One of my favorite weekend or weeknight activities is to plop down in front of the TV, find a classic movie on Netflix, and give myself a pedicure. Most of the time I do this with a bottle of rose or bubbly, but today I was feeling… healthy (must’ve been that whole wheat zucchini bread I made, never mind the 4 cups of sugar in it). So I decided to make a batch of flavored water.

This is great not only for spa days, but also for afternoon get-togethers when you need to beat the heat. (more…)

Filed under:
Dairy free, Drink Time, Gluten free, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

If you want a chili that’s full of chili flavor, then look no further. With some chipotle, chili powders, dried chili soaked in water, and green chili, your taste buds are sure to be dancing with flavor.

This recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients to make a good chili. A bit of beer, water that has been flavored with dried chili, and cocoa powder. Trust me on the last one — it gives good color and a tad bit of bitter flavor.

This dish is quick on prep time, because you only have an onion and garlic to chop before getting the cooking started. The chilis can be chopped while cooking, and after everything is combined (which happens within 10 minutes), you just let it simmer with the occasional stir until ready. Have I convinced you that you need the recipe? (more…)

Filed under:
Chili, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Quick and Easy, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

As soon as I saw this recipe on Food In Jars, I knew I had to make it. I had quite a few roma tomatoes, and while I initially had set them aside to make massive amounts of pizza and pasta sauce, I was really, really dreading peeling that many tomatoes.

Enter the Tomato Jam recipe. Tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and red pepper. Those ingredients alone sounded too good to be true. But the kicker was definitely this line, which was like poetry to my ears: “It needs the skin and seeds, to keep things interesting. Don’t take them out.” (more…)

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Appetizers, Condiments, In the Garden, Prep for Later Use, Vegetarian by Courtney

With the return of Monday night football comes yummy, cheesy, not-good-for-you foods. And to begin the season, I decided to break out one of my recently pickled batches of jalapenos and make a plate of these guys.

I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen many moons ago, and I immediately had to make it. Fast forward a year, and silly me hadn’t saved the recipe. While the nachos part itself I could remember, I couldn’t remember the recipe for the guacamole, which is one of the best I’ve ever had. Recently, I found the recipe again, as a download to promote the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. Luckily I saved it this time, because it looks like its already gone again. (more…)

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Appetizers, Comfort food, Gluten free, Vegetarian by Courtney

Attention Campbellites, this post is for you!

Actually, it’s for anyone that is experiencing those last warm days of summer that are fading into fall. This sandwich was inspired by products I pick up at my local farmer’s market, but if you’re not from these parts, you should easily be able to find most products in your local store (and the one secret ingredient online if not locally).

The veggie pita sandwich starts off with veggies – duh! Personally, I like to start with zucchini, summer squash, and onions. You could also try adding some tomatoes or eggplant to the mix. (more…)

Filed under:
Cooking outdoors, Lunch, Sandwiches, Vegetarian by Courtney