Tamale Pie and New Traditions

Earlier this week I decided to try this recipe, which I have been eyeing for weeks. Bridget’s blog, Tales of Me and the Husband, is funny, whimsical, and inspiring.. go read it! And steal her awesome ideas, like I did.

Anyway, the recipe sounded easy and used one of my favorite foods (cornbread) so I finally pulled ground beef out of my freezer and went to work.  Best food decision of Fall 2011!! This stuff is ah-maz-ing.  Mom, you have to make this asap. The guys will LOVE it.

As you can see, I enjoyed more than half of it. By myself.  This is the danger of living alone.  Luckly, my friend Joanna came over to help me decorate for Christmas and I forced my leftovers on her. She was a good sport about the whole thing.

And speaking of Christmas, Joanna and I hit up Target last night to shop for my first Christmas tree! Of course, we walked out with more than a tree.

 Wreath: $20. Tree: $18. Ornaments: $6.  Choosing my own holiday decorating style: fabulous. 

 The tree is decorated in gold and white with a snowflake theme and a splash of red plaid in the tree skirt (must have plaid somewhere). Since the front door of my apartment is painted a happy green, I wanted a non-foliage wreath. The one I found is twisted twigs with red and silver/gold balls clustered in the edges. Perfect!

Merry Christmas from Savannah!

Italian Fix

Hello again from Savannah! Despite my failure to make regular appearances here, I actually have been doing quite a lot of cooking. The problem is there are not enough hours in the day to cook AND write about it AND work AND have fun with friends (I am in my twenties… this is a priority).  Writing is the activity that gets shoved to the bottom of the list, but I will attempt to do more than 1 post per month.

I have always had a thing for Italian cuisine, but lately the carb cravings have intensified. Chalk it up to a highly active job, plus running, plus a relatively high metabolism. Anywho. 

This little recipe popped out one night and it beat the cravings for a good 2 days!  It called for linguine, but I used good ol spaghetti just ‘cuz.

8 oz. spagehetti

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup  milk

¼ cup chopped red pepper

Pinch of red pepper, pepper, and garlic powder

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles according to the package directions. In a small saucepan, combine the next five ingredients. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Stir in ¼ cup cheese and peas. Heat through. Drain noodles, toss with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Eat immediately, like I did, with a side of corn tortilla chips, or stick it in the fridge and eat later, which I also did. Yum!

PS: Miss you Mom!

#1 Kitchen Wish. . .Granted!!!

Having a daughter who works in retail definitely has its perks!  I received a wonderful surprise from her this morning for my birthday. It is something that has been on my wish list for many years, but because of cost, has always been pushed aside when necessities were more important.  Want to know what it is??  Here you go!

That’s right! A KitchenAid free-standing mixer!  I fell in love with these when I was  a Home Ec. major in college. . .way too many years ago to count, and I have wanted one ever since.  I can’t wait to try it!

Savannah Notes

“Hey ya’ll” from the beautiful old city of Savannah, GA! Life in the historic deep South is wonderfully relaxing (other than the work thing, of course). Every time I drive downtown or out to the islands, “I can’t believe I live here!” runs through my head!

Day off = beach

Savannah is truly as picturesque as its reputation claims. Gorgeous houses, churches dating back to the 1700’s, a boat-filled river front,… and the food! Don’t get me started. Home to Paula Deen (who, by the way, is impossible to see so don’t try), the Savannah Cookie Company, and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood, Savannah is not the place for weight-loss fanatics.

Thankfully my job requires constant activity, so I don’t feel too guilty about the occasional indulgence. Eating-out is not becoming a habit though! I finally have the biggest item on my wish list, and I am taking advantage of it. My little kitchen is sufficiently stocked with a crockpot, blender, mixer, pots, pans, and Pyrex. I don’t have a couch, but who needs that? Anywho.

Here is a fun little recipe I tried today. I try to make larger quantities than necessary so I have leftovers for work lunches. You might want to double this if you are making a dish for more than 4 people.

Summer Rotini Salad

4 C. water

2 C. rotini pasta

1/2 C. chopped black olives

1/2 C. black beans

1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese

Add each of these to taste: red pepper, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper

Bring water to a boil and add rotini. Turn heat to just above medium and bring pasta back to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until desired tenderness is reached. Turn off heat and drain pasta. Stir in olive oil, olives, and black beans. Add seasonings to taste and top off with the feta. This is great served warm right out of the pot, but I like to chill mine for an hour or so.

Sorry no pictures! It’s not the prettiest dish. For extra color, add pimentos or green pepper slices.