To Peru with Love & Avocado

The pages of Life Magazine where turning image by image in front of me only 18 months ago.  Being that my job requires me to travel a bit, I have had the opportunity to see a number of places in the world and honestly feel fortunate enough to acknowledge my feet on the ground in some spot on the planet.  I continued looking at this photo and that photo of ports and cities once traveled to until I turn that page and saw an image of a city I had imagined in my childhood of visiting one day but never thought it was possible.  Machu Picchu, a once lost Inca City located 8800 feet up in the Andes Mountains of Peru, opened my eyes a bit bigger and got my blood pumping at a rapid, go-get-‘um rate. Ah Hah! That’s the next place. Now what do I do?  Oh yeah, eat, train, work, sleep, eat, figure out how I want to choose to arrive at the city, eat, sleep, life…

Spring forward to July 2012, and you’ve got me here after my AMAZING trip hiking on the Inca trail for 4 days to Machu Picchu. No, I did not take the train. No, I did not take the bus, except on the way down to Aguas Calientes in order to meet the train on the way back.  And, yes, it was worth every moment, even when I was huffing and puffing my brains out on day 2 because I’m a born and raised sea level girl.  There is only so much altitude training I can do in South Carolina.  I mean really.

On the last day after arriving in Aguas Calientes to meet up with our guide and the rest of the group I had been getting to know over the last few days, we gathered at this one restaurant to waiting for our train to return us to Ollantaytambo. It was there, I saw this appetizer for a Stuffed Avocado.  Of course, I’m going to substitute a few ingredients because it called for chicken, but this one was coming back with me.

Whipped Into Submission Stuffed Avocado

1 Avocado

1 lemon

4 small or 2 medium red skinned potatoes

1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup of chopped carrots

1 small chopped onion

(optional) 1/4 cup of thawed green peas

1 clove minced garlic

4 Tbl of olive oil

2 Tbl of tamari

2 Tbl of vegan worcestershire sauce

1 Tbl of Black pepper

1/2 cup of regular coconut milk (So Delicious is a great brand & becoming available in some main stream markets)

1/4 cup of Vegenaise

Wash potatoes and cut them up into 1″ cubes to place in a 4Qt sauce pan.  Fill the pan with water to cover the potatoes and set the burner on high heat.  When the water comes to a steady boil, then set the timer for 15 minutes.

In a saute pan, on medium low to medium heat, warm up the oil and then add in the mushrooms only to sweat down. This will probably take about 7 minutes. Remove the mushroom and place them in a small bowl.  In another small bowl, mix 2 Tbls of Olive Oil, 2 Tbls of tamari, 2 Tbls of worcestershire sauce, and add in the black pepper.  Pour this mixture over the mushrooms to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Add in the remaining Olive Oil to the saute pan, let it heat up, and then add the chopped onions, carrots, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste but let them cook down for about 10 minutes until the onion are translucent.

Drain the water from the potatoes.  Add in the milk and Vegenaise then mash them up or whip them. I tend to mash until they almost appear whipped.  Do a taste test here… do you need to add more liquid? Do it a spoonful at a time.  Need more salt? Add a pinch at a time.  Follow the idea?

Then with a slotted spoon, add the mushrooms to the onion mixture with 1 Tbls of well mixed mushroom marinade.  Let them get acquainted with each other for a sec before adding in to the potato mash.  ***If you want to use the peas, then add them in to the onion mixture at the same time as the mushrooms.  They will only take a sec to heat through.  However, when I tried this the first time, I was cooking for someone else who had an aversion to peas. Not a biggie, but I do think you should give it a shot.

Last, take the Avocado (come hither my lovely) and slice it down the center from top to bottom, remove the seed, and then use your knife to make 1 or 2 light cuts in the skin from top to bottom to aid in peeling it down.  This way really helps me keep the shape of (my love) the avocado in tact. Something I thought about afterwords, wasin order to help keep the avocado in place on the plate and not slide around so much like it did on mine, use your knife to take a small slice of the bottom at the curve.  That way it will rest flat on the plate. Finishing touches… cut your lemon in 1/2 and squeeze it over the opening of the avocado (sigh) and sprinkle it with salt (is it me or is anyone else getting hungry or hot?  ‘Cause I’m a little of both).  Now if you have it, take an ice cream scooper and place a heaping mash-whipped-potato concoction on top of the avocado (good grief, where’s my napkin).

Serve and be prepared… You will want this again so why bother fooling yourself.

Crave Life with a Happy Tummy!

xo TMcD

A Tasty Life on the 4th of July!

Happy July everyone! This month is host to a very important holiday where we celebrate our independence by burning burgers and hotdogs on a grill, which I don’t remember seeing anything about that action on the Declaration of Independence.  However, in light of the most famous and revered food eaten on July 4th, I wanted to share with you one of the best ways to bring a little more kindness and tastiness to the party.  This is one of the first veggie burgers I learned how to make and the reason I went with this version is because there is no breading, yes I did say no breading!  So I would love to give a big old THANK YOU to Toni Avtges at Delicious TV who introduced me to the Black Eyed Pea Burger.

The only difference is I don’t use the walnuts (because if you had read the last post then you would know why) and I add in cilantro instead of parsley.  It is still very filling and crazy good tasting.  Last but not least, I let them sit in the fridge to set.  I find it easier to cook them that way and less likely to fall apart.  So Happy July 4th and enjoy the burger!  xoxo TMcD

Black Eyed Pea Burger (Click the link if the video does not load)

Black Eyed Pea Burger

Vegan Airlines – Tips for Trips

Breakfast on the plane

Hello Everyone! It’s so nice to be writing to you again. I feel a little bit rusty but it’s probably from all the sheet metal I’ve been captured in for a while. I bet you can’t guess what this one is about… Yep, food and travel! You’re so smart; you must have eaten your vegetables.

I’ve been off again (no, not off my rocker though I did fall out of the swing a number of times as a child). Another work event to another land where I endured at least 17 hours of travel time ONE WAY. Yuck. Making sure I was in tip top internal physical condition, I ate a lot of greens and foods with Vitamin C like Red Bell Peppers and Kiwi – I bet you thought I was going to say Oranges; nope, I go for the highest content right off the bat – and foods high in Calcium like herbs, sesame seeds, and doubling duty leafy greens.

A beautiful thing about airlines now a days, when you book the reservation, they allow you to specify a dietary requirement and now display a list of choices such as Vegetarian Strict/NonDairy.  Isn’t that cool!?  So needless to say, but I will anyway, normally my food will come out before anyone else’s food (Ha ha-ha ha-ha Ha) and I also receive comments from fellow passengers who say mine looks and smells better then their food.  I will say my plate does look infinitely fresher then a fellow passenger’s – because why??? Oh yeah, it’s not processed.  I knew I would get that one right. One flight segment I had polenta with carrots and fresh peas, grilled zucchini slices and roasted yellow cherry tomatoes with a bowl of fresh pineapple (which is great for the digestion by-the-way), kiwi slices and orange slices.  Delicioso!  The gentleman sitting next to me poked at his meal because he could not tell that it was scrambled eggs. Yikes!

I want to share with you a few tidbits I have picked up along the way since I first began eating in this style and traveling more than the average Salmon.  And yes, I pick the Salmon because the Salmon will beat the &*#^ out of itself upstream to find a happy place every year.  I promise, my tips are not that laborious.

*When attending an event, normally, the event coordinator will send over an enrollment form & if they are any good at all about taking into consideration food allergies, there will be a section to fill out your requested style of meal in that area.  What I say is this,

“I do not eat meat product of any kind (yes that includes chicken because chicken is a meat), or fish (also a meat), or eggs (was supposed to grow up and be a meat one day), or dairy (includes butter, cheese, milk products – remember yogurt is a milk product, etc. – not sure? Ask me). I am also allergic to nuts. Yes, seriously.  I realize as you are reading this you probably think I am a nut but let’s leave my conversations with my medical professional out of this. Thank you and I look forward to attending your event!”

*As a precautionary measure, when booking a flight with a specific meal, call the airline to confirm they received your selection a couple of days before you are to depart and are following through with your request.

*Pack snacks. Fortunately, I am not in danger at this point to where I suck wind after someone opens a bag of nuts forcing me to be stuck with an EpiPen.  But regardless, I do not want to BE stuck with an EpiPen in the first place. So, yeah, I pack snacks.

*When traveling to a different country, learn important key phrases or words to at least aid your request in menu choices or allergies, etc.  I’m currently learning a few phrases in Spanish because I’ll visit Peru very soon.  Here are a couple I know will come in handy: Yo como solementa verduras (I only eat vegetables), Soy alérgico a las nueces (I am allergic to nuts), Usted ha visto mis zapatos? (Have you seen my shoes?), Mis pies son si realmente ése pequeño (Yes, my feet are really that small)… What can I say, I like my shoes. You’ve met them before – Curby – I’m going to really need Curby on this 4 day hike.  We will have some serious bonding time on that adventure.

*Look up local restaurants who may cater towards your genius taste buds and try them out! When traveling in the US, you can’t stop me from doing that one.  Recently, I tried Ria’s Blue Bird Cafe in Atlanta, GA, and wow-za! that was goooooooooood food (and if you could hear me say good, that was some southern good. You know the kind of good that extends out to about 4 syllables long? Yep, that one!)

*When flying, take 2 minutes and research your airport to find suitable options available that your tummy can say a big whopping Yes! to instead of a signal to the brain telling you later to stand in an unsettling line for the restroom. Being in airports and planes already presents a stressful environment for the body.  Help yourself out a little by making the right choice in fuel.

*As a last resort, I will pack a few single packets of Vega protein shake powder, because I know that with enough smiling when asking the nice person in the kitchen to use the blender and blitz my multivitamin drink for the day, it shall come to pass.

*Oh, and don’t forget, you have a very busy brain and it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to clear a path to the brain to let it know you are FULL!  Yes, 20 minutes!  Think of that expression about mindlessly eating… well, that’s true.  Your mind’s and stomach’s arrival to the same place in time will not commence for 20 minutes until after the shovel in your hand has left the plate shoving the first crater-sized mound of food into your mouth! Taste your food. It takes longer to eat and the savory satisfaction will be there if you give it half a chance to be savored.

If any of you wish to share any other traveling tips you cherish, please post them with us.  We would love to hear from you! Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter @ImploreVida. I hope to see a photo of some of your wise choice traveling foods!

Crave Life!

TMcD

Vernal Garden Pasta

Hi Everybody – Kat here to bring you one of my favorite things to make this time of year.  For some reason when the sun comes out and the birds chirp because they are not freezing their feathers off anymore, my Italian roots come out and I love to make this pasta using Tagliatelle noodles with every vegetable possible.  Plus, with this recipe, there are rules! No measuring, no nothing just sauté your veggies, cook the noodles of your choice to package instructions, and add your favorite tomatoes or sauce.

Things I like to add are asparagus, mushrooms, spinach but any veggie you like.  I also like to buy hand crafted noodles that have some width but choose any pasta you like.  The only thing I recommend is after cooking the noodles, save a few tablespoons of the pasta water.  Then once the veggies are finished sautéing in the pan, add your noodles to the same pan and add that saved pasta water to it.  The starches will give it a kind of glaze and bit of thickness that will take it to the next level. Have fun in the kitchen with no rules.   Now, “Mangi” and have a great Sunday!              XO – Kat

Spring is here!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kat & I want to wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day out there in lovey-dovey land.  We are sending you this warm mushy video from the Farm Sanctuary… it is so sweet!  I hope to meet Alexander & Blitzen one day.

We will be back in a little bit this month with something tasty from Kat’s kitchen!  Take Care!

Puffed Garden Chick’n

Happy 2012 Everyone!  I hope you had a festive and jolly holiday season as you enjoyed family, friends, and bite after bite after bite of food!  I am always intrigued with my friends who, upon associating the holidays solely with many different kinds of meat concoctions,  look at me and ask the most common question I receive year after year, “What were you able to eat?”  Seriously?

I am happy to report my tummy did not become victim to the classic views of bird food and starvation. I am quite a meaty lass in the first place.  I truly think everyone has visions of Tom Hanks eating tiny baby corn when they try to picture what I would possibly place on my plate.  It’s quite funny really.  Oh, and click that Tom Hanks link because it is one of my favorite parts in the movie Big.

But did you know that if you take the Kat’s Spinach Artichoke dip to a holiday gathering and not tell anyone it is vegan,  it will be half gone before dinner is ever on the plate.  Did you know that if you take my blackeyed pea hummus with you too and not tell anyone it’s vegan, guests will ask you when you will start selling it in stores.  Golly jeepers, Santa!  It’s like a Christmas miracle! (Please feel free to repeat saying those last two sentences doing your best vocal imitation of Jimmy Stewart.)

My friends, I had a very full plate at my brother’s Christmas Eve gathering and the entire weekend.  For Christmas Dinner, I made a Puffed Garden Chick’n that turned out soooooooo good! I thought of it after having a Salmon Wellington at a local restaurant in Charleston about 5 years ago right before “the change” occured.  Here are the steps.

Puffed Garden Chick’n (servings: 2 puffs)

For the pastry

–       Preheat oven to Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry package directions.

–       Be sure you have thawed at least one sheet from Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry container. 1/2 of One sheet = One Puff

–       Melt at least 2 tbsps of Earth Balance

–       Pastry Brush

Mixture for stuffing

–       1 tbsp olive oil

–       1tsp cumin seeds

–       1tsp fennel seeds

–       1tsp coriander seeds

–       4 sliced mushrooms, I like baby portabellas but use what you like

–       1/2 cup sliced carrot.  Make sure they are rather thin slices.  Not paper-thin, see picture for an example.  Be sure not to lose a finger. That’s not the flavor we are looking for in this dish.

–       1/2 cup sliced celery. Repeat carrot example.

–       1/2 cup sliced onion

–       Pinch of Sea Salt & 4 cracks of Black Pepper

–       1 medjool date, deseeded, & diced in tiny pieces

–       1 clove of diced garlic

–       2 large or 4 small leaves of sliced, then chopped Collard Greens (or Kale or 2 cups chopped fresh Spinach).  You want the smaller pieces for the ease of eating later.

–       2 tbsps of veggie stock, broth, or water.

For Chick’n

–       One Gardein Chick’n per Puffed Garden Chick’n prepared. Cook to package directions on Stove Top.

–       2 tsps Olive Oil, or any other vegetable oil you have in the pantry.

And now let the games begin…

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan with medium to medium-low heat. Add Cumin, Fennel, & Corriander seeds to the oil. Let them hang out and flavor the oil, you know – get their groove on, and possibly work it like they own it, for 30 to 45 seconds. Because honestly, without them, this dish will taste completely different.

Add the sliced mushrooms and let them cook for at least 4 minutes before adding another ingredient. You want the opportunity to let the moisture work its way out of the mushrooms allowing for additional flavors to invade them.  Now add the next 3 ingredients and sprinkle the Sea Salt & Black Pepper.  Let everyone get acquainted in the pan for 7 minutes only stirring occasionally.  (At this time, in another pan, start cooking the Gardein Chick’n as it only takes 3 minutes per side to cook)

Add the date and garlic to the pan then stir ingredients to make sure everything is evenly distributed through. Let cook for 2 minutes.  (Transfer the Chick’n pieces to a paper towel lined dish to drain off the oil.)

Last, add in the Greens, pinch of sea salt & liquid, then cover for 1 minute with a lid allowing the leaves to steam & wilt. Lift the lid then stir everything together. Finally take the pan off of the heat & set aside while you prepare the pastry.

Lay out the puff pastry on your workspace slicing the sheet in half horizontally. Place a piece of the Chick’n in the center.  Now, because I like to play with my food, I take a pairing knife and create ‘legs’ on the right & left side of the pastry leaving about 1/2 an inch before reaching the chick’n. Top the chick’n with the veggie mixture.  Finally, one leg at a time, start wrapping your chick’n. I realize that might sound dirty, but just refer to the picture up top.  By all means, if you feel the legs are too long, simply adjust their length with the pairing knife.  You may have some pastry left over to make little ‘leaves’ making it look a bit artsy. The last step is to take the melted Earth Balance & brush the tops.  Place on a baking sheet and into the oven they go! Oh, important tip – add additional 4 to 5 minutes on top of recommended cooking time the PFP box directions advise.  OF COURSE, keep an eye on it because you want this to taste good and not burned.  Did you see “Burn this meal in the oven for that great charred flavor” in my directions? Nooooo.  I fear if you did, I would have to play the video of Tom Hanks singing They Way We Were in your honor.

 Please do not be afraid to play around with your flavors and spices because it is super simple to make a great meal with a few ingredients which pack a wallop of a delicious kick to any meal. I was talking with a friend recently who said she wanted to try my Devilish Eggz again but add in a few ingredients like horseradish because that was how she used to eat her Deviled Eggs growing up. You know what? That sounds like a great idea! Now, play with your food!

Thanks for vegging out with this southern root,

TMcD

Happy New Year’s To Ya’ll!

Happy New Year Everyone! This eve celebrates the ending of another Gregorian Calendar year.  It is also a great time to reflect and  create semi-quasi future plans for yourself.  No pressure.  Maybe that’s why all the alcohol is consumed on this eve so full of memories and firecrackers, hopefully not memories of injuries from firecrackers.  Some people must numb brace themselves for the self-imposed to-do list which develops from this time of year. Discuss amongst yourselves.

We send you big hugs and smiles from your ladies at Implore Vida!  Remember, Implore Vida means crave life… and chocolate, and good food, and life experiences, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  So do not miss out on the fun of today that you think you will do tomorrow –  like kayaking along the shores where Corolla horses call home, taking that helicopter ride over your own town, seeing Big Sur for the first time, standing at the most northwestern spot of the continental United States with your best friend one month and then 3 months later stand in the most south-westernern point of South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope.  I look back at 2011 &  all I have had the fortune to see coupled with opportunity to meet extraordinary people along the way. Surround yourself with people who mean something to you and then feed them good food that you have lovingly prepared, of course from our blog. Speaking of which, here are a couple of favorites:

I Brunch You’re Glad To See Me

This Potato Salad Is For Olive’Ya

Yes, we stuck with the couple that had big potato components because 1) I care about your hangover, & 2)  normally you can cut a potato coin to about the size of your eyeballs, shielding one from the horribly blinding light called the Sun after a night of New Year’s Eve.  But actually potatoes are excellent for restoring your depleted potassium levels.  Please chew responsibly.

So with that said, we’ll be chatting with you in 2012!  Have an excellent night! 

 

Feed a House Full of Game Day

Pick a game, any game, and I think it may be on today.  However, if you are one of the people who did not participate in the mania of Black Friday frenzy, then you may be behind in available time for gift shopping.  And here it is, Thanksgiving weekend with a house full of people while your mind hears Willie Nelson sing about a song about being on the road again... I’m tired already.  Wait, go against the anxiety attack!

So the last time when Kat & I got together, she had been wanting to try out a couple of these recipes, and 2 cents flew into where 2 cents were supposed to go… in the food – and voila, your time saving after Thanksgiving Game Day appetizers were born!

These are so cool because they don’t really require a lot of ingredients and they are things that were either left over in your cabinets or refrigerators from prepping all that food anyway.  First up, Kat’s Spinach Garlic Artichoke Dip.

Spinach Garlic Artichoke Dip

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees before you being to assemble your items.

Ingredients:

-a 16oz package of Frozen Spinach, thawed, and pressed from as much water as your little hands can squeeze.

-14oz can of Artichokes, in water not oil

-6oz of Daiya cheese (this can be found where your grocery store has things like rice cheese or soy cheese or almond cheese or any other cheese not made by Betsy the cow or Billy the goat)

-1 1/2 tsp Garlic Pepper mix by our very own K&L Spices or other store name variety

-1 1/4 cup Vegenaise or if vegetarian, just use mayo.

Tools:

Food Processor or a Blender

Strainer

Measuring tools

Your Hand for squeezing the water out of the spinach

Your mouth for eating and tummy ready to be in a very happy place soon!

 Place all ingredients in the processor and turn it on to do its duty for about 10 seconds.  Then pour the ingredients into an 8×11 baking dish.  Place the dish into the oven for 30 minutes uncovered and get ready to smell something sooooooo good!  Use chips or some nice crackers and enjoy!

Next Up!

Winning Spanish ‘Meatballs’

You will need:

-a 12oz jar of Fire Roasted Red Peppers, in water.

-16oz jar of Pizza sauce, either homemade or WholeFoods makes a good one in their prepared food section.

-2Tbsp of Spanish Smoked Paprika

-1/4 tsp of sea salt or season to taste

-1 package of Nate’s Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs

-1Tbsp of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Tools:  Food Processor or a Blender, Sauté pan, Measuring tools

Place first 4 ingredients in the processor and turn it on to do its duty for about 10 seconds.  Heat your oil on medium heat setting in the sauté pan and then add in the frozen (yes, frozen, not thawed) meatballs, cooking them for about 7 minutes.  This will help create a nice crust texture to the meatballs.  Then pour the ingredients into the sauté pan with the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes on medium low, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the pan.  This sauce will thicken. Serve warm and enjoy the surprise of an awesome tasty ‘Meatball’!

Serving Ideas:

-On a platter, place meatballs on the dish with a side bowl of the sauce for dipping.  Supply toothpicks to pick up meatballs.

-Or do what I did and take a Kaiser roll, cut through once from top to bottom and then again in the middle to  make a little hotdog-style bun.  Scoop out a little of the inside bread to make a ‘bed’ for the meatballs to nestle in.  Toast the buns with a little Earth Balance spread, then place the meatballs inside the bread and top with some Daiya Cheese (whatever flavor you prefer).

-And then, last but not least, you can always take some thawed sheets of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, cut into 9 even squares, place a teaspoon (yes, a teaspoon – you will thank me later), of left over sweet potato casserole in the middle of the square or maybe some of  Kat’s Spinach Garlic Artichoke Dip.  Mix together 1 Tbls of non-dairy milk with 1 Tbls of vegetable oil (per two sheets of puff pastry) and dab the edges before taking one point and marry it to the other making a triangle. Crimp the edges with a fork, place pastries on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with the milk/oil mixture.  Place into a 400 degree oven for about 16 minutes.  Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Thanksgiving From Implore Vida!

Thanksgiving For the Turkeys - NY Shelter Farm Sanctuary

Kat & I wanted to wish everyone a fantastic Thanksgiving as you spend the day with family and friends.  I feel everyday is the perfect time to reflect on the opportunities and experiences this life has to give among so many in need.

I am excited that in honor of our feathered friends and promoting a compassionate Thanksgiving, I did pop over to the Farm Sanctuary (click link) website and adopted a few turkeys on behalf of Implore Vida in order to help our generous caretakers over there who open their doors and hearts everyday to those animals in need.  They are an amazing group and I am thrilled to say that Implore Vida’s donation adopted Raphael specifically.  He’s so Handsome!!  I did adopt a couple of others but gave the adoption certificates as gifts.

Raphael at the California Shelter - Adopt A Turkey!

Thank you to all of you for your support this year with us at Implore Vida!! We are very thankful for your presence and comments. Look in your inbox tomorrow to find your answer for recipes to help take care of some of that left over food!

May your day be exceptional !!!

Your ladies at Implore Vida

Adopt-A-Turkey 

Project 

Farm Sanctuary is the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization. Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the “food animal” industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., Orland, Calif., and Acton, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals. These animals stand as ambassadors for the billions on factory farms who have no voice, and their stories help educate people about the realities of factory farming.

P.O. Box 150 · Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Phone: 607-583-2225 · info@farmsanctuary.org

farmsanctuary.org

adoptaturkey.org

1-888-SPONSOR

Promoting Compassion and Saving Lives for Thanksgiving Since 1986 

The Slow That Saves Time!

I Sleep, You Work

Hi Gang!  I hope you have had a fantastic October and wondering if any of you know how to work your Bewitching noses to give me half of it back – cause that would be super great!

So recently my busy life decided not to give up its busy stick but instead, continued on its merry way to challenge me to find ways to cook great food when all I have time to do is sleep… That’s when I busted out my slow cooker.  Yes, the Slow Cooker!! Brilliant tool in the kitchen because it will work while I’m asleep or at work.  In what seems like a minute ago, I downloaded a great book of slow cooker recipes by Kathy Hester where I read about doing this (see above picture) to your run of the mill pumpkin pie kind of pumpkin.  She also gives tips on making all sorts of other options like casseroles and breads and so on and so on – all with a Slow Cooker! Awesome!

What am I trying to accomplish? Well, I hear from that pesky old calendar that Thanksgiving is coming up. The nerve of it showing up before I’m ready is something that me and the Gregorian day tracker are simply going to have to discuss with a mediator.  But back to the slow cooker… I want to be able to make some soups or prep my freezer for some prepackaged yet fresh possibilities.  So according to Kathy Hester, take your winter squash of choice, poke a few holes in the cleaned and unbruised skin, then place the squash in the slow cooker.  Now, I’m gonna take a cat nap for about 8 hours (I wish, but that’s my target) while my slow cooker does all the work on low heat.  Then after letting it cool off enough to be able to touch/handle without a trip to a burn unit, I slice it in half and scoop out the seeds.  Puree all that gorgeous buttery-amber color until smooth in a blender or food processor.  You can either keep it pre-measured packaged in fridge or in a freezer bag in freezer.  One medium size butternut squash will yield about 3 cups.

This weekend, I’m actually at my house for about a blink of an eye, but am looking to put together a simple yummy butternut squash soup for you that could help your Thanksgiving appetizer meal section not feel so overwhelming.

Until next time, Trick your kitchen and Treat yourself to an easy way to prep some varied and bountiful squash! Kat & I wish you a Happy Halloween!!!!