birthday dessert ideas: October 2011

Chipotle Burgers & Hamburger Salad

So Kelly from Kelly the Kitchen Kop posted about a hamburger salad. I've been doing the whole gluten free thing so this intrigued me.

However, I ended up deviating from her recipe. A lot. A whole lot.

If you want to see her ideas, check out the original recipe.

I stuck with the salad idea but decided to make a chipotle mayo instead. She recommended fried onions and they are my favorite so I stuck with those.

Then I did something that many might find odd but I found delicious. We had butternut squash and baked beans to go along with the hamburgers. At the last minute, I decided just to dump the beans and squash right on the salad.

Seriously good stuff.

Eat the burgers with a bun. Eat it the way Kelly made it. Or invent your own way. It's all good.

Chipotle Cheeseburgers

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 tbsp. garlic
2 tbsp. chipotles in adobo sauce

Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp. chipotle sauce

Mix ground turkey with garlic and chipotles. Shape into 6 patties and cook until done. Mix mayo and chipotle sauce and put on cooked burgers. (Start with a small amount of chipotle sauce in the mayo and taste so it's not too spicy.)

Grill some onions and serve on buns, or on a salad, or however you would like.

One Year Ago...

Rootbeer Baked Beans

This is linked with:
$5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners

Your Recipe, My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Made By You Mondays at Skip to my Lou
Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling
Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
Hearth & Soul at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Tasty Tidbits at Permanent Posies
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at SS & GF
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Homemaker

Menu Plan Monday ~ October 31 - November 6, 2011

Monday: Confetti Quinoa Salad

Tuesday: Ratatouille Polenta Bake (add beans)

Wednesday: Quesadillas & Black Beans & Rice

Thursday: Steaks, potatoes, Cheesy Zucchini Soup

Friday: Spicy Garlic Cashew Chicken, Caramelized Autumn Fruit Stuffing

Saturday: Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

Sunday: Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole (for dinner)

Desserts: Pumpkin Mousse

This is linked with:
Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Menu Plan Your Butt Off at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans

One Year Ago...

Chile Verde in the Slow Cooker

Bananas at Last

When I came home from the supermarket with bananas, my daughter said, "we must be rich, we have bananas".

It's felt like that this year, hasn't it, with bananas often $13-$15 a kilo since the cyclones last summer. Like most Australians, I suspect, we had gone many months without bananas prior to this recent splurge.

My brother, who moved to Sweden mid-year bought Chilean bananas at $1.95 per kilo and wrote on his Facebook page, "Finally, affordable bananas."

While I am overall opposed to the importation of fruit we Aussies can grow ourselves, I'm not clear why we protect the banana industry when we don't, for instance, protect the apple industry against cheaper imports.

Thankfully, prices are now dropping and should hopefully be normal in the next month or two - that is, until the next cyclone season.

Golden tones...

Fim de tarde no Parque... não há cores mais bonitas que as do Outono.

Late afternoon in the park... there are no prettier colours than those of Autumn...

Raisin Healthy Crispy Crunchers

My brother eats Kashi bars. He eats like 3 a day, maybe more, I don't know. I know he buys tons of them. Clearly he loves his bars.

He came to me with this recipe from one of his running magazines. I made them right away.

I was privileged enough to actually get to eat one before he ate the rest of them and requested more.

Yea, they were good. Very good.

Raisin Healthy Crispy Cruncher Recipe

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups toasted rice crispies
2 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked)
3/4 cup golden raisins

Spray an 8 in. baking pan with cooking spray.

Put peanut butter, honey and brown sugar in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes until bubbly. Add vanilla and stir. Add cereal, oats and raisins. Stir lightly until mixture is evenly combined. Press warm mixture very firmly into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature or refrigerator. Cut into 12 bars.

Nutrition Facts

12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222.9
Total Fat 6.3 g
Saturated Fat 1.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 92.6 mg
Potassium 293.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 48.8 g
Dietary Fiber 4.0 g
Sugars 23.9 g
Protein 5.0 g

One Year Ago...

Chunky Cinnamon Red Hot Applesauce

This is linked with:
Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello
My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory
Just another Meatless Monday at Hey, What's For Dinner?
Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday at Midnight Maniac

Friday Favorites - Desserts

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I really try to go for the healthy meals and skip the dessert. But that doesn't mean I can't drool a little? Plus, I love having ideas for what to bring as treats for parties and gatherings.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares

Source: oneperfectbite.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Peanut Butter Grahams

Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Popcorn Candy Balls

Source: aduckinherpond.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Caramel Apple Cake with Cider Frosting

Source: outtatheboxintothekitchen.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes

Source: connorscooking.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Find more blogger favorites on Finding Joy in my Kitchen.

Herb & Cheese Stuffed Burgers

I cheated all summer. We ate a lot of burgers but I bought the frozen patties. I love homemade burgers but just found myself falling for all the sales and ended up buying too many.

I finally made some burgers that I am really proud of. I was hesitant, I didn't think there would be enough herbs for the flavor to come through. I was wrong and they were perfect. I loved the flavor.

I find stuffed things slightly annoying as they ooze out everywhere all the time and these were no different, but it seemed to work well and they were awesome.

Herb & Cheese Stuffed Burgers
Adapted from Taste of Home

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
3 tsp. dijon mustard, divided
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
3 tbsp. bread crumbs (I used gluten free)
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1 lb. lean ground turkey, 93%

In a small bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, parsley and 1 tsp. mustard, set aside. In another bowl, combine the onions, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt, rosemary, sage and remaining mustard. Crumble ground turkey over mixture and mix well.

Shape into 8 thin patties, spoon cheese mixture onto center on four of the patties, top with remaining patties and press edges to firmly seal. Cook burgers in pan until done.

One Year Ago...

Apple Onion Pizza

This is linked with:
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin'
Cooking Thursday at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Things I Love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries
It's a Keeper Thursday at It's a Keeper
Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home
I'm Lovin' It at Tidy Mom
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Foodie Friday at Not Your Ordinary Recipes
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tater Tots and Jello

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Diet Food Recipes | Diet Food Recipes Weight Loss

Diet Food Recipes Weight Loss. Food can be prepared in such a way that helps to fight against people gain weight, and diet recipes low carb is the way forward. Of all the food groups, carbohydrates and fats are known enemies of the diet. The reason for this is that carbohydrates are broken down in general as sugar or glucose, and excess glucose in the body is a recipe for catastrophe. The irony is that human beings require carbohydrates to function, because this is where they get our energy. You can not eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, any diet that eliminates a food group ought to be retested. In lieu, what they can do is limit your intake of carbohydrates or be selective about the categories of carbohydrates they eat.

Diet Food Recipes

Unknown to plenty of, carbohydrates come in all feasible ways. His favourite leafy green is a carbohydrate, as well as their slice of damp chocolate cake. There's lovely carbs and bad carbs there, and in case you require to lose weight require to be aware of the difference between the. The reason why plenty of people fail in the fight against weight gain is that they lack the correct knowledge. In lieu of limiting your diet to complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber, which finish up eating carbohydrates that are refined and processed. These bad carbs are the worst enemies of any who is trying to lose weight, because these foods spike insulin levels in the blood and makes weight loss more difficult.

diet food recipes with pictures

Low carb recipes, diet, focus on what is called the lovely carbs. These carbohydrates are not as basically absorbed in to the bloodstream, which means they do not actually cause an increase in levels of blood sugar. For example, compared the effect of a Danish pastry with all the sweet and butter to a slice of bread, the second will help in your diet. Both are carbohydrates, but the slice of bread will give you the fiber you require without any unnecessary sugar and calories added. These recipes focus on the use of fiber sources, and these ingredients are necessary for any diet. Examples are whole grains such as oat bran, whole wheat pasta, rye, whole wheat bread, barley, oats and others.

Raw Food Recipes | Raw Food Recipes for Kids

Raw Food Recipes for Kids. Eating healthy presents some challenges for the relatives, in the event you start young with their children. Probably a small more difficult in the event that they have been accustomed to eat unhealthy foods. Organic raw foods are healthy & if they care about our children, then they must let them know about raw food.

A surprising finding was found by researchers at the University of Reading in England & the Scottish Agricultural College. They found that families with children tend to eat fewer fruits & vegetables than families without children.

raw food recipes breakfast

You can not think that is an wonderful discovery, but I do. This might be connected to childhood obesity rates rising quickly. Plenty of parents give priority to convenience when preparing food. In lieu of fighting with the children about healthy food, let the children eat what they require.

In plenty of homes, both parents work outside the home. After a long day of work they prefer to dine on quick food or microwave. Even full-time at home mothers have a full schedule as well as a lack of energy by dinnertime. Time to change our priorities & prepare more raw foods.

raw food recipes easy

The potential long term effects of an unhealthy diet are scary. It is not obesity, but also cancer, heart illness & other diseases. The nice news is that some simple modifications to your diet can have beautiful & healthy.

Provide your children to eat vegetables regularly so the salads that you can add other ingredients (like nuts or seeds) already like. Mix vegetables are basic foods & relatives can also get children accustomed to see & enjoy fresh produce.

Whole Food Recipes | Whole Food Recipes Chicken

Whole Food Recipes Chicken. This whole roast chicken recipe is a traditional recipe for cooking barbecue in South Asia. This is a general barbecue prepared material, which definitely gives an excellent flavor with smoky flavor, but this recipe is prepared by cooking technique, which is of the choices for the barbecue & simple for those without Barbecue can be done at home. This roast chicken served with special sauce called raita yogurt green in the kitchen Pakistani onion & lemon slices. This is more so if introduced in stunning serving dish with onion, lemon & spanish fries spread around.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (medium size)
1 1 / 2 tablespoon red pepper powder
1 / 2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 tablespoon hot mix spice powder (garam masala)
1 / 2 teaspoon of Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
250 g of yogurt
1 / 2 cup raw papaya paste
1 / 2 cup heavy cream
1 / 4 cup oil

health food recipes

Take whole chicken & make knife cuts in the legs, wings & the chest.
two. To prepare the marinade for chicken combine all the above ingredients including red pepper, turmeric powder, spices hot mix, chaat masala, salt, yogurt, papaya paste, cream & the oil. Mix all these ingredients well until a thick paste is formed.
three. Now, using your hands to marinate the chicken with the marinade prepared coat, chicken & spices to absorb all the flavors of chicken in all places. Leave for 30 minutes at room temperature.

four. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. First, a huge deep pan containing water to a boil in the oven, place chicken on greased baking tray & pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil on it. Place the tray of chicken in the pot of boiling water in the oven & cook for 30-40 minutes until it becomes sensitive & changes color to brown.

Just me

Ok, alguns de vocês não sabem como é que eu sou (a não ser pela foto que está no separador "About Me") e, como nem todas as pessoas vão à página do Facebook, onde tenho mais algumas fotos minhas, achei que neste dia, em que faço 41 anos, poderiam achar piada em ver-me em fotografias mais actualizadas... Estas foram tiradas hoje e, como é um dia feliz, espero que isso se transmita no sorriso que vos deixo - esqueçam o cabelo que, enfim, está naquela fase que não é carne, nem é peixe!! Beijos!!

Ok, so some of you don't know how I look like, except for the photo that I have on the "About Me" label or some of the photos that I have on the Facebook blog's page. I have very few pictures of myself, so I decided to take these self portraits today, as it's my 41st birthday and maybe you want to see my "updated" face! :) Forget about the hair, it's on that stage that is somewhat undefined... :) xo Susana

Southwest Smothered Chicken

Okay, easy meal time! This came together super quick. It didn't take too much thought and I was even able to make it with kids doing homework, a baby underfoot and a set of 3 year old twins.

I didn't use the pepperjack cheese as I used the last of it on the eggs for breakfast. Whoops! It still came out delicious and it's a meal we'll make again.

Southwest Smothered Chicken
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with cumin and cayenne. In a large skillet, cook chicken in pan with a small bit of oil over medium heat until done and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine corn and salsa, spoon over chicken. Top with cheese and heat until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream if desired.

One Year Ago...

Firehouse Chili with Cornbread

This is linked with:

Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at SS & GF
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What's on your Plate? at Good Cheap Eats
Crockpot Wednesday at Dining with Debbie
My Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Potato Salad

Have you ever had Famous Daves Sweet & Spicy pickle chips? They are delicious and I had the idea to use the pickle juice in potato salad. I know, pickle juice in potato salad is hardly a new idea but using this flavored pickle juice was new to ME.

There are probably about 1,000,000 ways to make potato salad. There is no right or wrong way, just many, many different opinions. I love adding lots of veggies in my potato salad. Add however much you want and take out what you don't like. That's the beauty of a good potato salad. Make it your way.

Potato Salad Recipe

7 - 8 mid sided potatoes
6 tbsp. pickle juice (I used Famous Daves Sweet & Spicy)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup onions, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup cucumbers, chopped
1/3 cup carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp. honey mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes. Simmer until done, remove from pot and cool slightly. Take skins off if you want, I didn't. Cut into small cubes.

Put potatoes into a large bowl. Add the juice from the pickles. Add the veggies. Mix carefully. In a separate small bowl, mix mayo with mustard, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the dressing with the potato mixture. Taste and salt and pepper to taste.

One Year Ago...

Sweet & Spicy Big Veggie Pot

This is linked with:

$5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners
My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory
Your Recipe, My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Just another Meatless Monday at What's for Dinner, Mom?
Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday at Midnight Maniac
Made By You Mondays at Skip to my Lou
Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling
Making You Crave at Mrs. Happy Homemaker
Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Hearth & Soul at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Tasty Tidbits at Permanent Posies
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at SS & GF
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Gluten Free Wednesdays at Gluten Free Homemaker

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Menu Plan Monday ~ October 24 - October 30, 2011

Check out my giveaway!

I think I'm going to take it easy this week. Hubs works a lot of nights and my brother is gone for the week. So for the most part, it's just me and the kids.

Whenever I am alone, I like to make hummus. For most people, it is a side dish or an appetizer. For me, this is a meal. Some veggies and gluten free crackers and I'm good to go. I just need to decide what kind I want to make. I want to try something new if possible.

Monday: Quinoa Salad with Peach, Black Beans & Cilantro Lime Dressing, leftover BBQ sandwiches for kids

Tuesday: Sweet Potato Soup, chicken

Wednesday: Spaghetti, veggies

Thursday: Hummus of some sort

Friday: Chicken Pasta Salad

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

Check out more menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Shrinking Menu Planning over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

One Year Ago...

Oven Fried Onion Rings

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Pumpkin Applesauce

Check out my giveaway!

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. Have you had enough pumpkin recipes yet? I love this time of year. I have tons of apples and lots of pumpkin so naturally, putting them together was going to happen.

I love applesauce. I eat it plain. I love it over vanilla ice cream. It's awesome with vanilla yogurt. I also enjoy it with granola. See. So versatile. So tasty.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe
Adapted from The Novice Chef

3 lbs. apples, cored and chopped
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Juice of a lemon
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Place chopped apples in the bottom of a slow cooker. Juice the lemon over the apples. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over apples. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or until soft. Mash into chunks or pour into an applesauce into a food processor for thinner consistency. I left the peels on the apples but you can peel them if you'd like.

One Year Ago...

Slow Cooked Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Sweets For A Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Corners of my home

Primeiro fim-de-semana de Outono a sério. Nem quero acreditar que faço 41 anos para a semana e que esteve tanto calor até tão próximo do meu aniversário!...

Hoje de manhã tirei algumas fotos de alguns recantos de cá de casa. Esta semana montamos umas estantes no meu quarto - não ficaram lá muito bem, a madeira está empenada e, apesar de gostar e de lá querer estantes, ainda não encontrei as ideais. Aqui há uns tempos vi estes bonequinhos magnéticos numa fotografia e lembrei-me de que deveriam ficar bem no meu quarto, com os tons de vermelho que por lá predominam... Aquela moldura castanha também deve mudar de cor brevemente... :)

Na sala já só me apetece começar com as decorações de Natal - eu sei, falta ainda algum tempo, mas desde Setembro que penso nisso - nas maravilhosas bolas de Natal, que eu tanto adoro, nos arranjos que quero fazer com as miúdas, nas cores que vou escolher este ano... Queria muito ter uma taça de pé, branca, e fazer um arranjo com bolas e outras peças de vidro. Mas as que eu encontro e de que gosto são muito caras... Bem, com a ajuda da Carlota, já tenho um pequeno detalhe natalício na sala:

Alguns dos enfeites que comprei já este ano...

Some of the vintage ornaments that I already bought this year...

Mas a Conchinha também deixou a sua marca...

...e eu a minha! :)

E daqui a pouco seguimos para o Parque da Cidade, para apanhar umas folhas que a Carlota vai usar para fazer uma vassoura para a aula de Inglês - o tema é o Halloween. Olhem só as cores do nosso parque no Outono... são lindas!...

** aproveitem bem o vosso fim-de-semana!

This is the first real Autumn weekend here at Porto. Next week I'm turning 41 and I can't believe we've had such hot days so close to my birthday!

Well, this morning I took a few pictures of some corners of my home. We now have two new shelves in my bedroom, but they don't look that good, as the wood is warped. Still have to find the right ones... One of these days I saw a picture of those old magnetic kissing couples and I thought they would look good in my room - so here they are! That wooden frame is turning another colour pretty soon... :)

I feel like starting Christmas decor in the living room, although it's a little too early - don't know what's gotten into me this year, but I've been thinking about it since September! I love ornaments, especially vintage ones, and this year I'm planning on having some cute Christmas details in the girls' room - their little Christmas - so I can't stop thinking about it - the colours that I'll be using, sweets, beautiful displays... I also would love to have a footed plate in which I could display the ornaments, but the ones that I like are too expensive... Sooo, with a help from Carlota, we have this small deer in the living room, which is a nice Christmasy detail! :)

Conchinha also left her mark with the loose shoes and teddy bear... and I left mine, with another Mason jar display and a couple of plain bowls that I love.

We'll be heading off to the main city park in a while and I leave you a photo of its beautiful Fall colours...

** enjoy your weekend!