Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Roasted Vegetables

SO SO SO
YUM
Really

You must try this
if you have never tried
spaghetti squash
start with this recipe

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 can of diced tomatoes
3 patty pan squash
3 spaceship squash
1/2 zucchini
1/2 an onion
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
salt and pepper

cut up the pattypan
spaceship, zucchini and onion
drizzle with the grapeseed oil
and salt and pepper
roast at 400
stirring a few times
until tender and caramelized


take your spaghetti squash
poke it with a fork
ALL OVER
really
my last one exploded
because I didn't do enough
put the squash in the microwave
for 5 minutes
turn it over
cook for another 5 minutes
let it cool a bit
slice it
scoop out the seeds
use a fork to remove
the insides
they will look like noodles
hence the name


add the drained diced tomatoes


add the yummy
roasted vegetables


add the cheese
mix it all up
put into your sprayed casserole dish
top with chedder
back at 350 for 30ish minutes


I served with
farmer sausage
and a great salad
this was so
amazing

BBQ Beef Sandwiches and a Jesse Tree

I found some frozen
cooked roast beef
in the freezer
I can't recall
when I froze this
I think is was long ago
one of the freezer mystery's
so I made
BBQ Beef Sandwiches
I had no clue how to
but that won't stop me


I put the cooked Roast Beef
into the slow cooker
added a bottle of BBQ sauce
a bit of water
and some mango juice
mostly because it was there
and I thought what the heck
I also added a chopped onion
and put the slow cooker on low
I cooked this for about 6ish hours
be sure to spray you slow cooker
with a non stick spray
I served this on fresh buns
and topped it with a type
of 'slaw' topping
something crunchy
this was left over broccoli slaw
mixed with mayo and asian dressing
it was what I had
and a salad on the side


this was very good
very very good
next time I find
some mystery roast beef
I'll be making this again

Now, you may or may not
have heard of a Jesse Tree
I've heard about it
the last few years
I did a bit of research today
I didn't want to spent any money
but I want to start
some traditions with my kids
to put the focus of Christmas
back on Christ
and off the commercialism
my kids are still young
I would think to young
to understand what a Jesse Tree is
but they are not to young
to understand the gifts
the commercials
and the Santa's
they understand the want of that
so I want to start the Jesse Tree now

I found the Reformed Church of America's
site had good info and pictures
for the kids to color
and the devotional
was done for me
and I that it was written
towards young kids
I felt my kids might
understand this a bit better
this version of the Jesse Tree
started yesterday
so today,
my kids had two ornaments to color


they each must have their own
other wise it would
only be fights
they really enjoyed
doing this tonight
I look forward to seeing
how the month goes
I just took butcher paper
taped it to the wall
and drew a 'tree'
they didn't turn out pretty
I did have 'helpers'



nothing fancy
just simple
and Christ centered

Menu Plan Monday

Last week
was a bit of
a write off
so let's start fresh

I feel like
I haven't been
very creative
with my meals
so I'll try this week
to shake it up a bit

Monday
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
with Salad

Tuesday
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
served with Farmer Sausage
and salad

Wednesday
Mini Meatball and Alphabet soup
with cut veggies and crackers

Thursday
Shredded Beef Tacos
with cut veggies

Friday
Vegetarian Pasta
not sure what exactly

Saturday
left overs for the kidlets
Christmas work party for the Adults

Sunday
popcorn and smoothies
or pancakes
I'll see what the mood feels like

for many more menu ideas
head over to the Organizing Junkie on Monday's

Snow in November

Every few years
we get a snowy winter
rather then just
a cold winter
with a few snow days
I think last year
we had maybe 2 days of snow


this year 'they' say
to expect a snowy winter
who 'they' are
I dunno


I'm not a big fan
of snow
my little man enjoys it
my little girl
not so much


they had fun
for about 10 minutes
and just so you know
this was at 9:30 this morning
tonight the amount of snow is double


living on the west coast
tonight 'they' call
for rain all night
so the snow
should be gone
soon

Easy Dessert

***The following images my not be suitable for all viewers***

I made a dessert today
it had chocolate in it
the kids liked it
can you tell?

it was easy
a friend told me about it
she uses Almond Butter
I used a chocolate spread

take a tortilla
an over ripe banana
chocolate spread
and butter

cover the tortilla
with the chocolate spread
fold the tortilla
around the banana
fry it up in the butter
both sides
not healthy
but so yummy

an easy
and fast
dessert

Oh, you like my Dog's Coat...Why Thanks

I've always said
a dog is fine outside
I've always thought that
but I've not had
a dog with this short hair


I still think a dog
belongs outside
but we have a dog
that is not made
for our cold climate


Chance now spends time
in our kitchen
he has been great about it
however
he is not a fan
of his coat
he was pouting

But he is warm
and not in the cold
and the wind
however
as soon as it warms up
out he goes....

Menu Plan Monday

Late....I know
we've been busy
what can I say
last week, was hard
but I think
the colds have left
please please please
let it be so


Monday
kept it simple
spaghetti with meat sauce
and cut veggies


Tuesday
chicken stir fry
with lots of veggies
I'm doing some looking
around for a good
sauce to make for this

Wednesday
Spaghetti Bake
with cut veggies
using left overs
from Monday

Thursday
chicken fajitas
with salad



Friday
homemade Pizza
yum yum

Saturday
Black Bean Burgers
I'll try again
to get these made
served with Salad

Head over to
The Organizing Junkiefor many more ideas

Linklove

I have come across

some fantastic blogs

but I often forget

or misplace the link

here are a few you

should take the time

to visit

The Organizing Junkie

what can I say

she's great

and hosts

Menu Plan Monday

check out her

link love today

it was thru

the Organizing Junkie

that I found

Ana White

I so wish I

had more money

to make all her projects!

If you have not heard of

Food Gawker

and you enjoy cooking

you need to go there now

also

Taste Spotting

both are yummy

they will lead you to some

new sites to explore

I think those will keep

you busy for a bit!

Enjoy

Potato and Leek Soup

A cold, windy and snowy day
not much snow
just a bit blowing around
it was a soup day
I had this one
on my menu plan
for two weeks now
my leeks were not
looking happy in the fridge

I used the Kraft Canada
version of Potato and Leek Soup
as my starting point
but I thought it might be bland
so I added a few things

2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
4 Leeks white parts only,
cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
6-7 medium sized potatoes
peeled and cubed
5 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt *
2 tsp fresh ground pepper *
2 tsp cumin *
2 tsp thyme *
2 tsp oregano *
1 tub cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup real bacon bits *
* I've changed the amounts
or totally added a new ingredient

I used to find Leeks
intimidating
but really they are easy to use


you use the white part
and discard the rest
at least, that's what I do
if there is a use
for the green stalks
please let me know


when you slice them up
they are these cute little rings


because of how leeks grow
you really need to wash
them at this point
to remove the grit
I find my salad spinner
works wonderful


fill the bowl up with cold water
put the leeks in the strainer part
move them around
break them up
this will get the grit out


saute the leeks
in the grapeseed oil
again, I use the grapeseed
in place of extra virgin olive oil
because I like the taste better
you can use what you want


slice up your potatoes
add them in


add the water
the salt and pepper
and the extra yummy add ins
bring to a boil
simmer until the potatoes are tender


add to your blender
in batches
and blend well



add the cream cheese
try to add this
one tablespoon at a time
I ended up using a potato masher
to break it up better


I added more cumin
I love how it tastes
and added the bacon
yum yum
we served this up
nice and easy
cut veggies, cheese and crackers
the kids loved this
as did the parents




my kidlets were feeling better
and played with some potatoes
I just let it happen
it kept them happy