Italy... "Wander till you see something cool to look at or good to eat"

Jeremy and I just go back from our 17 day backpacking honeymoon through Italy! It was a fabulous time with awesome sights and great food experiences.

As we often joked..."different town, different sight...same outfit."

In fact our motto for the trip "Wandered till we saw something cool to look at or good to eat" kept our trip fun, interesting, and never knowing what was around the corner.

We had many great meals from several restaurants which I will share, but first, my favorite foods were the dishes Rina served up at her B&B http://www.amalfivillarina.it/ in the Amalfi Coast. Everything was homegrown, homemade, authentic and organic from her gardens two feet from our table! Olive oil, figs, lemoncello... YUM!

Jeremy, Rina, and I on the last night of our trip.

Rina's B&B..way up on the hill..in fact 250 steps :) but a beautiful hike!

Rina's gardens surrounded us...fig, olive, lemon trees, grapes, pumpkin, egg plant, tomatoes...and on and on

watching the sunrise from our room

the view!

the best breakfast in Italy...freshly picked figs, deep red tomatoes, crepes oozing with rich maple syrup, homemade fig, plum and cucumber jams, and hard boiled eggs from her chicken range

colorful figs

Jeremy and I liked spreading the figs on the homemade bread

Of course...there was wine. She made homemade white and red.

and seafood...I tried anchovies, sardines, and mussels for the first time....not bad!

breaded anchovies

this had too many tentacles for me

Lambuca fish caught that morning, one of her cooking methods for the fish was called "aquapatza" meaning "crazy water"

She made eggplant and pumpkin pestos...both a nice variation from the traditional basil pine nut pestos

ricotta, chive, arugula stuffed cherry tomatoes

the best pasta dish EVER!

the sauce simmered with carrots, celery, onions, sage, rosemary, and nutmeg...so if you can imagine it was bursting with flavor.

The recipe is a tradition in Rina's family, passed down from grandmother to mother to Rina. Of course the "S" shaped pasta was homemade with semolina flour. the garnish...basil flowers.

a little slice of Heaven...chocolate cake made with lemon and sour cherries

other desserts she dished up were tiramisu and a chocolate mouse

and of course a meal wasn't complete without lemoncello (lemon liqueur) made from the lemons growing above our heads

Bunny, our guard dog, enjoyed eating the lemons too!

waiting patiently for any leftover sardines

more pictures and highlights to come from Venice, Tuscany, Rome, and Cinque Terre!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Meat and Veggie Egg Dish

I made my first egg dish! Minus the spillage in the oven :) it tasted great.
Good thing J and I have established the rule.... I cook, he cleans!

I got this recipe from my soon to be brother-in-law Mike.
Cook it up for you next early tailgate or for a hearty breakfast.


in honor of J's first week of Ironman training for Coeur d'Alene 2010...notice the Ironman mug :)
the side dish is a very pale looking Mango...I tried to tell J they were not in season

Egg Dish
Spray pan
Cube whole wheat bread and line bottom of pan

pour 1 bag of 2% cheddar cheese over bread
chop up 1 green pepper, mushrooms and optional broccoli (remember..the more veggies the more liquid in the dish so this is the only time I will say don't over do it)
layer veggies over cheese
take turkey sausages out of casings if they have one, break off bits and layer on top of veggies. (I used the sun dried tomato flavor)
whip 12 eggs and 4 C skim milk together
add 2 tsp dry mustard to egg and milk mix
pour over layers in pan
place foil over top and let sit overnight
bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until egg is pretty solid. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Fall Perfect Meal...Chili and Baked Apples

A beautiful fall day requires the perfect fall meal!

This evening my Aunt and Uncle from Dubuque were Jeremy and I's guests for dinner. Their daughter Lisa was playing a volleyball game at West.
What a perfect opportunity to serve up a warm cozy meal!

Chili
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
RINSE ALL THESE
1 can stewed tomatoes Italian flavor
1 can Rotell's
1 half jug Vegetable juice to add liquid (I add the whole things and let it simmer down
1 lb browned ground turkey breast
1 lb browned lean ground beef
1 green pepper
1/2 onion
SAUTE THESE WITH THE MEAT
dash of chili powder
pour all into big pot, bring to boil, and then simmer for half the day

Dish up with all the fixins...cottage cheese, baked tortilla chips, pickles, cheese, corn bread, and the list goes on

Baked Apples with Walnuts (recipe from DSM Register with my healthified modifications)
Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts crushed
zest and juice of one orange (or a squirt of lemon juice)
3/4 t cinnamon, divided (or just add liberally :) we like cinnamon)
4 baking apples (I used McIntosh)
1 T Smart Balance butter
2 C unfiltered apple juice (I used Simply Apple...YUM...only ingredient...apple)
2 T Splenda brown sugar
2 t cornstarch
1T cool water
Instructions
In small bowl, stir together the walnuts, half the cinnamon, and lemon or orange juice and zest.
Core apples, leaving a half an inch on the bottom and peel the top edge. Stuff apples with the walnut filling, brush top with butter.
Arrange apples in 8x8 inch baking pan. Add apple juice to bottom of pan. Cover pan with foil, tightly. Bake until apples are tender....about 35-45min. (I like mine more mushy than tender).
Transfer to serving plates. Transfer juice in baking pan to saucepan over medium hear. Simmer for 5 minutes until it has reduce to half. Add brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Simmer and stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. In small glass mix cornstarch and water and add to saucepan. Heat until thickened. Drizzle over apples.
We served the apples with DQ reduced fat soft served ice cream...my favorite!
bake at 350 for 35 minutes


to come...meaty veggie egg dish and ground beef, brown rice stuffed cabbage!

Until next time...
look good, feel good, do good

www.sarabconsulting.com

Vegetable Egg Omelet

Jeremy decided to make dinner last night :)

Some of his favorites:

Eggs and broccoli (omelet-Land O Lakes Omega 3 eggs...because they were on sale, with egg whites)

toast with Parker natural PB, Agave Nectar and raisins

Acorn squash baked upside down in about an inch of water

then turned it over for about 5 minutes with splenda brown sugar OR olive oil and sea salt

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

Wilson's Apple Orchard and Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Pancakes

Big pumpkin...so heavy ;)

So as you may have noticed...I am baking a lot with apples right now. It's their season which means they're cheaper and tasty. One of the keys to eating healthy on a budget is buying items that are in season (squash, pears, apples, pumpkins).

trying to get the very best apples...this kid knew what he was doing

Liberty apple and Smoothee apple...I never knew there were so may varieties

found it!...the very last Honeycrisp!

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Pancakes

If J and I aren't whipping up protein pancakes for our pancake fix, we opt for buckwheat or whole wheat mixes.

We jazzed these up with apples and cinnamon...yum!

a couple hard eggs and breakfast is served!

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/

Apple Extravaganza! Apple Crisp, Apple Orchard, Dried Apples

Last night it was beautiful out! Crisp fall air...perfect for a bombfire in the backyard and snuggling up in a blanket.

Dinner was kinda summerish with a definite fall finale...

Grilled Pork Chops seasoned with Cookies (this is a no fail tasty seasoning)

Green Beans steamed in Ziploc Steambags (J and I like them plain and eat them like fries, but a little olive oil and sea salt in a good seasoning)

for dessert....Apple Crisp!

the line up...Gold Rush and Empire Apples (both picked at Wilson's Apple Orchard in IACity)

I kinda threw my own recipe together so bear with me....it is yummy

Apple Crisp

First, we need to slice and peel. I grew up with this fancy contraption and then happen to stumble upon it at Bed Bath and Beyond (of course they have it, they have everything). It's called the Apple Peeler (clever huh). Works like a charm ;)

perfect ringlets

makes slicing a breeze

Filling:

4 apples, season liberally with cinnamon, a dash or two of nutmeg, and about a tablespoon of Splenda brown sugar and whole wheat flour

mix well so all the apples are coated

Crumble Topping:

(J and I like a lot of crumbly so I am pretty generous with the oatmeal)

about 2 C old fashioned oats

couple tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 C to 1 C whole wheat flour

add butter chunks (I used Smart Balance) to mix or place evenly on top like so

sprinkle with cinnamon

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes

After it has been baked I like to broil the crisp for a few seconds on the top rack just to brown it a bit ..but keep a watchful eye so it does not burn!

Top with light whipped cream.

Does that not look good!?

Dehydrated Apples

Next, I sprinkled cinnamon (yes, our house smelled like a Yankee candle) on the remaining slices and dehydrated them over night.

Crispy and crunchy...healthy chips!

Next up....our visit to Wilson's Apple Orchard to get all these fine apples.

Until next time...

look good, feel good, do good

http://www.sarabconsulting.com/