Angel Hair Pasta with Spicy Garden Vegetable Sauce

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 Serrano peppers, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 8 ounce can or jar tomato sauce
4 ounces angel hair vermicelli pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil


1. To a sauce pan, add olive oil, garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes, peppers and basil.
2. Simmer over medium heat about 1/2 hour (longer for a fuller flavor)
3. Prepare pasta as directed.
4. Add drained noodles to a serving dish and pour sauce over the top.

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These cards were made with digital graphics courtesy of
Miki Ferkul @ scrapbook-elements.com


Miki's Caliente



Feel the heat, feel the passion of "Caliente" by Microferk Designs!
Based on a palette of the colors you find in peppers and tomatoes,
it is a bold and striking kit that celebrates the heritage
of southern borders and so much more!

Garlic Shrimp

I love this recipe, I make it a lot and vary things each time. Just be sure to add a good amount of red pepper to give this otherwise fairly bland dish it's kick!

Other things I may add:

chopped sundried or fresh tomatoes
chopped artichoke hearts
hearts of palm
black olives



Garlic Shrimp

12 oz angel hair pasta
21⁄2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 lb peeled, deveined large shrimp, thawed if frozen
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1⁄4 tsp each salt and crushed red pepper
1⁄4 cup lemon juice
1⁄3 cup chopped parsley



1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook as package directs, reserving about 1 cup of cooking water before draining.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter and the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook over medium-low heat 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add shrimp, lemon zest, salt and crushed red pepper; sauté over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes until shrimp is just cooked through.

4. Stir in lemon juice; remove from heat. Pour over drained pasta; add remaining ½ Tbsp butter, the parsley and about ½ cup of the cooking water (more if desired). Toss to mix and coat.

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These cards were made with digital graphics courtesy of
Miki Ferkul @ scrapbook-elements.com

Miki's Rendezvous

Korean Barbecue Tofu

I saw this recipe for Korean Barbecue Tofu by Emeril Lagasse on 'Emeril Green'.
I wanted to try it but his version was a bit complicated for me, so I simplified it down some. I made it twice now, as an appetizer. I made it even easier by using jarred minced garlic, jarred ginger and bottled lime juice.

It's a really forgiving and adjustable recipe, so make it however suits you. Here's my version, and that what's on the card, but Emeril's original is posted below.

My Version:

Korean Barbecue Tofu

1 pound extra firm tofu
Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
grated carrot
sliced scallion

To Taste:
Soy sauce
Hoisin sauce
Chili sauce
Lime juice
Minced garlic
Minced ginger
Sesame oil

Barbeque Sauce:
In a bowl, combine all the sauces, minced garlic, ginger and sesame oil.

Tofu:
Brush tofu with oil and place on preheated grill. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn over and brush with
the sauce. Grill for an additional five minutes. Remove from grill and slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Serve the tofu in the lettuce leaves. Garnish with grated carrot & sliced scallions.

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These cards were made with digital graphics courtesy of
Bernadette Hunt, Scrapdragon Designs @ e-scapeandscrap


This very gorgeous kit is called Land of the Morning Calm, depicts a beautiful land of lush greens and browns which shows a calm and peaceful way of life.







FREE GIFTS from Bernadette








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Korean Barbecue Tofu
Recipe by Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients:
1 pound extra firm tofu
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
2 tablespoon Ponzu sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon hot sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted white or black sesame seeds
1 ½ teaspoons Sambal sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
½ cup grated carrot
½ cup grated daikon radish
Kimchee, for serving

Method:

For the Barbeque sauce:
In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, Ponzu sauce, lime juice, sugar, minced garlic, ginger, sesame oil, sesame seeds, Sambal sauce and fish sauce.

For the Tofu:
Brush tofu with oil and place on preheated grill. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn tofu over and brush with the Barbeque sauce. Continue to grill for an additional five minutes. Remove from the grill to a cutting board and slice into ½-inch thick slices.

Serve the tofu in the lettuce leaves. Garnish with grated carrot, grated daikon, and Kimchee.

Bento Crazy! Healthy and Easy School Snacks and Lunches

2 Tier Bento Box

Last year when Corinne was in Kindergarten I used this adroable Bento Sidecar for her daily snack.

Often people think you can't fit much in there , but I was able to pack most kinds of snacks with plenty of room. Some boxes are two tier, like this one. One is a little taller than the other, and they fit together or can be used seperately.

Using these containers saved us from a lot of 'disposable' waste. One day while visiting the class at snack time I saw the amount of garbage that was produced by the children's snacks. Juice boxes, returnable plastic bottles, lot's of individual chips packets, etc!

Inside I use silicone muffin cups. I cut the height down to fit the height of the bento. You can get silicone muffin cups at Michael's, Target, specialty cooking stores and I even got a few packs at the Target Dollar Spot last year! I fit three cups in each box. I filled the three cups with all kind of things for a healthy snack.

Some things that I serve are:


Grape Tomatoes
Black Olives
Green peppers cut up
Mayo Cup of Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping
Turkey Pepperoni
Roast Beef (cold cuts) Rolled up
Mini Hot Dogs w/ small party size potato rolls*
(Hillshire Farm or Nathan's Mini Little Smokies or Hot Dogs)
Balogna cut into small circles
Orange Slices
Kiwi Slices
Strawberries
Blueberries
Rasins
Any kind of small cookie or cracker,
(I like Paul Newman's Chocolate Chip cookies)
Chocolate Kisses


*Corinne's Snack time is late in the day and the snack bags were not refrigerated.
She likes her dairy products very cold, like yogurt or cheese, so I serve snacks like that as after school snacks. Also the school had a no peanut rule so I did not use any nut products.

But there are so many things you can pack in a Bento. It's a great way to encourage kids to have the coolest (aka healthiest and most 'green') snack in the class!


Here are some cute Bentos and some good Bento Food Idea sites/blogs to get you going!

Bento Crazy Shop & Bento Crazy Blog
http://bentocrazy.ecrater.com
http://bentocrazy.com (blog)

What's for Lunch at our House

http://bentolunch.blogspot.com

Tomato Basil Salad

2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
4 to 8 fresh basil leaves for garnish
2/3 cup grape tomatoes
2 to 3 medium red ripe tomatoes

Wash fresh ingredients. Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in 2 Tbsp chopped basil. Roughly chop grape tomatoes and add to vinaigrette. Toss to coat well. Slice medium tomatoes. In a shallow dish, arrange tomato slices in slightly overlapping circles. When ready to serve, spoon chopped tomato vinaigrette over sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

Download this Recipe Card & and blank at Box.net





These cards were made with digital graphics courtesy of
Bernadette Hunt, Scrapdragon Designs @ e-scapeandscrap

Ancient Wonders Page Kit
5 a Day Element Pack (Designer Resource)
5 a Day Element Pack - Free Sampler

Kids Eat FREE at Your Local Ikea - September 5th - 7th

Kids Eat FREE at Your Local Ikea - September 5th - 7th! - Free Product Samples


Choose any three kid-sized items to create a meal, including 5 meatballs, mac and cheese, PBJ sandwich, kids' yogurt, 2 cookies, chocolate milk and more! No adult purchase necessary. Kids under 12 only. Value of $2.49. Participation varies. Offer valid through Saturday September 5 - Monday September 7, 2009.

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The White House Garden (VIDEO)

The White House Garden: Michelle Obama Is The First Lady Of Food Policy (VIDEO)

The video is not just fun fluff with nice shots of vegetables. In it, Michelle Obama makes historic statements about the importance of food, healthy eating, family meals, instilling children with lessons about food choices, and even more boldly, chan...ging the way America eats.

AND, you don't have to grow a garden to eat better!

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Sandy’s Recipe Booklet Kit Printable

Sandy’s Recipe Booklet Kit

This recipe booklet kit is the kit to make and preserve your recipes.  Each kit is complete to make a handy 4 1/4 x 5 ½ (aprox. size) booklet with matching notes, kitchen plaque, shopping lists and a laminated recipe card holder/gift tote bag.  Also makes a perfect gift for any occasion. Gorgeous images in this kit are from Gina Jane Johnson’s Paper Vignettes II.

 
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