Day 226 - Sausage Spaghetti Squash

SO, it is now the day after I posted this fiasco and I decided that instead of editing everything that I've already typed I would just add the correct post to the bottom of this one. Just scroll down and you'll see it in its' entirety and correct form.  So, go see the insides of a spaghetti squash and the recipe that earned (yes, I'll tell you now!)...
3 1/2 rolling pins!!
Thank you. Thank you very much.  (Don't I sound like Elvis?)
I LOVE YOU, my wonderful readers!!!

OH MY GOSH!!
Can you hear me SCREAMING??!!!
If someone tells you that you should get a tablet because it will be SO much easier to do posts on your blog, PLEASE DON'T believe them, and
Run, Forrest, RUN!!!
I absolutely cannot take the time to fix this - I have to go watch my son run in a cross country meet in the dark. 
Weird, I know.
And I'm sure my fixing this and deleting all those little arrows and br's and #160's WON'T get finshed before midnight once I get home.
Sorry folks.
I REALLY think you should just come back tomorrow because trying to decipher this and read between the whosie whatzits is just going to give you a headache and I don't dispense aspirin.
And PLEASE don't waste ink or paper printing this garbage out!
(Sigh)
In with the good, out with the bad...

<p>Unfortunately, this post needs to go up without pictures tonight because I'm using my not-my-picture-uploading-to-my-blog computer.&#160; I also have more writing I want to add to the post once those pictures are up, so please come back tomorrow to check them out.<br>
Also, you really need to come back if you've never seen the inside of a spaghetti squash and marveled at its' glory.&#160; It really is pretty cool!<br>
This was my and Mr. 365's, ok, and the rest of the family's experience with one and we were all amazed.<br>
We don't get out much.&#160; <br>
Sad, isn't it, when the highlight of your day is how the spaghetti squash shreds?<br>
And I lied.&#160; One of us was NOT so impressed.&#160; But more about that later.</p>
<p><b>Sausa</b><b>ge </b><b>Spaghetti Squash</b> - adapted from Emeril Lagasse
<p>6 pork sausage links, casings removed<br>
1 small spaghetti squash, about 2 1/2 lbs.<br>
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped<br>
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped<br>
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped<br>
1/2 teaspoon salt<br>
1/4 freshly ground black pepper<br>
2 1/2 tablespoons butter</p>
<p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.<br>
Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.<br>
With a long, sharp knife, <i>very care</i><i>f</i><i>ully, </i>cut the squash in half lengthwise.&#160; I say carefully 'cause that bugger was tough and if I hadn't been extremely careful I would have lost a finger, especially since I'm not that good with a knife.<br>
Once the squash is cut, lay each half cut side down into the prepared baking dish.&#160; Do not remove seeds.<br>
Fill the dish with 1/2 inch of water.<br>
Cover with tin foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, until a sharp knife is easily inserted into the skin of the squash.<br>
<b><i>Note:&#160; Emeril said 45 minutes, but my squash needed a</i></b><b><i>n </i></b><b><i>extra 30 minutes until I thought t</i></b><b><i>he skin </i></b><b><i>was soft </i></b><b><i>enough.&#160; It </i></b><b><i>may have </i></b><b><i>been that my squash was </i></b><b><i>on the larger side, so just allow for extra baking</i></b><b><i> time, if needed.&#160; </i></b><br>
Remove baking dish from oven, remove tin foil and turn squash halves over.&#160; <br>
Recover with the tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes.<br>
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.<br>
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned, breaking apart as it cooks.<br>
Once sausage is cooked, remove from pan, place into a small bowl and set aside.&#160; Save the skillet, you want those juices!<br>
Remove one squash half from the pan and place on a cutting board.<br>
Remove the seeds with a spoon and discard.<br>
With a fork, remove the squash from its' shell.<br>
This is where it turns into SPAGHETTI!!!<br>
Place spaghetti strands into a large bowl.<br>
Repeat process with the other half of the squash.<br>
In the same large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.<br>
Add the basil, sage and rosemary and stir.<br>
Place squash into the pan and add salt and pepper.<br>
Gently toss until squash is coated with seasonings.<br>
Add sausage and cook until heated through.<br>
Serve.</p>
<p>Like I said, we've never had this vegetable.<br>
BUT...<br>
It is definitely a dish I will be making again.<br>
3 out of 4 365er's (our eldest is away at college, remember) really liked this dish.<br>
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Sausage Spaghetti Squash earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.<br>
If you've never had it, it's definitely different.&#160; It's much like spaghetti, but of course, doesn't taste like it.<br>
Odds are that's the reason the boy didn't like it.<br>
He is in LOVE with his pasta, so he couldn't wrap his head around a vegetable that made spaghetti, but didn't taste anything like it.<br>
He definitely wasn't sold.<br>
Emeril had made it plain with the herbs, but I really like the extra flavoring the sausage gave it.&#160; I''m not sure we would've liked it as much if I hadn't added it.</p>
<p>It's Friday!!!&#160; Everyone enjoy your weekend and the football games and we'll catch up again tomorrow!<br>
BIG baking hugs and muffins!!</p>

Here is the REAL post!!

If you've never seen the inside of a spaghetti squash and marveled at its' glory, it really is pretty cool!
This was my and Mr. 365's, ok, and the rest of the family's experience with one and we were all amazed.

We don't get out much.
Sad, isn't it, when the highlight of your day is how the spaghetti squash shreds?
And I lied.
One of us was NOT so impressed.
But more about that later.

Sausage Spaghetti Squash - adapted from Emeril Lagasse at the Food Network

6 pork sausage links, casings removed
1 small spaghetti squash, about 2 1/2 lbs.
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
With a long, sharp knife, very carefully, cut the squash in half lengthwise.  I say carefully 'cause that bugger was tough and if I hadn't been extremely careful I would have lost a finger, especially since I'm not that good with a knife.

Once the squash is cut, lay each half cut side down into the prepared baking dish.  Do not remove seeds.
Fill the dish with 1/2 inch of water.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, until a sharp knife is easily inserted into the skin of the squash.
Note: Emeril said 45 minutes, but my squash needed an extra 30 minutes until I thought the skin was soft enough.  It may have been that my squash was on the larger side, so just allow for extra baking time, if needed.

Remove baking dish from oven, remove tin foil and turn squash halves over.
Recover with the tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook sausage until browned, breaking apart as it cooks.
Once sausage is cooked, remove from pan, place into a small bowl and set aside.  Save the skillet, you want those juices!
Remove one squash half from the pan and place on a cutting board.
Remove the seeds with a spoon and discard.
With a fork, remove the squash from its' shell.
This is where it turns into SPAGHETTI!!!  SEE??!!

Place spaghetti strands into a large bowl.
Repeat process with the other half of the squash.
In the same large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add the basil, sage and rosemary and stir.
Place squash into the pan and add salt and pepper.
Gently toss until squash is coated with seasonings.
Add sausage and cook until heated through.
Serve.

Like I said, we've never had this vegetable.
BUT...
It is definitely a dish I will be making again.
3 out of 4 365er's (our eldest is away at college, remember) really liked this dish.
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Sausage Spaghetti Squash earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
If you've never had it, it's definitely different. It's much like spaghetti, but of course, doesn't taste like it.
Odds are that's the reason the boy didn't like it.
He is in LOVE with his pasta, so he couldn't wrap his head around a vegetable that made spaghetti, but didn't taste anything like it.
He definitely wasn't sold.
Emeril had made it plain with the herbs, but I really like the extra flavoring the sausage gave it. I''m not sure we would've liked it as much if I hadn't added it.

It's Friday (but really now it's mid-Saturday)!!
Everyone enjoy your weekend and the football games and we'll catch up again tomorrow!
Thanks for your patience and coming back to read the new and improved post!
BIG baking hugs and muffins!!

Day 225 - Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I submitted what I thought was my best recipe for the month of September to Your Best Recipe at SpicieFoodie. Follow this link (or NOT because I can't figure out how to get this link to work from this wonderful tablet I'm using! Sorry, you'll have to do the old-school cut and paste) : http://www.spiciefoodie.com/2011/09/30/your-best-recipes-of-september-2011/ and you'll see wonderful recipes my fellow bloggers have submitted. I think I should have submitted the Banana Monkey Muffins, but I had another one of my infamous brain farts. And to see those scrumptious bundles, you'll have to do a muffin search over on the right. Ah, modern technology.

Happy Birthday, Mr. 365!

This guy is not a big dessert eater.  

So when I was browsing through Veronica's Cornucopia to pick a recipe for September's Secret Recipe Club, I really wanted to make these cookies for his birthday.
He LOVES  Nutter Butters and I knew these would be perfect.
He didn't want us to buy him anything, go out to dinner, or make him a cake.
He's always been this way, and it makes it easy for us, but at the same time, I want to do something to celebrate him.
He had the day off, but always has Thursdays off and just wanted to do nothing but catch up on some reading which he did.
At night, he likes to sit in front of the tv, chillin' with some cookies and a glass of milk. 
He's still a little boy at heart and was pleasantly surprised to see that I'd made them since he wasn't expecting anything.
So a big thank you goes out to Veronica for sharing these and for helping to make Mr. 365's birthday special.
I did nothing to change the recipe because it looked delicious and perfect the way it was.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - borrowed from Veronica's Cornucopia and modified from All Recipes
Cookies
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter ,
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking oats

Filling - I halved the filling because I knew Mr. 365 would want some plain, but I'm giving you the full amount.
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla.

Add egg and beat well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until just combined.
Add the oatmeal and continue beating until thoroughly incorporated.

Using a flat teaspoonfuls of dough, roll into balls and place on cookie sheets.
Press a fork on top of each ball in a crisscross pattern so that the cookies are 1/4 inch-thick.

Ok, I had a major brain fart.  The first batch I put into the oven I was dropping them by teaspoonfuls, some rounded, some not so much.  I neglected to read the directions and thought, "How the heck did she get her cookies to look so perfect?!"  DUH!

I think my absentmindedness may also have been due to the fact that I had been having some major hot flashes while in the kitchen.  I'd like to say that it was because the oven was on, but who'm I kidding.  I was having them before I even turned the darn thing on.  

I am so not ready for this next stage of life.

It's TOO early!!!

ANYWAYS...

These cookies turned out much better and looked like they were supposed to!

Not to self:  read directions.

Bake 5-8 minutes, or until cookies are just set at the edges.
Allow to cool 3 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

To Make Filing:
In a medium bowl, cream the filling ingredients until well blended.

Spread filling on to the bottom of one of the cooled cookies, then top with another cookie to form sandwiches.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Those without the filling...

And with the filling.

Wow, I must say that these were a definite hit for the birthday boy.  He LOVED them!!
I did, too (the 4 or 5 or 6 I had to taste test and then the 2 or 3 or 4 sandwiches I had to try).
Yes, I know.  I haven't updated the weigh-in page in a few weeks.  I've been lazy.
Just so you know, I weighed myself yesterday and the scale said 121 lbs.
Anyhoo.
I will definitely be making these bad boys again and I'll be eating just as many next time, too!
And you NEED to make these NOW!! Get up, go, go, go!!
Run to your kitchen and grab that peanut butter from the cupboard!
Or put these on your Bucket List!!

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies earned...what do you think?
Yippee!!
They earned 4 rolling pins!!!!
Without the filling they were still delicious and would have earned 3 1/2, but the filling was the icing on the cake.
Not a good analogy, hunh?
The bees' knees?
The...the...the...
Ah, I can't think of anything else.  Time for bed.

BIG baking hugs (haha, I almost typed in jugs!!!  Yes, I'm tired and those hot flashes again. ;-) ), and muffins!

Day 224 - Almond Butter Cranberry Cookies

See this picture?

It wasn't easy to take.
Ok, it's easy to stand in front of the ingredients and just snap a picture, but the lighting has to be perfect, of course.
The light coming in from the window was a little bright and I was concerned about overexposure (wooo, aren't you impressed, I kind of sound like a big deal photographer!).  I don't have anything large enough that can stand on it's own and filter the light.  I needed to become ...creative.
This called for my largest cookie sheet and a folding chair.
I put my right leg on top of it and positioned the cookie sheet between my knee and the back of the chair.  I couldn't get the thing to sit just right.  The things we bloggers will do to make that perfect picture!
Meanwhile, this...

was staring at me.

"You know, Brady, it'd be much easier if you could come over here and help me with this."
"Please."
As I still struggle to keep the cookie sheet from toppling while snapping a picture.
"Brady..."
Looking through the camera lens and balancing ever so carefully, but obviously not carefully enough,
the cookie sheet falls onto the chair, crashes to the floor and sends the dog bolting from the room.
"You know," I yelled, "it would've been much easier and all this could have been avoided if you had just helped me in the first place!"

I just thought this one particular ingredient deserved a picture all of its' own.  AND it's on a pedestal!

LOVE this stuff!!

Especially, the Maple Almond Butter!

My daughter has decided that eating healthier by not ingesting anything processed, cutting out sugar and dairy may help with her acne.  We've been down this road before, hence some of the gluten-free recipes here on 365.
It's been a week and so far, no real change.  We'll go for a month and see what happens.
She's been wanting cookies, so I figured we'd give this recipe a try.  She's not gonna be happy when she comes home from school and finds that I darn near cleaned that Justin's jar out.

Oh well, I made her cookies.

Almond Butter Cranberry Cookies - adapted from Paleo Baked Good Recipes
Makes about 30 cookies

1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.

Mix until thoroughly combined. I used a mixer, but this could easily be done by hand.
Also, it will look more like batter than dough.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets about an inch apart. They will not spread.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cookie bottoms will be slightly browned and they will be sizzling. (I've never heard a cookie sizzle, but they did!)
Transfer to wire rack to cool.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Almond Butter Cranberry Cookies earned 3 rolling pins.
They weren't the best "healthy", dairy-free, gluten-free cookies I've ever had, but they were adequate. I didn't taste as much of the almond butter as I thought I would even though it was the main ingredient.
The cinnamon, coconut and cranberries mixed together well to give the cookies some nice flavor, and they weren't sweet.
The almond butter I used had honey in it, so I only added 1/2 teaspoon fearing they might be too sweet, so I would recommend adding more, especially if you like a sweeter cookie and if the almond butter is unsweetened.
I will make these again.
They're a good treat for those with certain food allergies or watching their sugar intake.
Tomorrow, we'll have an unhealthy dessert.
Ok, it won't be that bad. It's Mr. 365's birthday, so I'm going to make him one of his favorite things. We'll see if he likes my version or rather a borrowed version.

BIG baking hugs and muffins!!

Day 223 - Dairy and Grain-Free Almond Crackers

I didn't post this yesterday, obviously.  I was busy cleaning and completely collapsed last night, not able to keep my eyes open to post. 

So, I'll be posting Day 224 which is today, tonight.

My daughter found this recipe for Almond Crackers on Caveman Food and she wanted to try them.  They are dairy and grain-free and only use three ingredients!

Almond Crackers

1 cup almond flour

1 egg white

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.  You definitely want to use parchment paper otherwise it will stick to the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, egg white and salt.

Mix together until the dough is well combined and forms a paste.

Place onto prepared cookie sheet.

Cover with another piece of parchment and using a rolling pin, roll dough out until it is very thin, about 1/8-inch thick and roll out to the edges of the cookie sheet as close as possible.

With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, lightly score the dough into squares so that it will break apart easily after baking.

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the crackers a slightly golden.  If in for too long they will definitely burn.

Note:  I put the crackers into the oven and set the timer for 5 minutes.  Checked them and set it for another 5.  After a total of 10 minutes, they weren't done, so I set the timer for another 2 and kept resetting the timer for 2 minutes until they were done.  Watch carefully!

10/1/11 - I made these again yesterday and added 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder to the flour and salt before mixing with the egg white and they were absolutely DELICIOUS, especially when eaten with 
the salsa.  I highly recommend it.  We'll be adding more herbs next time I make them.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Dairy and Grain-Free Crackers earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.

They were really good.  We put some almond butter on them and also had some with salsa.  They aren't scoopable crackers - you definitely have to place the item you are eating with it on top of the cracker otherwise it will break apart.

The middle of my sheet of dough was too thick, so next time I need to roll it out more.  I'm sure that was the reason they were in the oven for a total of 16 minutes instead of 10.  Also. the middle crackers were thicker and more chewy than crunchy, but they were still good.  My daughter and I preferred the crunchy ones though.

These are a great cracker if you're craving something crunchy and are on a dairy-free or grain-free diet and very easy to make with only the three ingredients.  You can also grind up a cup of almonds in the food processor if you don't want to purchase the almond flour.  

I'll be making some more of these today, too!

BIG baking hugs and muffins!

Day 222 - Secret Recipe Club - PB Banana Treats

It's that time of the month again!!

NO!!!  NOT THAT!!!  C'mon!!  ;-)

It's time for the reveal of this month's Secret Recipe Club blog.
The Secret Recipe Club is a group of blogger's who have chosen to participate once a month and are each given a blog from which we are to chose any recipe to make and then post about.
But, shhhhh...., it's a secret!!
We are not supposed to tell the writer of the blog that we have them.
It's a lot of fun blog stalking and going through their recipes discovering new ideas and "meeting" a fellow blogger.
The idea is based on the Secret Santa and was originally started by Amanda of Amanda's Cookin'.  The group has grown so much over the last few months that there are now 4 separate groups revealing their recipes on separate dates in October!  How cool is that??!!
The leader of my group is Angela of the blog, Big Bear's Wife, and she's been a tremendous help and source of support to all of us as has Amanda!  A BIG baking hug goes out to both of them for all of their hard work!!

Oh yeah, so I'm guessing that you're wanting to know who's blog I was assigned?
Hmmmm.....the suspense!
I was excited to see that I had gotten this one because just a few days before I had actually discovered it on my own.  I can't remember how I found her, but I was really enjoying all that I was seeing and reading.

The blog I was given for the month of September was... Veronica's Cornucopia!!!

She has a wonderful site, previously known as Recipe Rhapsody (love that name, too!), and she has a lot of great recipes to choose from. 

They include sugar-free, slow cooker/crockpot (which I'll definitely be trying because there's nothing better than sticking stuff in the pot and letting it sit, so that it's cooking all day and ready at dinnertime - little work for great reward!), and vegetarian/vegan.
In her tips and tricks she shows you how to add Henna to your hair and how to create an absolutely beautiful lattice pie crust!  She make it look SO easy!  Making one of those can be so intimidating, but it is truly a gorgeous thing to look at once it's finished, and hers are something you need to see.

Veronica started Recipe Rhapsody on MySpace, but decided to add more to her site. There are posts about life with her husband, Dennis Miller (No, not that Dennis Miller), Wordless Wednesdays where she only posts pictures without any words (hence the name wordless! haha), and one section of her blog that I really have enjoyed is her Thanksgivings or Thankful Thursdays.  This is a part of her site where she posts something she is grateful for every Thursday.  It is either something that happened or something she realizes she has, every day of the previous week leading up to that Thursday.
10 years ago, Veronica was diagnosed with diabetes and this past Thursday she wrote that she is grateful for the disease.  What a remarkable woman, to be able to take an adversity and be able to change it into a positive!  Many people would be saying, "Why me?" or complaining about the problems they have because of it, but Veronica has chosen to view it differently.  I know we could all learn from that.  She is grateful that it has made her more aware of her health and she takes active steps to keep both the diabetes and her health in check.

There are so many great recipes to chose from that I really had trouble deciding.  I know I'll be making one of her recipes this week for Mr. 365's birthday, but I can't tell you what it is because I don't want anyone spilling the beans!  I know how some of you have trouble keeping a secret!
There were some main dishes like her Mediterranean Tacos and definitely some desserts like her Grandma's Pie Crust Cookies that I wanted to make.  Ultimately I went with something that had to be...

C'mon, you know what I'm going to say...

What, what...

Yes,

Baked!
But, I will definitely be returning to her blog quite often!

This may be a first for the Secret Recipe Club because I haven't seen anyone choose a recipe like this.  I did a search on the site and nothing came up.  It is a recipe and it is for those important (ahem) beings in our lives who need love and desire great food just as much as we do.  Maybe this will give you a hint...

He's our Golden Retriever, Brady, named after the New England Patriot's quarterback, Tom Brady, since we originate from Rhode Island.

The recipe from Veronica's blog that I chose was...Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits.

I did make a few adaptations which I'll explain after the recipe.

PB Banana Dog Treats

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 medium carrot, finely shredded
3/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, oats and flax seed meal in a large bowl.
In a mixing bowl, mix banana, carrot, peanut butter, milk and molasses on low speed until smooth.

Slowly add the dry ingredients.  It may help to knead the dough by hand after it has been completely blended.
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to ¼ inch thick.
Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes and place on baking sheets.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and leave inside until it is cool.
Store treats in an airtight container.

Brady really, really likes bananas and carrots, so to Veronica's recipe I added one mashed banana, and one medium carrot. I substituted 1/4 cup flax seed meal for the wheat germ to give him some extra omega 3's, decreased the amount of milk from 1 1/4 cups to 3/4 cup because of the extra moisture from the banana and carrot, and omitted the baking powder, but not intentionally.
He LOVED these treats!!
He knew I was making something just for him because he barely left the kitchen.  And the only time he did leave was when I gave him the empty peanut butter jar.

But then he was back, staring at me and waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

He loves treats!  I've made them for him before on Day 6 and he absolutely LOVED those, too, so I knew these would be a hit, especially with his added favorites.
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these PB Banana Dog Treats earned a 4 rolling pin rating.  How did I know they were a four?   Based on the amount of drool dripping from Brady's mouth as I held one out to him, and also because he swallowed a couple without even chewing!  And they were pretty big, too!

I'm sure if you make these for the 4 legged-friends in your life they will be wagging their tails and giving you lots of licks and kisses!
Thank you, Veronica, for sharing your blog and your life with us!  It's been a pleasure getting to know you!
Until next month's Secret Recipe Club, BIG baking hugs and muffins!

Day 221 - Seasoned Pork Chops

Tonight we had...

Seasoned Pork Chops - serves 4

1 lb. pork chops, bone-in (there were 3 in the package)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
8 button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining in both ways with tin foil.  The lengthwise strip should be long enough to join the ends together and fold over.
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, sage, paprika and thyme.
Rub the spice mixture into both sides of each pork chop.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add coconut oil.
When oil is hot, sear both sides of the chops until they are browned.
Transfer the browned pork chops to the prepared baking sheet.
Layer the onions, and mushrooms on top of each chop.

Encase the meat by folding up all sides of the tin foil and folding them over.  This will allow for the steam to be contained as they bake.

Bake for 30 minutes.

The recipe was great because it was quick and easy, but...
I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and I have to admit that I am struggling to give these Seasoned Pork Chops even 1 rolling pin.
I unwrapped the foil to put them onto the plate and the smell overtook me and almost made me nauseous.
Seriously.
I don't know what it was, the mushrooms and onions, the chops or the spices.
And NO, I'm NOT pregnant!
How could you even think such a thing!!
Unfortunately, from that point on I had NO desire to eat dinner.  So, chalk it up to another cereal night.
They smelled ok after I browned them in the skillet, but somewhere during the baking process something went awry.
The rest of the family wasn't nuts about it either.  They all took a few bites, leaving most of it on their plates and politely requested that I not make it again.
Oh well, you can't win them all.
Tomorrow's another day.
No more seasoned pork chops for the 365 family!
BIG baking hugs and muffins!

Day 220 - Rosemary Potato Fingers

I find it so hard to believe that today is Day 120!  Haha

WHOOPS!!
I meant Day 220!!
Like I said, I can't believe it.  It is flying.
I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak
Yet I'm having so much fun doing this that I can't imagine not baking or blogging everyday.
Ok, maybe I can imagine not baking, but blogging, no.
I've decided that I will continue posting recipes, either baked, made on the stove top or in the crock pot.
I'm very excited because I have more family recipes I need to share.
And you need to know them!
Meanwhile, enjoy tonight's side dish...

Rosemary Potato Fingers - serves 4

3 medium potatoes with skins on, washed (I know there are 4 potatoes in the picture up above, but after I took it, I decided to use only 3.  As it was, we still had some left between the four of us.)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
more salt and pepper to taste if necessary

Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by generously spraying it with cooking spray.
Cut potatoes in half, then lengthwise into individual "fingers" (strips) about 1/2 inch wide.
(If the potato finger was too deep, I cut it in half again.)
In a large bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, coriander, salt and pepper.  Mix well.
Add potatoes and toss to coat.

Pour potatoes onto rimmed baking sheet into one even layer.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Using two forks or tongs, flip potatoes so that they can cook on the other side.
Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

I know I've given you quite a few roasted vegetable recipes lately, but it's good to know that there are other ways to prepare them so that you change things up for the family and friends.
You keep serving them the same way people may stage a revolt.
Variety is the spice of life, right?
I rate everything I roast, ahem, I mean bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and the 365 family said these Roasted Potato Fingers earned  3 1/2 rolling pins.
I didn't serve them with a sauce.  They were great by themselves, but we also were dipping them in ketchup.
Ok, we'll take it easy on the vegetable roasting for a while and I'll make some other things.
I'm not sure what it will be tomorrow, but we'll see.
BIG baking hugs and muffins!

Day 219 - Roasted Cauliflower with a Gruyere Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Tonight with dinner I made a side dish of cauliflower.
We rarely ever have cauliflower because all I ever do is steam it and we eat it plain.
BOOORIIINNNGGG.
Maybe that's why I'm not too nuts about it.
Tonight I roasted it and received rave reviews.  I think I'll be making it this way again next time.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gruyere Cheddar Cheese Sauce - serves 4

1 head cauliflower, cut up into small florets
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet generously with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, sage, salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat.
Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking.

While cauliflower is baking, prepare cheese sauce.
Cheese Sauce
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons milk plus more if needed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan combine ingredients and heat on low.

Stirring occasionally until cheeses are melted.

As I said, this received a high rating.  I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and this Roasted Cauliflower with Gruyere Cheddar Cheese Sauce earned 3 1/2 rolling pins.
The vegetable was nicely browned and the spices added some great flavor to it.
I much prefer to eat it this way now instead of steamed.
Oops, forgot to tell you about the cheese sauce.
It was ok.  I'd give it 2 rolling pins.  The boys (man + boy) really liked it and were actually enjoying it more on their broccoli than the cauliflower.
I don't think the cauliflower needed it honestly.  It was delicious just the way it was.
I'm excited because we've added a new side dish to our repertoire!

I hope you all have a great weekend!
BIG baking hugs and muffins!