Pom Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Bruschetta

I love creamy soups. The weird thing is...I didn't always even know that I love them.....it just sorta snuck up on me.  I especially love creamy squash soups. Butternut squash in particular. When it dawned on me that 2 of my guests for my Pom Wonderful Dinner Party are vegetarians...well, I had to think differently, and be more aware of what I was going to cook. I poked around the web in search of pomegranate soups and found a few that caught my eye and remembered one that I had made a year or so ago. None were vegetarian, and none fit the bill 100% for what I had in mind, but with a few adjustments and merging of ingredients...I believe you could say that this recipe was inspired by 3 different ones. The most prominent being from Michael Chiarello's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

Now....Let me forewarn you....this is not difficult to make...but it is time consuming with several steps. It could easily be something you start one day and finish up the next...either roast the squash ahead of time or do it all up to the point where you've creamed the soup...it's up to you. With that said...let me also add that it is worth Every. Minute. Spent.

Preheat your oven to 400' F.

Pom Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
(Because of all the steps and the various recipes that are needed to make this soup happen, I'm not going have a printable version.)

Get out your butternut squash....about 2 lbs

Peel it, scoop out the seeds and cut it into chunk, about 1 inch

Season with salt and pepper and place them in a shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet. Set aside

For the roasting sauce:

1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Pomegranate Molasses (if you don't have any and don't want to make any...just use regular molasses)
2 teaspoons Toasted Spice Rub

Melt the butter in a saucepan until light brown....being careful not to over do it....once the butter starts to brown, it goes from brown to black quickly.

Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Return to the stove, over medium-low heat and cook for about a minute or so, while stirring.

Pour the sauce over your squash, toss around to coat and bake for about 45 minutes, tossing occasionally. Now...this time frame of 45 minutes is a loosey goosey time frame. If the squash is tender and beginning to brown, it's done. Mine happened to be done in 30 minutes.

Now for the fun part....

1/2 cup pomegranate arils
1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stock, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 teaspoons white pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 cup cream or milk (I used Mexican crema because it's extremely smooth and slightly sweet)
Juice from 1/2 lemon

In a stock pot or large sauce pan (something large enough to hold all your soup because we're sticking to one pot here, peeps) heat the olive oil. Add the sweet potato, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute until onion is clear and veggies are...I dunno...el dente? Just beginning to get tender.

Add the butternut squash, vegetable broth, and coriander. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a medium low and cook for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender and squishable.

Add salt, pepper to taste, vermouth and lemon juice.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Depending on your preference or what you have on hand, you're going to cream it all together....food processor, blender or immersion blender...and blend away....

Until there are no more lumps and you can't tell what's in there

Add the milk or cream and reheat.

Garnish with a little cream and the pomegranate arils.

Because the soup was the main dish for my vegetarian guests, I wanted it to be special. Thus, deciding to serve the soup in bread bowls. I put together the basic Master recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (recipe and techniques can be found on the authors website: Artisanbreadinfive.com) When I formed the dough into balls and was allowing it to rise, I was concerned that the dough would spread and not rise as tall as it was round. I decided the dough needed support....so I sprayed a small, oven proof saucepan with cooking spray and plopped the dough inside to finish it's rise and then stuck the saucepan right into the oven and cooked my "bowls".

It was the perfect solution....even, uniform and tall enough to create a deep bowl by lopping off the top of the bread and cutting out a "well"

And there you have delicious homemade bread bowls with little lid warmers even.

Did you notice that we have some roasted butternut squash left over?

Take a baguette or two, and cut into 1/2" - 1" slices....brush with garlic infused olive oil (1/4 cup  olive oil in a pan with about 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, sliced. Once the garlic browns, scoop out with a slotted spoon. What you have left is the infused olive oil). Toast the slices in a hot oven until nice and brown (425 for about 10 minutes maybe? I dunno...just keep an eye on it)

 Dice up the butternut squash into smaller chunks, dice up a few tomatoes, chop up some fresh basil and toss it all in a bowl, mixing in a good handful or so of pomegranate arils.

Mix up some goat cheese (or cream cheese) with a little salt and pepper...spread thinly over the toasted bread....top with some squash / pom mix and enjoy!

This is my entry for this weeks Souper Sunday over at Kahakai Kitchen

Go have a look-see....you're bound to find several mouth watering recipes for soups, salads and sammies!

Toasted Spice Rub and Pomegranate Molasses and Cupcake Camp L.A,

The beginning.....

I promised I'd give you the recipes from my Pom Wonderful Dinner Party.

And I am. And I will.

Just not all at once. Not only would it be just way too much, but I'm super busy this week. Soooo...you're going to get the recipes in bite-sized pieces.

Are you curious as to why I'm so busy this week? Well, even if you're not I'm going to tell you! I'm one of the amateur bakers for an awesome event this Saturday and you're all  invited!

Cupcake Camp L.A. is a charity event to celebrate the 4th birthday of Bakespace.com

If you're in town...please come by. For details click here----->>> Cupcake Camp L.A.

Here are a few other sites to read about this wonderfully sweet event:

LAist
LA Decostified
Culturemob
Marketwire
Events L.A.
Hollywood Chamber

Aaaaaand the list goes on....but check this out! The City of Los Angeles has created a proclamation celebrating Cupcake Camp L.A. It really is cute....you should read it---> Proclamation

Anyways....I'm in the middle of baking 100 cupcakes. And decorating them. And taking them to Cupcake Camp L.A. where they will be shared with those who attend, along with cupcakes from other amateur and professional bakers. It's open to the public, for a small fee (all proceeds go to selected charities) If you're around...come check it out and enjoy some good cupcakes, lots of fun and great people. Ya, I know...it's suppose to rain. I say...that's all the more reason you should come! What more do you need to brighten up a rainy day?!

Soo....now that you know what I've been up to this week...let me share some basic "starter" recipes that I used for my real recipes for the Pom Wonderful Dinner Party.

First, I have a Pomegranate Molasses. This was used in 3 of my recipes and would be great in several others. I didn't make it up or anything....I just did a search and found it on Foodnetwork.com. It's not difficult....just a little time consuming. You have to stay on top of it. The first time I made it...I burnt it. I almost didn't "bother" to try again....but am so glad I did.... it really is worth it.

Alton Brown's Pomegranate Molasses

4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients into a saucepan, over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the mixture has reduced down to about 1 cup. Be careful toward the end....with the sugars that condensed, it can burn easily. You want the mixture to be the consistency of syrup...it will thicken further as it cools. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Place into a glass jar and let it cool completely. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

This other recipe is for a rub. I made it quite a while ago but have only used it in soups. Its wonderfully flavorful with lots of depth. Again.... I found this recipe at Foodnetwork.com. It's a Michael Chiarello recipe.

 

 

Michael Chiarello's Toasted Spice Rub

1/4 cup fennel seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon peppercorn
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup California chili powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

In a small, heavy pan, toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns over a medium heat until the fennel seeds are lightly browned. Quickly turn on the exhaust fan and add the red pepper flakes....tossing continuously for a few seconds while the fan is on. Pour the hot spices onto a plate to cool.

I have a coffee grinder specifically for spices. Put the cooled spices into a grinder or blender (if using a blender, go ahead and add the remaining ingredients). Grind until everything is evenly ground. Place in a jar, add remaining ingredients and mix. Keep in a cool, dry place.

And there you have two of the starter recipes that were part of a few of my dishes. Of course these can be done way ahead time. They both add great flavor that you won't want to miss.

Stay tuned for more Pom Wonderful recipes and I hope to see you at Cupcake Camp L.A.

Pom Wonderful Dinner Party

Welcome to my Pom Wonderful Dinner Party!

You are cordially invited to the Virtual Version of my Pom Wonderful Dinner Party
Date: Now (actual real dinner party was held on Saturday, November 13, 2010)
Time: Whenever is convenient for you (actual real dinner party time 6:00 p.m. till...whenever the guests wanted to leave...which was sometime around midnight. I think. There were a lot of pomegranate cosmos floating around so exact times got a little hazy)
Location: Here (actual dinner party was at my house)

Guest List: Anyone who stumbles into my blog (actual guest list...I'm not much of a name dropper, but I have to say that Babette, the founder of BakeSpace.com did attend with the man in her life. There was a total of 11 people)

Prior to my grand event, Pom Wonderful sent me some goodies, which consisted of a whole *^%# load of the most amazing fresh pomegranates:

What a beauty! Which was only one of many. 44 to be exact! And they arrived in the cutest little crate like boxes too.

I also received some coupons for free Pom Wonderful Juice and some gift bags for my guests (sorry, those were only for the real life guest....not you virtual folks).

As you can see by the mess on my table, I was working on my pomegranate center piece. I think this particular part of the party gave me the most anxiety. I had no clue what I would, could, wanted to do. After a series of texts and phone calls to one of my BakeSpace buds, Michele, who has a great blog called My Italian Grandmother (we'll talk more about her in a post next week....stay tuned cuz you're gonna wanna hear read about it), I finally had a plan and got busy with that. I found a couple of Pom Tea glasses in my cupboard from a few years back and decided to add those to my center piece. If you look real closely, you might be able to see how the bottom of each glass is filled halfway with black beans and pom arils...then filled with water. I place a floating candle inside, which made the arils look like they were glowing. I also strung some white twinkle lights in the tray under a layer of green moss. The glass vase also has some some green moss in the bottom and a few strands of jasmine intertwined around the pomegranates. I chose various silk flowers, leaves, pears and persimmons to enhance the various shades of the pomegranate skins.

Pom Wonderful sent me a cute little cutting board....(can never have enough cutting boards, let me tell ya!!)

And one more really fun treat....my Pom Wonderful Apron! (I think this is my favorite thing LOL)

How fun is THAT!!! And can you see how big those...Poms are?!

Ok, so you've had a preview of the before the scenes stuff (you should feel special because my real life guests didn't get to see that stuff!)

By the way....are you curious as to why I did all this? It's a contest. Pom Wonderful chose 100 people across the nation to put on a Pom Wonderful Dinner Party. They'll pick 10 winners. Good enough reason, isn't it? That's what I thought :)

Now for the menu....

Guests arrive and are greeted with a very tasty, very strong....knock you on your ass Pomegranate Cosmo

I used vodka, cointreau, Pomegranate and Blueberry Pom Wonderful Juice and (look at the bottom of the glass) pomegranate arils (aka seeds).

I'll follow up this post with the all the recipe in the next several days.

For an appetizer, they were served Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Bruschetta.

Here you have a homemade baguette (I used the master recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day), toasted with garlic infused olive oil, with a goat cheese spread, topped with pomegranate roasted butternut squash, tomatoes, basil and of course pomegranate arils. The flavors came together and then exploded in different directions on the pallet. I had used the same roasted butternut squash as I did in the soup. This gave everyone a little hint of what was to come.

There was a choice of soup or salad (or both). For the salad we had fresh greens, pears, red onions, grape tomatoes, pomegranate arils and walnuts tossed with a special pomegranate molasses house dressing.

The soup was a fabulous vegetarian Pomegranate Roasted Butternut Squash Cream Soup served in fresh homemade bread bowls

 

Or in shot glasses for those who just wanted a taste but were saving room for the main course

For the main course, we had Cornish Game Hens with a sauce made with pomegranate juice and homemade pomegranate molasses, along side a simple dressing (sorry, no pomegranates in the dressing.....which was fine, since that was my least favorite dish of the night)

And le piece de resistance......

Pomegranate Cheese Cake

This is a basic cheesecake with a sour cream topping. The glaze consists of pomegranate juice, cointreau, orange peel and pomegranate arils. The sweet, sour and tart combination was magnificent.

Tell me if any of you have done this before....you have a big dinner with friends and lots of great food. You take a ton of pictures. Only to realize the following day that the pictures were only of the food. No people pictures. At all. I swear I had guests. Lots of drinking, eating and non-stop talking....the men in the background watching a fight on TV while the women talked about everything and anything. We had a fabulous time.

After dinner, we sat at the table as I demonstrated how to open a pomegranate. This was done after a couple of those Pomegranate Cosmos....which made it more entertaining. I thought about having the guests join in, but then I didn't want anyone to go home with juicy stains on their clothes. So they watched me cut off the crown and then sliced the pomegranate into wedges, using the white membrane as a guide....then I turned the wedges inside out over a bowl of water

(btw, if you do this under water, your chances of getting a juice squirt in the face or on the shirt is less likely to happen),

We then scooped out the floating membranes (the arils sink) and strained out the water and proceeded to nibble on pomegranate arils while we continued to chat away.

I thought I had a video of this happening...but I can't seem to find it. We'll just blame it on the cosmos. If I come across it, I'll add it in. How's that?

Did I mention that I found some pomegranate Jelly Belly Jelly Beans? I did!! There was straight pomegranate flavored ones and then pomegranate cosmo flavored ones. How fun and perfect is that?

I want to thank the people over at Pom Wonderful for allowing me to participate in this contest and giving me the tools to host such an awesome party. They were more then generous. I've played with their juices in the past and have been a big fan of their juices and teas for years, but I never stretched myself as much as I did with this party. I mean...pomegranate molasses? Yes, I made pomegranate molasses and it's a wonderful ingredient! I discovered for myself the versatility of the ever flavorful, nutritious pomegranate. Sweet and savory...it enhances some dishes and shines beyond expectations when needed.

They aren't just a fun food for messy kids. Pomegranates dress up very nicely. They're just as elegant as they are fun.

I hope you've enjoyed this little virtual version of my Pom Wonderful Dinner Party. Look for the recipe posts in the near future. They're worth making!

Chocolate Syrup and HBin5 Turkish Pear Coffee Bread

"Pear and coffee in the same bread?!" you ask? Ya, I said the same thing. But it's not like it sounds. I mean....it's not what you think. Well, it's not. (do I sound like a guilty teenager?)

Neither flavor is dominant. It's rather interesting. If I handed you a slice and asked you to taste it, I doubt you could detect what's in it, but you'd like it and you wouldn't even know why.

So, why did I make this bread? Because it was one of the assignments from the online HBin5 Bread Braid that I participate in where we're baking our way through Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

If it weren't for this group, I don't think I would've felt the need or desire to make this dough at all. But I would've been missing out. There's a texture...moist, soft...and you can almost "feel" that pear grit but not quite. The coffee seems to add almost a nuttiness to it but again, not quite. And it's so pretty with it's little speckles.

Yep....those are actual coffee grounds. From fresh ground coffee beans. They almost look like poppy seeds, don't you think? And can you see the little bits of pear skin? I forget what kind of pear I used....but it's brown and firm. I figured since it was being baked, the firmer variety would be best. Especially since these doughs are almost always on the wet side. But...once you puree a pear, regardless of it's variety....it's pretty wet, so maybe that didn't make much of a difference.

If you're interested in the recipe, it can be found on page 185 in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook. It's a fantastic book. I highly recommend it. In the year that I've been messing around with the recipes, I have grown leaps and bounds. Not to mention all the advice and tips from the other members in the group. If this sounds like something you'd like to do...you can always join us. We have another year of baking ahead of us. Head on over to Michelle's blog, BigBlackDogs.net and see what we're all up to.

The bread baked up beautifully. I did forget to create the steam in the oven. Instead of a firm artisan crust, it came out soft. Which is actually fine with me. And I think we were suppose to sprinkle some raw sugar on top, which I totally forgot about until just now. That would've been nice.

 

Besides eating it as is, or toasted....I wanted to do something fun. So I made french toast. Instead of using maple syrup....I made chocolate syrup. 

Do you know how easy it is to make chocolate syrup?! OMG!!! And it tastes just like the stuff in those squeezy bottles that you buy at  the grocery stores. I found the recipe on FoodNetwork.com. It's one of Alton Browns recipes...and it totally works! If you have kids...they won't even know that it's not the "other" stuff. I swear. 

The process was so easy and basic, that I didn't even take step by step pictures. There really isn't that much to it.

Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups water

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (dutch processed is recommended)

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Mix the water and sugar together in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil. Whisk in the remaining ingredients....continue whisking until everything has dissolved together. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking until the sauce has reduced a little and is slightly thickened. Stir occasionally so that the chocolate doesn't burn on the bottom. 

Strain the chocolate and allow to cool to room temperature. (If you have a squeezy bottle, poor it in and fake the kids out!)

And there you have it.....

Rich, dark, homemade chocolate syrup! This recipe makes a lot more than what's shown in this picture. I cut the recipe in half but the actual full fledged recipe makes about 5 cups. 

And you know what else? This makes the most awesome chocolate milk!!!

If I had mini marshmallows, I would've made a nice big mug of hot cocoa but to be honest with you...until today, it hasn't really been all that cold. What I'm really wishing for though....yep, you guessed it....a bottle of Kahlua to spice things up a bit. Now that's chocolate milk at its finest.

This is my submission for The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop this week. Click on the badge below to hope on over and see what else is being shared :)

Lemon, Basil and Egg in a Baguette

Doesn't that look interesting? It's really good! And it was my dinner. Mine alone. Just for me. Do you know how challenging it can be to cook for one person? Totally not my thing but I was hungry and no one else was home. I looked at a bowl of lemons and wanted something with lemon. But I didn't have any meat defrosted. Egg popped into my mind and there my search began. A rather quick search with a quick solution. Just for me.


I'll tell you all about it in a minute. First, let's talk about challenges. I enjoy a good challenge. Maybe not stress that comes with some challenges, but the fun kind. The kind that makes you think outside your box and makes you grow, in a fun way (read food way). If I haven't done it before, I wanna try it. If I have done it, I wanna do it differently. That's where Marx Food's Iron Foodie 2010 comes in.

                                         
Marx Foods is the company where I got 2 pounds of incredibly yummy morel mushrooms from and some really fun palm leaf bowls and plates. Well, now they're hosting a challenge, complete with some ingredients. Secret ingredient. How cool is that?! You see...Marx Foods doesn't just sell mushrooms and biodegradable plates and bowls. They sell a whole line of gourmet ingredients. Sooo...in order to be considered as a participant in their Iron Foodie 2010 contest, I need to answer a few questions...one of which was just answered above regarding why I want to compete in the challenge. In case I didn't make myself clear....the cut and dry answer is....the shear fun of expanding my "box", growing and learning!

Have you ever dreamed of spending time with one particular person in the kitchen? It has crossed my mind several times over the years. I wish that I had lived closer to my grandmother, Elvie. I would've loved learning all that she knew about cooking. She could pull together a spread for the whole family and everyone was satisfied and full of good, home cooked food. Then I think how awesome it would be to laugh and play with butter in the kitchen with Paula Deen. She just looks like she has a great time playing with food, and of course eating it and sharing the love with those around her. But if I had to pick one person, I think I'd have to say, Julia Child. We could drink wine and make a huge mess and come out with a fabulous dish. I have a feeling I'd learn the most from her....I'd really have to pick her brain on all that she learned in France. I'd probably end up learning more than just food stuffs. She was a go getter and conqueror, not only in the kitchen, but in life.

I love french fries. (I mean...honestly....who doesn't? Well, besides my virtual twin sister, Joy) A little greasy....crispy on the outside and soft and hot on the inside. I particularly enjoy dipping them in ranch dressing. On occasion, well, on a lot of occasions, I finish my fries before anyone else does. If you value your fries, do not leave them unattended during my watch. You just might find yourself a few fries short of a serving. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to get burgers and fries on a Sunday afternoon for the family, only to arrive home with a bunch of half empty bags. I got away with blaming the burger joint employee's for being stingy with the fries a couple of times. Eventually....they caught on. I no longer am allowed to do the burger runs on my own.

(only 2 more...then we'll get to the recipe)

Thanksgiving Dinner! Now we're talking!!! When I think back to all the family meals we had together during my childhood....Thanksgiving is my favorite. We all got together, we all helped in some way (I usually had to set the table.....sigh) and we all ate like pigs. One of my aunts and I would fight over the crispy skin. Hands were often slapped (very often mine) for "testing" the food before it was served. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday with the perfect meal. You get all the good food and quality, memorable family time without the stress of buying presents.

We all have a food we cannot, will not, flat out refuse to eat. I can't stand eggplant. I have tried. It has even been secretly included in my meal, but not unnoticed. There are other foods I'm not fond of, such as beats, and brussel sprouts....but eggplant tops that list. Beats run a very close second. Fish....isn't by choice, it's an allergy thing. But if you want to see me gag, shiver and look completely ridiculous....make me eat an eggplant. Don't say I didn't warn you.

And, that's me. In one of my many nutshells. Now I just wait and see if I am chosen as one of the 25 contestants. (cross your fingers)

Back to my single serving dinner. I really enjoyed the lemon and basil combo with the egg, (of course cheese is always a welcome ingredient but it wasn't the king of this dish) all in a crispy baguette. Way simple to make with only a few ingredients needed. This dish is meant as a much larger meal, made with a foccacia, but I scaled it down, just for me. Giada really has some very wonderful recipes. If you want the original, full blown, feed several people reciep....click ---->HERE<----

This is a loose recipe....the quantities are adjustable and changeable. Do what sounds good for you.

Lemon, Basil and Egg in a Baguette
Printable Version

4" section of a baguette
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons or so of shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon or so of chopped fresh basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350' F

Hollow out the bread. Cut the bread up, or tear it, into bite sized pieces and set it aside. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Brush the inside of the baguette with the lemon oil.

Stick the bread in the oven to toast. If you are one of the lucky ones who happen to have a toaster oven...go for it!! I don't have one. Never have. First time I ever used one was when I started my current job, about 2 yrs ago. I left my bread in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes....I wanted it crispy.

While that's going on, in a small bowl, beat the egg, some of the cheese, and basil together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add most of the bread crumbs to the egg mixture. When your bread is toasted to your desire, fill it up with the bread/egg mixture. Top with more cheese

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, (roughly...I wasn't looking at the clock exactly) until the egg is cooked.

Good stuff, simple fresh flavors and ingredients that come together in a big way. And you know what? I didn't even miss not having any meat for dinner (thats a biggy for me....I like my meat). I think the whole wheat baguette that I used was earthy enough to almost make me think I was tasting meat. (weird, huh?) But if you'd like, you could totally add some bacon or sausage to this baby. Oooh...and maybe a handful of spinach. Ya....there definitely is room for personal growth with this dish.

Turkey Cupcakes or Meatloaf Muffins?

What does a food blogger, obsessed with baking and cooking person do when the kitchen is out of commission?

She goes insane.

Thank God it was temporary. (both the out of commission kitchen and the insanity)

My sink had a leak. Well, more like a gush. A pipe under the sink separated and instead of going out to the main drain and off to the water plant, all that water just ended up on the floor. Did I mention that I had a kitchen full of dirty dishes when this happened? This was Friday night and the plumber didn't consider it an emergency (ya, I know it's not a toilet....but it's my SINK!! I can't cook without the use of my sink, don't you understand? This is what my weekends are all about.....what am I going to do?) and wasn't coming out until Monday.

No cooking. No baking. No playing in the kitchen. No playing with my food. Which leads to said temporary insanity.

So I went to Trader Joes (and Santoro's Subs, and Steve's Charbroil Burgers, and Starbucks) for some food. One of the items that caught my eye in the freezer section was a box of ground turkey patties, topped with spinach and mashed potatoes. It looked really good so I bought it. I haven't re-heated cooked them yet and probably won't at this point (I'll leave them for the kids....I'm not much into spinach. So why did I get them? Good photography on the box.) but they left such an impression on my little semi-culinary mind.

I came home today from work and what did I find? A fixed sink and almost all of the dishes had been clean!! Omg...Sir Sportsalot made up for some of other things that happened over the weekend that I won't go into....yep...he does dishes. (more than I do, if you want to know the truth)

Woooo Hooooo.....I started doing the happy dance!! Defrosted some ground turkey, poured myself a glass of chardonnay and started on my own version of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.

It's really simple. I'm not giving out recipes here....just a few links and a really awesome idea on what to do with some already existing recipes.

Mix up a batch of turkey meatloaf....or what ever you're favorite recipe is for meatloak....beef, turkey...whatever. I basically used the same recipe for Turkey Meatballs

Preheat your oven to 375', and grease 12 muffins tins. Divide the turkey mixture  evenly among the tins. Sprinkle with some extra seasoning; black pepper and paprika

 

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

Get some Pesto. I had picked up a bunch of basil at the store yesterday so I made some fresh Garlic and Basil Pesto.

Make your favorite mashed potatoes. And start layering, and garnishing.

This is some seriously good stuff. It's like comfort food on another level....all in one bite.

And the veggie on the side? I peeled a zucchini with a wide potato peeler and did a quick saute in some butter, olive oil and garlic....with a little dash of black pepper.

Don't you just love playing in the kitchen? Especially when you've been deprived for 3 days!!!

Btw, I happen to have cupcakes on the brain. In a big way. You see...there's this really cool event happening here in Los Angeles on November 20 called Cupcake Camp LA and I'm going to be there. It's a charity event and I'm bringing cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. 100 or more to be exact, more or less. Yep, I've signed up as an amateur baker participant and am so very excited!

The event is sponsored by BakeSpace.com. If you're going to be in the area and you like cupcakes, or you like supporting non profits, then stop on by and say hello!

This is my entry this week into the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop....what isn't more yum for the soul than comfort made fun