a new nothing with a speckled handle

so i had a fantastic post all written up confessing my love of the brussel sprout. then it disappeared. vanished. so here i am sails deflated wishing i had hit the save button before i tried to change the font. let me just sum it up...i love these babies. and so do my kids. they fight over who gets the last one. they're nothing like you remember as a child, all smooshy and slimy. these are sweet and tender and a perfect side dish to almost anything. we ate them at thanksgiving last year. i make them with a tuna sandwich. i love them. and i even love them cold straight from the fridge the next day. if they last that long. 1 pkg fresh brussels sprouts (or enough to feed your crew) extra virgin olive oil kosher salt first, wash and trim each brussel sprout. depending on the freshness of the sprout, you might want to trim the ends and pick off a few of the outermost leaves. if your sprouts look clean and tight, just leave them. also, depending on the size and your allot

i realized today that the meal that i've been eating for lunch every day for the past week was pretty much all supplied by costco.  anyway, that's beside the point. don't get me wrong.  i love a good tuna sandwich, especially with a hearty dill or sweet pickle (depends on my mood.)  but, i've been trying to eat more greens.  i have to fit into a bikini tankini one-piece swimming suit muumuu in less than ONE month and it's time to cut out some unnecessary carbs, like bread.  not all together, just a little.  i can't live without bread.  so, here is my take on a good tuna salad.  it's easy.  it's quick.  it's healthy.  and you can buy 99% of the ingredients in one store.  here's to healthy eating! side note:  this picture was taken with the salad served on a plate.  i went to eat the salad after taking a picture and just felt funny.  i finally realized what was wrong.  never have i actually eaten this salad on a salad plate. 

this recipe was created to rival the pasta sauce sold by "dave's gourmet". recently my mom bought some and raved about its deliciousness. then, when amanda was here visiting, she also tasted the sauce and raved about it. i did get a taste, a little spoonful of a taste! i am a huge fan of butternut squash. actually all squash. so when i was at costco this week, i picked up a box of the pre-cut butternut squash so i could make something tasty. after getting some advice from my mom (she likes getting her props) i decided to make some of this sauce. and when, i swear to you, my 9 year old (who i am pretty sure is actually already a teenager, not 9) said to me...and i quote "mom, i love this stuff," i knew we had a winner. it actually tastes nothing like you'd expect, and you'll definitely be going back for seconds. 1 butternut squash, peeled and diced (or get the package of pre-cut squash if you can find it) 1/2 large sweet onion, diced 1 ri

this recipe comes from a friend from new orleans.  i remember going into her home and smelling the most wonderful aroma.  at the time, their home was being completely renovated because of the damage it sustained from hurricane katrina.  her "kitchen” was actually her bathroom and in it she had a crockpot with the most delectable lentil dish simmering away.  and get this all you mormon  moms...not only was it delicious, it was made from all food storage ingredients.  i have included the food storage recipe and then my version of lentils made with fresh ingredients.  the lentils are warm and go great with a buttered slice of french bread, or better yet, a ciabatta roll---it's spongy with air pockets in it---perfect to soak up the lentils. i am so thankful for the recipes i get from friends that i get to carry around with me from home to home as we move around.  they are some of my most treasured items.  they bring back memories of not only good food, but th

got this recipe from martha for valentine's day.  it is a mix between an oatmeal cookie and a shortbread cookie and oh so yummy.  i'll be taking these to a preschool party and around to some of my friends tomorrow.  they are reminiscent of graham crackers and chocolate frosting, which my husband and kids love, so i'm hoping they enjoy these.  the dough turned out be a bit different than the recipe claims, but i made it work.  i've changed the recipe only slightly-i dipped the hearts in melted chocolate chips rather than sandwiching nutella between two cookies.   one great tip on melting chocolate is do it in the microwave!  it's so easy and you don't have to worry about a double-boiler and all that clean up.  ina garten, the barefoot contessa and one of my cooking idols, gives a great explanation on how to do it here .  i'm sure the nutella way would be good, too.  it's just not something i regularly have in my pantry, for good reason. 

these fajitas were a hit at our super bowl party! the chicken is marinated to sweet perfection and then grilled indoor over a very hot grill pan. with the addition of grilled peppers and onions and all the toppings, these make a delicious and easy dinner for any night of the week. lime marinated chicken 6 - 8 chicken tenders (could also use breasts) 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 T chili powder 1 T cumin juice and pulp of one lime a few pinches of salt add all ingredients to resealable plastic bag, or tupperware container. shake to coat all chicken. marinate for several hours, preferably overnight. preheat grill pan over medium to high heat. drizzle pan with olive oil. place chicken in hot pan! here's the part that makes it delicious...allow the chicken to remain in one spot, do not flip or move until the chicken looks cooked at least halfway through. (this allows for carmelization, that's where you get your grill marks and your flavor!) turn over and cook th

this recipe is one my mom found from here .  it's an easy, yet satisfying cookie that's made without flour!  who knew you could make such morsels without flour?!  they mix up in a jif , cook in a jif and i'm pretty sure you'll eat 'em in a jif !  (even though i don't use jif peanut butter it was still a good pun.)  so get baking!  oh, and by the way, they taste great with chunky peanut butter. flourless peanut-chocolate cookies 1 cup creamy (or chunky!) peanut butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (we actually like a little less, like a handful) 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts (a little less if using chunky peanut butter) preheat oven to 350 degrees.   in bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt until well combined.  stir in chocolate chips and peanuts. with moist hands, roll dough into balls (using about 1 Tbsp of dough).  place on baking s