's Cajun  and Creole cookin' with local fare with one of my favorite appetizers that you don't commonly find - fried okra for $4!

My friend Ruth convinced me to try the alligator dip last time - it was surprisingly scrumptious! 

Ross especially enjoys Wednesday nights at Bayou - their special is fresh, local BBQ Ribs with 2 sides (Ross usually gets their Mac'n'Cheese and corn bread) complete with a pint for $16. 

Not pictured, but other favorites and highly recommended: ($8-$14 entrées) 

Barbeque Potrabella Mushroom Po' Boy with Sweet Potato Fries 

Jambalaya 

Blackened Chicken Pasta 

Our other favorite happy hour would have to be Milagro in Fairhaven, a community in the south side of Bellingham that hosts many unique local restaurants and shops. You could call it the "touristy" part of Bellingham. 

source 

And it's not a good Mexican restaurant if there aren't baskets of free chips and salsa! 

 

 




This margarita is only $3.50, and though it is called the "Chica" it is by no means small. I personally love a traditional piquant margarita por las rocas.



And we love the tacos for $1.75 during Happy Hour!

For not happy hour, they have all the classics, or as Ross would say - anything you could ever want with meat, beans, vegetables, cheese, and tortillas - in some combination. The also have good seafood selections as well, but I am telling you - when they say Camarones al Diablo they mean it! The spice level is intense.

Their portions are pretty enormous, which makes up for the somewhat more pricey entrées ($10-15 each), but I usually get 2 or 3 meals out of one plate, so it works out for me just fine.

Cheers!