Salsa Black Bean Soup.

Salsa chicken & black bean soup was the second recipe picked for the winter cooking club chosen by my friend and soon to be mommy Allison. Holy guacamole this soup was delicious, like eat your weight in it delicious! You might have noticed that the recipe has the word 'chicken' in the title and that it's not in the title of the blog. That's because we were out of chicken, honestly I'm not even sure it was missed - it was pretty rockin' sans the chicken.

1) What kind of salsa did you use? Did you like it? I used Jose Madrid - Clovis Medium. I love their salsa!

2) Did you use canned or dry black beans? Canned, simply because I had them already.

3) What other changes did you make to the meal? I didn't use mushrooms, because I didn't think they fit. I also made it vegetarian, basically because we were out of chicken and I didn't want to buy any! My jar of salsa was also 12 oz instead of 16 oz. Next time I'd add two jars of salsa. When I served the soup I added: shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, dried cilantro, sour cream, chopped avocado & crushed tortilla chips.

4) After trying it once, what changes would you make next time? I think fresh cilantro added to the soup would have been really good. When I had my second bowl, I smashed up my avocado and I liked that a lot better & think smashed avocado mixed into the soup would be really good. Maybe a little lime juice.

5) Did you (and your family/DH) enjoy it? Yes, a lot! I love soup and black bean is one of my favorites!

6) Did you serve the soup with anything else? Just the additional add-ons.

7) Any other thoughts or comments you'd like to share? I'm super happy that I finally got to use my immersion blender in this soup. I've had it forever and for some reason just never used it, I think it might be my new favorite kitchen tool!


And if you have never checked out A Year of CrockPotting you need to do so, it's fantastic!

Aunt Mary's Cabbage Soup.

Tomorrow's leftovers are going to be killer! This soup is seriously good & before I even tell you about how great it is, and I promise it is, you need to commit to making this really soon.

I have no idea who Aunt Mary is, but if she's anything like her soup she rocks! Aunt Mary's recipe was found on the back of a can of Dei Fratelli tomatoes awhile back and I'm glad I finally got around to making this. Cabbage soup is a classic winter soup, which was perfect for dinner since we're currently snowed & iced in. The cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes & kielbasa all come together to make a flavorful pot of wonderfulness! It's rustic, healthy - even more so if you omit the kielbasa (which of course then makes the soup vegetarian), hearty and makes enough to feed an army. Seriously what more could you want from a soup? Now if only the beer bread I made had turned out as well.



Aunt Mary's Cabbage Soup

1 Tbs. oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. smoked kielbasa
3 medium carrots, cut in 1/2 slices
8 c. coarsely shredded cabbage
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 qt. water
1 (15 oz) can seasoned diced tomatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pepper
3 medium potatoes, peel and cut into 1" cubes
2 Tbs. oil
1/3 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. paprika
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1. In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion softens. Cut kielbasa in chunks and add to pan. Add prepared vegetables (except potatoes), water, seasoned diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes over medium heat. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer, then add potatoes. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil and stir in flour. Cook, stirring until golden brown. Stir in paprika and remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup of liquid from soup pot and whisk into the oil and flour. Continue whisking while adding tomato sauce until mixture is smooth. Stir into soup.


Yield: 10-12 servings
Source: Dei Fratelli


Thoughts: aside from halving the recipe, I only adjusted the seasoning. I used dried onion because I was out of fresh onion, but the fresh onion is the one ingredient I felt the recipe lacked. I ended up adding a lot more fresh garlic, pepper and paprika, as well as garlic powder, a bit of chili powder and some dried parsley.

Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Spinach.

Break out your party hats kids, it's my 100th post! Sadly it has taken me almost a year & a half to get this far. Sometimes life just gets in the way of cooking and blogging, not to mention sometimes we eat Chef Boyardee and that's just not blog worthy! The previous statement is a lie, I eat without shame Chef Boyardee - the husband refuses to touch the stuff. His loss in my opinion!

So to continue with this weeks love affair with the sun dried tomato, I tried my hand at a pasta dish. I knew I wanted to make a pesto out of the tomatoes, but my biggest decision of the week came down to should the pesto combine spinach and the tomatoes, or just tomatoes on their own. In the end I decided on just a tomato pesto, mainly because I wasn't sure the spinach would look good as part of the pesto sauce. Oh the places my thoughts take me........

I tried this time to measure things out as I went so it would be easier for others to make on their own. Some measurements are the way the way they are simply because that's all I had on hand. Luckily, pasta and pesto are very forgiving so add more or less of any ingredient as you see fit!

I haven't sent anything into Ruth's Presto Pasta Night for awhile now, so I'll send this recipe. This week's round-up is hosted by Judith of Think on It. Um... yeah, a pasta event hosted by a real Italian who lives Italy - talk about some pressure! Check in tomorrow for all the wonderful dishes sure to be submitted!


Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Spinach

1 lb. pasta of your choice (short shaped pasta tends to hold pesto better)
13 sun dried tomatoes
Olive oil
Kosher salt& pepper
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. fresh basil, packed
Fresh spinach, several hand fulls, probably 6 c. worth
Parmesan cheese

1. To toast pine nuts, place in a 325 degree oven for about 3 minutes, or until they begin to change color. Remove nuts from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.

2. Boil water in a large pot & cook pasta, according to the package directions. Drain pasta and reserve about a cup of pasta water.

3. To make the pesto, in a food processor combine sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt until finely chopped. With the food processor running, slowly add more oil - add as much oil as needed to make the mixture smooth, basil, Parmesan cheese and the pine nuts. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary. Add pepper to taste.

4. While pasta is draining add spinach to the pot and allow to begin cooking down. Return drained pasta to the pot and stir pasta and spinach together. Add pesto to the spinach and pasta; toss well. If the mixture seems to dry add some of the reserved pasta water.

5. Transfer pasta to a serving dish and serve.



Yield: 4-6 servings

Recipe obtained from: me.

* I hate that it gets so dark so early now. Clearly I need to figure out some new lighting in my kitchen based on the quality of the above picture. What kind of light bulbs/lighting do you have in your kitchen?

*Photo disclaimer* The cat at the top of the page, wearing his wonderful party hat is not one of our cats. Sadly, no such pictures exist of our cats wearing hats and in fact bad things happen when we attempt to make them wear hats. The beautiful cat pictured is Calvin and the photo was taken on his first birthday!

Fresh Vegetable Quesadillas

Still trying to get randomly caught up on my posts, so tonight wasn't really tonight and I'm also sorry about the poor picture quality, but I was hungry.

Tonight for dinner I made Martha's fresh vegetable quesadillas with corn relish and it did not disappoint! This recipe was posted awhile back in the other cooking group - we have two, based on when you grocery shop, etc. Ever since it was posted I've wanted to try it and I am so happy I finally got the chance tonight, since it was delicious! I am a huge fan of quick & healthy dinners to make during the week and this recipe fit the bill perfectly.

I only made a few minor changes to the recipe. I added cilantro to both the corn relish & the quesadillas instead of scallions and I used pepper jack cheese instead of monterary jack. Oh and I did use a red pepper instead of an orange one, but that's not a big deal. The husband has a thing about eating cooked vegetables that are crunchy, so he put his squash & red pepper in foil packets and grilled them first. These were even good as leftovers the next day, though obviously not as crispy since they were cooked in the microwave.

Grilled Eggplant Panini

I'm still randomly trying to catch up on all of my belated posts and of course still trying to catch up on all of the recipes posted in my cooking groups first session. Mind you this is the fifth week of the second group, I'll get caught up eventually.

So this was the final recipe for the first session of the cooking group and it was posted by my friend Kristy, check out her cooking blog - she's funny & sarcastic and that's why I like her! Plus she makes good food & cool aprons. How's that for a plug?!?! She chose a grilled eggplant panini and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it.

First I'd like to toot my own horn, check out those grilling marks on that bread. Yep, that's right the husband wasn't home so I manned the grill all by myself - the first time ever too! Don't even tell me that it's pretty hard to mess up grilled bread and eggplant either, allow me to bask in my joy for awhile. Small steps people........

I did change a few things about the recipe, but those were primarily because of person preferences. No onions, because if you don't know by now I'm not a fan - at all. I also didn't add the roasted red pepper because I didn't have any and sometimes I don't like them, this was one of those times. I forgot how I was supposed to cut them and ended up with half moon shapes, which worked pretty well. It didn't say to peel the eggplant, but I think I should have. Lastly, I used Texas toast which is superb on the grill.

As mentioned above I really wasn't sure I would like this, but wanted to give it a shot. I like eggplant, but it's one of those foods I can't think about or I get creeped out by it. I know I'm strange. But I did end up liking it a lot and will probably make it again next summer when the eggplant crop is in season. The brother & husband said it was good, but I don't really think they liked it much. Much of their eggplant ended up on the plate & the husband added ham to his sandwich.

I served the sandwiches with *gasp* frozen French fries, which I think I've finally figured out how to make them taste better. The key is to let them partially defrost then add some seasoning. I used a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and some Italian spices (garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary & Kosher salt). They were delicious and didn't taste like frozen fries at all.

Fettuccine With Lemon, Mint And Parmesan.

Martha called this dish, 'simple & sensational ...' and it probably would have been if only I'd followed the directions! I don't really follow directions with pasta dishes, especially when they looked as easy as this one, I use the ingredients listed and just sort of go from there. This pasta dish was good, but it just had too much liquid which is what happens when you cut the amount of pasta in half, but not the liquids. Oh well, it still tasted good and I'd try it again - but paying more attention to the details.

The original recipe as posted does not call for chicken. I added it to the dish and thought it worked really well. This dish would also make a great side dish to chicken or seafood.

Fettuccine with lemon, mint and Parmesan

1 pound dried fettuccine
Coarse salt
3 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (1 cup), plus more for garnish
2 Tbs. julienned lemon zest
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1/2 c. torn fresh mint leaves
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Crushed red-pepper flakes, optional

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

2. Transfer pasta to a large bowl and mix in reserved cooking liquid, cheese, lemon zest and juice, mint, oil and red-pepper flakes if desired. Divide among dishes, garnish with cheese and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Martha's notes: To lend this dish a different aromatic boost, add torn fresh basil in place of the mint.

Recipe obtained from: Martha Stewart Living, September 2008.

My thoughts: Any long strand pasta would work in place of fettuccine, I used linguine because it's what I had on hand. Next time I would chop the mint, I think it would work better that way.

Garden Harvest Chili.

A great friend had her first baby last week, she's one week old today, and I wanted to take her some food to make the first few weeks (months) a bit easier on her and her husband. I really liked that this chili was much lighter than most and packed full of fresh summer vegetables. I'm so happy for my friend & her husband and can't wait to see them later this week!

Garden Harvest Chili

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

2 Tbs. chili powder

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 c. zucchini, sliced

2 c. frozen sweet corn, thawed

1 1/2 c. (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, optional

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high.

2. Saute garlic, peppers, mushrooms and onion until tender.

3. Add tomatoes with liquid, tomato sauce, chili powder, sugar and cumin; heat to boiling.

4. Reduce heat to low; add beans, zucchini and corn. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minute or until zucchini is tender. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional information: 1 3/4 cups (prepared with low-sodium tomato sauce; calculated without cheese) 252 calories, 7g. fat, 675 mg. sodium, 44g. carbohydrates, 10g. protein.

Recipe obtained from: Fast & Fit Recipes: Healthy Eating In No Time (Taste of Home Books)

My thoughts: In the summer when you have an abundance of fresh tomatoes you could definitely use fresh instead of canned. You could also use tomato juice in place of the tomato sauce, it just won't be as thick. Chili recipes are great to use as a base, you don't really need to measure out all the ingredients - just add more of what you like and spices to taste. This recipe would be great with meat as well, I think I might add sliced turkey sausage next time. It would also be good served over brown rice or elbow macaroni. Additionally pretty much any vegetable combination would work well here. If you're going to freeze the chili, like I did, make sure you let it cool completely.

Pasta With Prosciutto & Peas.

This is the fifth recipe from my online cooking club. Another quick, delicious & fresh tasting dish! Plus I'm a sucker for a creamy lemony sauce!

I'd like to point out that the labels below aren't wrong, it does say both vegetarian and ham to identify the same recipe. I wasn't going to use prosciutto because I didn't have any and didn't feel like going to the store. But we ran out of milk and some other stuff so I decided I'd get some while I was there. I put the prosciutto in my basket and am almost positive I put it on the counter, but when I got home there was no prosciutto & I hadn't been charged for it either. Very strange........so tonight's dinner is without prosciutto and therefore vegetarian.

I'm also submitting this, although last minute, into Ruth of Once Upon A Feast's wonderful blogging event Presto Pasta Night, hosted this week by Michelle of Greedy Gourmet. Check out the round-up tomorrow for some delicious pasta dishes.

I served the pasta with salad and my new favorite, which I'm calling make-do garlic herb bread. I spread a little bit of butter on some leftover hot dog buns and sprinkled with fresh herbs (basil & marjarom) and topped with a bit of mozzarella cheese. Put in the oven on 350-400 until cheese is melted and bread is slightly browned & toasted.

Pasta with prosciutto and peas

coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
12 oz fettuccine
1 tbsp butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed
8 slices prosciutto (4 oz total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (1 cup)
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat; add the shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, peas, and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the peas are heated through, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. pour the sauce over the pasta; add the Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Serve immediately; top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 4
Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

My thoughts: I used whole wheat penne instead of fettuccine, on the advice of a few who'd already made the recipe. I used minced garlic instead of the shallot and had a bag of peas & carrots, so I went with that instead of just plain peas. I put in more heavy cream than called for and used the juice of one whole lemon. The addition of crushed red pepper added some nice heat to the dish.

Martha's Lentil Soup

I've had a bag of lentils sitting in the cupboard for quite some time and decided it was time to finally use them up. Being a fan of lentil soup, I decided to try the lentil soup recipe from the March 2005 issue of Everyday Food. While this recipe wasn't the best lentil soup I've ever had, it was a nice filling meal. The recipe makes a good base to expand on and next time I'll add some more flavor and make it a little more spicy, which is how I like my lentil soup. Since Monday's are meatless in our kitchen, I omitted the bacon - which obviously would give the soup some more flavor, but not the overall flavor I think it was lacking.

Pasta, Damn Near Perfected.

I realize my title is a bold one, but as they say on Top Chef, "I stand behind my dish." And holy crap was this a great dish to stand behind.

The only downfall was the lack of camera batteries & therefore no pictures.

Pasta, Damn Near Perfected

3 c. Dry campanelle*
Extra virgin olive oil
3 Cloves garlic - chopped
1.5 Tbs. Capers
5 Small tomatoes - chopped
1/4 c. Sun dried tomatoes - julienned & chopped
1 Small jar marinated artichokes
Fresh spinach
Bigger Pinches of: pepper, caper juice, dried basil & dried oregano
Smaller Pinches of: Kosher salt, red pepper flakes, dried Italian herb blend & fennel seeds

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and capers, stirring until fragrant - approximately 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes (both kinds) and artichokes - marinade and all. Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. Add additional herbs & seasoning. Chop artichokes as the sauce cooks down. Add additional caper juice and or olive oil as needed. Add spinach during the last 5-7 minutes of cooking.

2. As the sauce is cooking, prepare pasta according to the package directions. Drain pasta and add to saute pan, mixing well to combine the pasta & sauce.

3. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*Any pasta shape with ridges or holes will work well - cavatappi & gemili being two of my favorites.


Yield: 3-4 servings
Recipe obtained from: me

Sometimes, the Best Things Do Come To Those Who Wait.

I printed this recipe off in December 2001 and for some reason waited almost six years to make this pasta dish. It's been pulled several times and added to the "make" pile, but it's never made the final cut and I have no idea why after finally making it! It's one of the simplest & most flavorful pasta dishes I've made. This was a great meal to welcome us home after vacation and allowed me to put off going to the grocery store for another day. I really liked the simplicity of this dish and decided to make this pasta my first entry in the Presto Pasta Night event, hosted by Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. I've been eyeing this event for awhile now, but was always intimidated by all the fabulous entries. This dish isn't the most elaborate or complicated of pasta dishes, but you know sometimes you just want to eat right now & that's what's so great about this dish. It allows for quick & delicious pasta, without opening a can!

I re-discovered The National Pasta Association's website after making this dish. It is a great source for learning about all things pasta, including finding great recipes.

Angel Hair with Pink Tomato Sauce, Peas & Roasted Peppers

4 oz. Angel Hair or Cappellini, uncooked

3 md. or 2 lg. Ripe plum tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.), cored and quartered

1/2 Tbs. Olive or vegetable oil

1 Clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 Large pinch hot red pepper flakes

1/2 c. Frozen peas, thawed and drained

1/3 c. Diced roasted red peppers

1/2 tsp. Dried basil

3 Tbs. Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and light pink, about 1 minute. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 seconds. Add the peas, roasted peppers and basil and stir 1 minute. Add the pureed tomatoes and heat just to boiling. Remove sauce from heat.

3. Drain the pasta and transfer to skillet. Stir over medium heat until pasta is well mixed with sauce. Divide pasta between two serving bowls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings

Recipe obtained from: National Pasta Assoc. (the original link does not work anymore -original recipe written above)

Nutritional Information: 370 calories, 15g. protein, 60g. carbohydrates, 8g. fat, 2.5g. saturated fat, 24% dietary fiber, 22% iron, 15% calcium, 220% vitamin C, 70% vitamin A.

What I did: I doubled the garlic, olive oil, basil, peas & red pepper flakes. Red pepper flakes do add a significant punch to the pasta, so use sparingly or omit completely if you don't like things on the spicy side. The recipe as written does not call for salt & pepper and I really think it needs it, especially if you're using fresh tomatoes. I didn't use roasted red peppers either, because I didn't have them on hand and the husband doesn't really like them. Personally I think I like this dish without the red peppers.

A few weeks ago the husband randomly picked up some wine and some flowers for me, isn't he nice?!?! We got around to drinking the bottle of wine he picked up with this meal. Fetzer Riesling Valley Oak (2005, $9) was a great wine on it's own and paired well with this pasta dish. The wine was light, bright & crisp and had just the right amount of sweetness - almost a perfect Riesling, especially for the price. I'll definitely add this one to my list of 'go-to' wines.

Meatless Monday Version 2.0

The husband and I have slowly been trying to eat healthier and workout more. Recently we decided to commit to at least one meal each week that was vegetarian based - hence Meatless Monday's were born. Now the husband did suggest another day, saying Monday's were hard enough on their own without taking away his beloved meat source for dinner. But with no other days of the week beginning with the letter 'M' and being in a themed state of mind, I declared Monday's to officially become Meatless Monday's in our house! Tonight was the second installment of our new tradition, and certainly much more successful than last Monday's utter & complete failure.

Tonight's grilled vegetable pizza's were easy to prepare and can be altered to suit whatever you have on hand and your own vegetable tastes. I followed the recipe, but next time think I'll just play around with it more. The pizza would make a good appetizer and could also easily become a quesadilla. The husband did say chicken would be good on it, which I agree with, just not on Monday's! I used La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low-Carb/Low Fat tortilla's (which may be the longest name for a tortilla ever) which I'd tried before and found to be fairly tasty for a low-carb/low-calorie food. Each tortilla has only 80 calories, 3 g. total fat, 14 g. fiber and 8 g. protein.



Vegetable Pizza
1 md. Zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 sm. Yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise
1 sm. Red sweet pepper, quartered lengthwise
2 Tbs. Olive oil
1 tsp. Black pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 lg. Ripe tomato, seeded & chopped
1/4 c. Mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 Tbs. Basil pesto
1 Tbs. Fresh basil, snipped
1 Tbs. Fresh Oregano, snipped
4 Flour tortillas (6-7 inch)
1 c. Mozzarella or Smoked Provolone cheese, shredded

1. Brush zucchini, squash, and sweet pepper with oil; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Grill vegetables until tender crisp, turning once halfway through grilling. Allow 8-10 minutes for sweet peppers and 5-6 minutes for zucchini and squash. Remove vegetables from grill.

2. Chop vegetables. In a medium bowl combine chopped vegetables, tomato, mayonnaise, pesto, basil and oregano. Place tortillas on grill rack directly over heat. Cover and grill from 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted on one side. Turn tortillas over and spread the vegetable mixture over the toasted sides of tortillas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes more or until tortillas are lightly toasted, vegetables are just heated and cheese begins to melt. Carefully remove from grill.

Yield: 4 servings
Recipe obtained from: Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

Nutrition facts per serving: 426 calories, 31 g. fat (7 g. saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 737 mg. sodium, 27 g. carbohydrates, 3 g. fiber, 12 g. protein.

Marinated Cucumbers & Tomato
1 lg. Cucumber, sliced
1 md. Tomato, seeded & chopped
Sugar
Apple cider & red wine vinegar
Dill
Lovage
Salt & pepper

1. Combine vinegars, sugar, dill, lovage, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add cucumbers and tomatoes; toss to coat. Add more of anything to taste. Cover and chill for several hours or up to 5 days, stirring occasionally.

Yield: varies on produce used

What I did: Nothing says summer quite like garden fresh cucumbers and tomatoes and there are literally hundreds of ways you could make this dish. This dish requires no recipe, just use whatever you happen to have on hand and feel free to experiment. For those not familiar with the herb lovage, it has a celery like taste. I've never seen lovage in the grocery store, celery or celery seed would be good substitutes. If you ever see a lovage plant for sale, grab one and add it to your herb garden. Lovage is a perennial herb and can grow as tall as 6 feet; it's a unique addition to your garden.

Willpower...Its What's For Breakfast.

Yesterday's blah dinner left me very hungry this morning and it didn't help my cause that I woke up with a pounding headache. I wanted a bad for me breakfast this morning in the worst possible way - thankfully those type of places don't deliver. It took me awhile to talk myself into eating breakfast at home, the husband thinks I'm crazy when I tell him stuff like this -it's probably another one of those girl things. Our breakfast supplies are really low too; no yogurt, milk, bread and the only fresh fruit we have is cherries - leaving me few options and growing increasingly hungrier by the minute. I discovered some Morning Star Eggs Florentine Veggie Bites in the freezer and decided to give them a try. I figured they'd be tastier in the oven, as opposed to the microwave, so I brewed some coffee and waited for them to cook. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how good these things were! Very crisp on the outside and packed full of eggs, spinach and cheese on the inside - they even had the right amount of spices. Hooray for willpower!

One serving equals three bites, which I thought was a good portion size. They have 180 cal., 8 g. fat, 560 mg. sodium, 2 g. fiber, 3 g. sugar, 10 g. protein.