Foto Friday!

The sunset our first night on Kauai. Looking from our balcony.

Crazy Busy!

Life has been busy! My sister got married, we closed on our house. We went to Hawaii. We moved! Now we are unpacking and trying to get our lives back to normal!

I hope to post updates soon!

Until then! Here is us at our new place the first night we got keys!!!

Foto Friday!

Monterey coastline - taken from the bike path at Lovers Point.

Foto Friday!

Since we are going to start celebrating tonight for the hubby's birthday I decided on my favorite recent picture of him!

This is from our anniversary trip down south, right in front of Hearst Castle.

Happy Early Birthday Russ!!

Zucchini Risotto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes - WW

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup white wine
6 shallots, finely chopped
4 medium zucchini, diced
2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I used fresh tomatoes from my garden)
1 1/3 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine the broth and tomato juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat. Keep at a simmer.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add the zucchini and cook until heated through, 5 minutes.

Add the rice, wine, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley, and stir until wine is absorbed.

Add 1/2 cup of the heated broth/juice combo to the pot and stir constantly until the liquid is absorbed by the rice and veggies. When it is, add another 1/2 cup and repeat.

Keep adding liquid, a half cup at a time, until it is completely absorbed. You must stir it constantly so that it is absorbed and so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. The stirring will also make the rice nice and creamy. You should be adding liquid and stirring for about 25-30 minutes.

Once all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy, stir in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings, (serving is 1 1/2 cup - 7 ww points)

Classic Apple Pie - WW - crustless

3 pounds Golden Delicious apples (about 8), peeled, cored, and cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combined 1/2 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add to the apples and toss well. Transfer to a baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until it is bubbling. Let cool on a wire rack.

This turned out awesome!!! I used a friends crust recipe, and just baked it for about 45 minutes.

Napa Valley Quesadilla with Jalapeno Jelly!

This is an old Chevy's recipe that they took off the menu while I was still working there so 5 years ago. Russ and I really like it so we make it on a regular basis. This was the first time that I made the jelly, but it turned out great! The jelly only lasts about a week so be prepared to eat it, freeze it or toss the lefovers out.

Taste of Napa Valley Quesadillas

Yield: 1 serving
Garlic-herb tortillas 3 (I used regular burrito size tortilla and when you are seasoning them with the parmeasan I also seasoned them with dried Rosemary and basil)
Parmesan cheese 1/4 oz.
Monterey Jack cheese 1 1/2 oz.
Brie cheese 1 1/2 oz.
Chicken breast, diced 2 1/4 oz.
Caramelized onions 1 1/2 oz.
Granny Smith apples, sliced 9 slices
Jalapeño jelly (recipe follows) 1 1/2 oz.

1. Place tortillas on a medium-hot grill.(That is how Chevy's does it - I use a pan on the stove) Sprinkle 1/8 oz. Parmesan cheese evenly over surface of each tortilla, then top with Monterey Jack cheese, Brie cheese, chicken and onions. Grill until cheese melts.

2. Add 2 apple slices. Fold tortillas in half; remove from grill.


Jalapeño Jelly
Yield: 3 cups
(It makes a lot, so you might either want to cut it in half, or freeze some for next time) It only last about a week.

Red bell peppers, diced 3/4 cup
Green bell peppers, diced 3/4 cup
Jalapeño peppers, minced 1/3 cup
Sugar 2 3/4 cups
Red-wine vinegar 1/2 cup
Lime juice 1 tablespoon
Liquid pectin 6 tablespoons
1. Combine red and green peppers, jalapenos, sugar, vinegar and lime juice in sauce pan; stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Transfer mixture to a blender; blend briefly. Pour back into saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce flame; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pectin; return to high heat; boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool.

ENJOY!

Garden Harvest Cake

Yield

9 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup grated peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add grated apple, grated carrot, shredded zucchini, and walnuts to flour mixture; toss well. Combine canola oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Spoon batter into an 8 x 4–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove cake from pan. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 223

Fat: 9.7g (sat 1g,mono 4.4g,poly 3.6g)

Protein: 3.8g

Carbohydrate: 31.4g

Fiber: 1.3g

Cholesterol: 47mg

Iron: 1.2mg

Sodium: 233mg

Calcium: 30mg

Cooking Light - April 2009

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Homemade Marinara Sauce

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Servings: 3 servings • Total Time: 25 minutes • Points: 1.33 ww points (sauce extra pts)

• 3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• cooking spray
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  
• salt
• fresh pepper

1 Point Quick Marinara Sauce (1 cup)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes (I used fresh diced tomatoes)
  
• 1 small bay leaf
  
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping

Zucchini Lasagna

We are getting so many huge zucchini from our garden so I have a ton of new zucchini recipes that we have tried out and are awesome!!

Zucchini Lasagna

Servings: 6 • Time: 1.5 hour • Points: 8.5 ww points

• 1 lb lean beef
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 1 15 oz fat free ricotta
• 16 oz Sargento reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 egg

In a medium sauce pan, brown meat and season with salt. When cooked drain in colander to remove any fat. Add olive oil to the pan and saute garlic and onions about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for at least 30-40minutes, covered. Do not add extra water, the sauce should be thick.

Slice zucchini into 1/8" thick slices, add salt and set aside or 10 minutes. Zucchini has a lot of water when cooked, salting it takes out a lot of moisture. After 10 minutes, blot excess moisture with a paper towel.

In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and egg. Stir well.
Preheat oven to 350°.

In a 9x12 casserole spread some sauce on the bottom and layer the zucchini to cover. Then place some of the ricotta cheese mixture, then top with the mozzarella cheese and repeat the process until all your ingredients are used up. Top with sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes covered at 375°, then uncovered 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!! Enjoy!

Foto Friday!

Happy Anniversary to us!! We made it to 2 years! This was last weekend at my Mom's house. I wanted to see if my dress still fit, it does and its even a little big! GO ME!

We are in Southern California celebrating for a few days!

Foto Friday!!

Bald Eagles in Prince Rupert Canada.

Anthony Chabot Camping

A few weeks ago we headed over the hill to Lake Chabot for some camping! We got there early on Friday so we were able to relax and then make dinner. Saturday we went for a 3 hour hike. My dad and Shu-Jen came up for dinner. It was a great weekend! Too bad it didn't last longer!!(Hanging out Friday night)

( At the beginning of our hike)

(A flower along the trail)

(Down by the lake)

(Lake Chabot)

(Our campfire)

Cherry Crisp

My Father-in-law has a cherry tree so after we went to brunch on Saturday we stopped at his house to pick cherries! When we got home I decided to make something with them. They turned out soooo good!!!

Cherry Crisp - from Cooking Light July 2008

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
Filling:

• 6 cups (about 2 pounds) sweet cherries, pitted
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Cooking Spray

Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats ( I used oatmeal oats and they worked just fine)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds (I added more because I love almonds)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. To prepare the filling, combine cherries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, juice, almond extract, and salt in a large bowl; toss gently. Spoon cherry mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in sliced almonds. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over cherry mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is crisp. Let stand 5 minutes; serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 311 (33% from fat)
Fat: 11.2g (sat 5.6g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.8g)
Protein: 4.1g
Carbohydrate: 51.4g
Fiber: 3.4g
Cholesterol: 23mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 140mg
Calcium: 43mg

Foto Friday!

In honor of Father's Day.....

Grilled Flank Steak Soft Tacos with Avocado-Lime Salsa

From Cooking Light Magazine - June 2009

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos)

Ingredients

Steak:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons grated lime rind
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
  
• Cooking spray

Salsa:

• 1 cup diced peeled avocado
• 3/4 cup finely chopped tomato
• 1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

Remaining ingredients:

• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preparation

1. To prepare steak, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of steak. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over steak. Cover and chill 1 hour.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

4. To prepare salsa, combine avocado and next 7 ingredients (through pepper sauce) in a medium bowl.

5. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon steak mixture evenly over each of 8 tortillas. Top each taco with 1/4 cup salsa.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 353

Fat: 16g (sat 4.3g,mono 7.6g,poly 1.7g)

Protein: 27.9g

Carbohydrate: 27.7g

Fiber: 6.8g

Cholesterol: 40mg

Iron: 2.5mg

Sodium: 593mg

Calcium: 78mg

Foto Friday

Carcross Desert, World's smallest desert! It was awesome to go from seeing snow to sand in a matter of seconds!

Dinner Menu

Monday - Pasta with zucchini and toasted almonds
Tuesday - Grilled flank steak soft tacos with avocado-lime salsa
Wednesday - Apricot-glazed grilled chicken with zucchini and coleslaw
Thursday - Going to San Jose
Friday - Russ's soccer game, will probably eat in SJ again
Saturday - Sesame-orange shrimp and chicken stir-fry
Sunday - Feta and green onion couscous cakes over tomato-olive salad

These are all new recipes from June's Cooking Light magazine.

Foto Friday!

These are from Seattle before our cruise. There were tulips and other flowers all over the place. It was really pretty!

Dinner Menu

Tuesday- I am going to dinner/happy hour with friends so Russ will be having Chicken Enchilada's with leftover rotisserie chicken

Wednesday- Garlic Lemon Chicken

Thursday- Stuffed Zucchini

Friday- Russ's soccer game then we will probably go out after

Saturday- Steaks and Roasted Garlic Barley Risotto

Sunday- Homemade pizza!

Foto Friday!

I couldn't choose just one this time. They are both from our cruise, and they are both in Juneau. The first one is on Mendenhall Glacier, and the second one is from the famous Red Dog Saloon!

Crazy Life!

We have a ton of things going on right now, so I haven't had much time to keep up with this blog! I am hoping that things clam down soon and I will have more time! In the mean time please keep my family in your thoughts, we are going through a lot right now.

I hope to update soon!
Till then, take care!

Foto Friday!

Last night we were looking at pictures from Alaska, and obviously she was not getting enough attention, so she decided to lay in front of the screen!

What to do with a big bag of lemons?

Make lemonade!! My dad has a lemon tree so when we were at his house last weekend he gave us a grocery bag full.

Saturday after working in the yard all day I was craving something sweet, so I dug up this recipe that my father-in-law sent me last year. 30 minutes later I had lemonade! YUM!!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
Combine

1 1/2 cup lemon juice (we used Meyer lemons)
4 1/2 cup cold water

Combine and chill = lemonade!

Note to self - buy the juicer attachment for my Kitchenaid Mixer, since our real juicer you have to peel the skins!

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice
2 cups mashed bananas (3-4 large)
1 cup pecan pieces, finely chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 bricks (8 oz) cream cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. You'll need to use (3) 8x2 inch cake pans coated with cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In another large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, vanilla, crushed pineapple with juice, mashed banana and pecans until blended. Add flour mixture; stir until combined. Divide batter
4. Bake 30 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes before removing from pans.
5. Making Frosting: In a large bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and creamy. On low speed, gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Beat until fluffy.
6. Assemble: Place a cake layer on serving platter. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting, top with cake layer and repeat. Frost sides and then top with remaining frosting. Sprinkle coconut on top to cover, letting some fall onto sides. Refrigerate covered. Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving.





Notes: I only made 2 layers instead of the 3 so mine were a little thicker than they should be, but I only have 1 cake pan and didn't feel like waiting an hour and a half for them all to bake!
Serves 16

BUSY Weekend

I spent 4 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday, weeding our yard! I got most of it but I still have some to do on the side yard.

It was really bad so I thought I would take before and after pictures. What do you think?

Vegetable Garden Area BEFORE:

Vegetable Garden Area AFTER:


Backyard by the fence BEFORE:

Backyard by the fence AFTER:


Overall I fill up our garbage bin and 5 big black garbage bags! I am still exhausted!

Foto Friday!

With the playoffs coming up I thought it would be nice to get into the spirit! GO SHARKS!!!

Dinner Menu - Busy week!

I didn't have to plan too much for this week since we have so much going on.

Sunday - Dinner at Mom's for Steph's Bday (Cheese Fondue, Cobb Salads, Chocolate Fondue)

Monday - Filet Mignon with a healthy version of creamed spinach.

Tuesday - SHARKS GAME! Going out to dinner with the family for Steph and Dad's birthdays.

Wednesday - Salsturkey Steaks

Thursday - SHARKS GAME! Last home game of the regular season! Going out to dinner again.

Friday - Russ's soccer game is at 5:20 so I'm sure we will be going out with friends afterwards.

Saturday - Stuffed Chicken

Sunday - Easter dinner at Mom's house.

Foto Friday!

I took this out of the car window coming back from Yosemite a few weeks ago. It was along Highway 120 and I still cant believe how green the hills were, and how blue the sky was! Enjoy!

Turkey Taco Meatloaf

Wednesday night I made Turkey Taco Meatloaf from the Hungry Girl cookbook! OMG it was soooo good! Enjoy!

CRAZY GOOD TURKEY TACO MEATLOAF

1lb. raw extra lean ground turkey
2 slices fat free cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
1/2 cup canned sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix, dry


Preheat oven to 375. cook peppers and onions for 3 min. over med. heat in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray. in a large bowl, combine onions, peppers, turkey, corn and seasoning. spread 1/2 of mixture on bottom of loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray. layer 2 slices of chesse on top. top with remaining meat mixture. pour salsa over top. cook for 30 min. top loaf with shredded cheese. return to oven and cook another 15 minutes.

1/6 of loaf has 127 calories,1g. fat, 7carbs

Foto Friday!

I took this last Friday when we were up in Yosemite! It's the river and Bridalveil falls. I love how blue the sky was!

What I want this week! :)

Storage for my scrapbook paper!!! Something similar to these! I am hoping that Russ can go over to my Dad's one of these weekends and make this for me! I would be in heaven!!




I would really love to be able to re-do our whole office so I could have something like this.

One Day! :)

Dinner Menu

This week:

Monday: Thai Ground Beef with Zucchini
Tuesday: Green Cuisine Fritata
Wednesday: Turkey Taco Meatloaf
Thursday: Chicken Parm
Friday: Russ's Soccer game so dinner out in San Jose
Saturday: We will be at Great America during the day so I'm not sure what's for dinner.

I'm trying 3 new recipes this week so I hope they are good!

St. Patrick's Day!

I'm a little late, but I've been busy! Russ's mom came into town and stayed with us for a week. Saturday we had a St. Patty's Day dinner at our house complete with Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes, Carrots, and Irish Brown Bread! Oh yeah and not to forget Black and Tans! Russ was excited because he was able to use his beer steins be brought back from Germany in 2005, they are heavy when they are full and fit a ton of beer (3 bottles to be exact)!

YUM! I can't wait to do it again next year!

Foto Friday

The other night we came home and since it was raining Russ hung his jacket on the chair to dry before he put it away. Domino used it as a hiding spot. She would barely stick her head out.

Foto Friday!

This is from Tahoe last weekend, looking out one of the windows.

Roasted Garlic Barley Rosotto

Ingredients
1 tbsp Coconut Oil or Butter
1/2 Cup Onion (finely diced)
1/4 Cup Carrots (finely diced)
1/3 Cup Pearl or Pot Barley
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 tsp Thyme (dried)
1/4 tsp Ground Pepper
1/4 Cup Roasted Garlic Finley diced (Cut off top of 2 bulbs, add a little butter, and bake in oven for 30 minutes)
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Instructions
Preheat a medium pan to medium-high heat and add the oil, onions, and carrots. Saute for 2 minutes and then add the barley. Saute for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Add the vegetable broth, water, thyme and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce to low. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes until most of the water is absorbed. Now add the roasted garlic and cheese, stir until the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe makes enough for 2 people

Nutritional Info
Calories(k/cal) 562.4
Fat(g) 21.8
Saturated 16.3
Monounsaturated 3.0
Polyunsaturated 0.9
omega-3 0.0
omega-6 0.2
Carbohydrates 72.7
fibers 13.1
sugars 6.6
Protein 18.9