Orange Cinnamon Rice Pudding

 

My husband and I love rice pudding.  He wasn’t a big fan until we went to Rice to Riches in NYC.  They have the best rice pudding.  I found this recipe and used almond milk instead of regular milk and it turned out great.  It’s so good that I’ve made this the last three weekends.  The orange and cinnamon is a tasty combination and the arborio rice gives this pudding dish a nice creamy texture.  Enjoy!

Tomato Bisque

We made this wonderful tomato bisque soup last week when the temperatures started to get colder and it really hit the spot.  The arborio rice and coconut milk gave this soup it’s creamy texture and the San Marzano tomatoes gave it a nice sweet tomato taste.  I’ve made so many soups lately with this being one of our favorites.  I’m actually planning to make it again for tonights dinner.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Parfaits

We made these pumpkin parfaits for Thanksgiving and they were absolutely delicious.  I got the recipe from the Minimalist Baker and tweaked a few steps after making them the first time.  There are several layers to this recipe but it’s well worth the effort.  Enjoy!

Hasselback Sweet Potato

 

I made these delicious sweet potato’s a few weeks ago and my family really enjoyed them.  They liked them so much that these are now on the Thanksgiving menu. The hasselback potato comes to us from the Swedes and the chefs at Restaurant Hasselbacken.  There sometimes called Accordion Potatoes or Pillbug Potatoes.  The style concept is to slice the potato into thin wedges and stop before you get to the bottom.  You can cut the potatoes as thick or thin as you like.  If you’re having trouble slicing you can put a butter knife on each side of the potato and set the potato down so it’s resting on top of the knives.  This way you’ll feel the knife before you get to the bottom.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter

I’m absolutely in love with this pumpkin butter.  I’ve been enjoying it every morning for several weeks.  The first batch I made I used our pumpkins we grew but the second batch with canned pumpkin was just as good.  One weekend I made pumpkin parfaits with the pumpkin butter and added coconut whip cream and some pumpkin spice pecans and granola on top.  They were so good that my husband and I decided we’d make them again for Thanksgiving.  I got the recipe from the Minimalist Baker and used my own recipe for pumpkin pie spice.  Enjoy!

Thai Curry Vegetable Soup

This Thai Curry Vegetable Soup is packed with vegetables, spicy Thai flavor, and creamy coconut milk and it’s ready in about 30 minutes.  If you can’t find bok choy, collard greens or baby spinach is a good alternative.  Enjoy!     

Chocolate Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

 

I love quinoa not only is it healthy but very tasty.  It’s technically a seed not a grain and contains 8 grams of protein per cup and all 9 essential amino acids your body needs.  We were feeling like a sweet breakfast over the weekend so I made this dish for me and my husband.  I got the recipe from the Minimalist Baker on Facebook and changed  a few methods and ingredient amounts based on our desired taste.  We absolutely loved it.  I couldn’t believe how creamy and rich it was.  This is definitely a keeper.  

Vintage Garden Tools

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since my last post.  I’ve been busy cleaning up the garden, composting, canning, freezing and working on a garden expansion.  I’ve also been watering more frequently since we’ve had a three week dry spell.  I was excited this week because I went to a local junk store and found some old tools to hang on the garden.  I needed three more tools for the front and found some interesting pieces.

When we built the garden, I didn’t intend to hang anything on it but I had some old farmhouse windows and after hanging them, I loved the way it looked so I thought what else can I hang.  I remembered I had a lot of my dad’s old garden tools so I decided to use them as well.  I love my garden.  It’s one of my favorite places to be.

Garden Salsa

This is my family’s favorite salsa recipe.  We love Mexican food so salsa is a staple in our house.  I love the cider vinegar, lemon juice and cumin flavor.  Cumin is definitely one of my favorite cooking spices.  I had a bowl of cherry tomatoes from the garden I was wanting to use so I decided to use them instead of our Roma or Brandywine’s.  I think it turned out great and the cherry tomatoes gave the salsa a sweeter taste.  If you try this recipe I hope you love it as much as we do.  Enjoy!

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Spinach

 

This is our favorite quinoa recipe.  Quinoa is one of the most protein rich foods you can eat and it has twice as much fiber as other grains.  It’s also packed with lots of vitamins and minerals.  I normally make quinoa with vegetable broth but adding white wine, balsamic vinegar and thyme really gives this dish a rich taste.  My husband loves spinach and mushrooms and daughter loves feta so this is a win win recipe.  I found the recipe online but I changed a few ingredients and techniques.  One thing I like to do with quinoa is after I rinse it and shake off all the excess water, I like to toast it while stirring up to 5 minutes.  This gives it a nice toasted taste that I enjoy.