Steamed Carrots with Garlic Ginger Butter

I try a lot of new recipes. Once in a while I get a recipe that is so bad, there is nothing I can do to make it better. Most of the time I find recipes that require a little tinkering to make it fit my tastes. Most rare, is trying a recipe that is absolutely perfect the exact way it is written. I can’t think of one, single thing to change to make it better.

This is one of those most rare recipes. I found it in an old issue of Cooking Light. I really don’t know what possessed me to try it because I don’t usually like cooked carrots unless they are a part of a bigger recipe. I ate the first batch of these carrots right out of the pan while standing at the stove. I decided to make another batch to take to work with me the next day and ate half that one too. I see a lot of carrots in the future.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb baby carrots
1 1/2 tsp butter
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/8 tsp salt

Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and let steam until crisp tender, 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic, ginger and cilantro; set aside. When carrots are done, remove to a bowl and set aside. Add the butter to the pan. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and ginger. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots back to the pan. Add lime juice and salt. Stir the carrots to coat with butter mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Brown Sugar Molasses Baked Oatmeal

Brown Sugar Molasses Oatmeal

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 TBS milk
2 TBS water
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Add oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar, sugar and baking powder and mix. Add molasses, vanilla, milk, water and apple cider vinegar and mix. Bake for 20 minutes. In the last 3-4 minutes, turn heat up to highest possible. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

DIY Spice Blends — Pumpkin Pie Spice

According to the calendar, fall starts today. You know what that means? I can finally drag out all the pumpkin recipes I have been dying to adapt. Unlike cranberries, a seasonal fruit I can and do eat all year around, pumpkin is definitely a limited to fall kind of product.

Since I only make pumpkin recipes for a limited time each year I am reluctant to go buy those bottles of pumpkin pie spice. I never use it all, even when I buy the small bottles and no matter what my Mom says, spices don’t last forever. This recipe for pumpkin pie spice makes an incredibly small batch, only two teaspoons. The recipe is easily doubled if you need more.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves or all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mix all ingredients together. Store in a sealed container. 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Hash

Brussels sprouts have a bad reputation. They totally don’t deserve it. It isn’t Brussels sprouts fault that most people have only had frozen Brussels sprouts that were cooked by boiling them to death. No wonder people don’t like them when they are cooked to mushy, stinkyness. Fortunately for us, there many other ways to cook Brussels sprouts.

This is one of my favorite ways to make Brussels sprouts. Instead of mushy sprouts you get tender sprouts with bits of caramelized crispness. Okay, so I am no the best descriptive writer in the world. Just try the recipe and see for yourself how awesome Brussels sprouts can be.

Originally, the sprouts and mushrooms were topped with eggs and served as breakfast. I leave the eggs off and serve it as a side dish to just about anything. If you get the choice, pick Brussels sprouts from the bulk bin rather than prebagged sprouts. That way you can choose smaller sprouts that are consistent in size. This will help prevent the bitterness you get after sprouts reach a certain size.

Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms Hash

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
8 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and the mushrooms cook until they start to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and Brussels sprouts, sauté until tender, about 5 minutes, let sit until the bottoms start to caramelize, about 5 minutes, and by sit I mean don’t stir or otherwise agitate the Brussels sprouts. If you stir them the sprouts won’t get all the crispy brown bits that make this recipe so awesome. The sprouts won’t burn, I promise. After they have sat for 5 minutes, mix everything up, let sit for 5 more minutes and mix it all up. Serve.

Adapted from My Lady Melady My Castle My Food

Grilled Cheese Supreme

Inner peace begins the moment you
Choose not to allow another person or
Event to control your emotions.
–Pema Chondron–

This quote spoke volumes to me when I found it his morning because this is exactly what I have been doing the last week and a half. I have been letting the actions or inactions of other people rob me of my inner piece. It has made me mad, frustrated, unhappy, overwhelmed and what has it solved? Absolutely nothing.

So right now, this very minute I am done letting other people take my inner peace. I am taking it back and I am going to be the most positive, upbeat person I can possibly be. I will remember, I cannot control the actions of others. I can only control how I react to others.

Now excuse me while I go celebrate the return of my inner peace by making a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or cut into small cubes
1 TBS dill pickle juice (dont leave out)
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash garlic powder
4 slices bread
Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the next 3 ingredients, mix well. Cover and chill for 1 hour. When ready to make the sandwiches, heat the pan over medium high heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on one slice of bread, top with the other slice of bread on top. Place sandwich in pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until it as done as you like it. 2 small sandwiches or one big one.