Pumpkin Bread Pudding w/cranberries and Brown sugar sauce

This is a great and comforting dessert to celebrate the fall!

Ingredients:

French bread

1 can of pumpkin puree

2 cups of milk

3 eggs

3 Tblspn melted butter

2/3 cup of brown sugar

2/3 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of cranberries

(you could also use raisins or if you are feeling really decadent.....chocolate chips)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease 11x17 baking dish

Cut or tear bread into 1" cubes

Soak bread in milk

Mix together remaining ingredients thouroughly.

Pour mixture into bread mixture and gently mix together blending the ingredients.

Pour combined mixture into baking dish and sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 45-60mins.

Brown sugar sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tblspn corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low. Low boil for 5 mins and then remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Pour brown sugar sauce over bread pudding.

Definitely not a health conscious dessert but delicious!!

Mujadara: Lebanese lentils,rice and Carmelized onions

This dish is total comfort food!
I was Aarti Party on Food Network (love her) and this was one of her recipes. Super easy to make and SO yummy!
I have been attempting to do a vegan meal for my family once a week and Dan said this was "restaurant quality". Guess he liked it. Not a hit with my kiddo's so had to resort to a non-vegan chicken quesadilla for them : )
Prep time is only about 5 mins and it takes about 1hr 20 mins to cook total.

Ingredients:
1 cup of green lentils rinsed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
2 med red onions, thinly sliced
kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon's of toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds
squeeze of fresh lemon
Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

Method:
Cook lentils in a medium sized saucepan after you have rinsed them with enough water to cover the lentils about an inch. Bring to boil over med-high heat and then turn down to simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 mins.
Meanwhile,grab a large skillet. Pop it over med-high heat and add the olive oil. Might seem like a lot of oil but believe me it is necessary to caramelize those onions. Add the cracked peppercorns and cumin seeds to the hot oil shaking the skillet while the cumin seeds darken in color, about 1 minute.
Add the sliced onions to the oil with a dash of salt until they cook and turn caramel brown, stirring often. It will take about 15 mins. Splash the onions with a little water if they start to stick.
Using a slotted spoon remove 1/2 of the onions and set aside for garnish.
Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne pepper and cinnamon stick to the onions and saute for 1 minute.
Add the rice and cook stirring often but gently until some of the rice grains start to brown. Quickly add the cooked lentils and 3 cups of water with 1 1/2 tsp of salt and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 mins. The water should be completely absorbed and rice should be tender when done.
Turn off the heat and keep the lid on to allow the rice to steam undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile toast the pinenuts (or almonds) using a small skillet over med-low heat shaking often for about 5 mins until they start to turn slightly brown. Be careful not to burn them like I have many times : )
Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted nuts and a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Roasted Eggplant Salad (Baingan Bharta)
This is an amazingly flavorful dish and is a perfect complement to Mujadara. It would also be a great dip with pita bread as an appetizer!

Ingredients:
2 large eggplant
2 tablespoon of peanut oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 med white onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small Serrano chili, minced (seeded for less heat)
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems, minced, plus more picked leaves for garnish
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of Greek yogurt (or goats milk yogurt if you are intolerant to dairy) beaten until smooth

Method:
Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Make 3 slashes in the eggplant from top to bottom,equally distanced around the eggplant (to avoid eggplants exploding in high temp).Rub oil on eggplants and place on baking sheet. Roast until soft all the way to the center and the skin is brown. About 45 mins, rotating the pan and flipping the eggplants halfway through. Remove when done and let cool.
Once cool, skin the eggplants and chop the flesh until relatively smooth but not mushy.
In a large skillet, warm the peanut oil over med-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add eggplant flesh, garlic, chili and cilantro leaves. Cook for 2 mins. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.
Add turmeric, cumin and 2 tsp of salt. Stir and cook another 5 mins.
Turn off heat. Add yogurt and stir to combine.
Garnish with cilantro leave sand a sprinkle of ground cumin. Serve either warm or slightly chilled.

Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Cat's Mexican chopped salad

I made this for some friends on July 4Th and it was super yummy!
As requested, here is the recipe : )

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce (chopped fine)
1 red onion (diced)
Roma tomatoes (diced)
Avocado (diced)
1 Jicama (cut into thin strips about 2" long and 1mm thick)
Roasted corn kernels (about 2 cobs worth of kernels. You can use canned corn if time is an issue)
1 can of pinto or black beans

Dressing
This dressing is the secret to this salad. It is very simple but the dressing makes it!

1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
roughly chopped cilantro (add as much or as little as you like)
1 small can Chili in adobo sauce
1 Tablespoon of agave nectar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes squeezed)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine apple cider vinegar, cilantro, lime juice, agave nectar in a food processor. Mix until infused. Take 1 Chili from adobo sauce. They are Very spicy so you may even want to just do 1/2 a chili. For less spice do not put seeds in. You could even just use the sauce for the flavor. Add to other ingredients and blend in food processor until mixed well.
Meanwhile. heat olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin to olive oil and heat for no more than 1 minute, just until spices have opened and are aromatic. Add to the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

Toss together salad and dressing. For added flavor, I also added crumbled goat cheese to my salad. you could also add feta cheese, Gorgonzola or Cojita cheese.

You may also want to top with crispy tortilla strips for added crunch.

Enjoy!
Please post comments if you make it. Love to see what you think : )

Invictus

I have always been so inspired by the strength and resilience of Nelson Mandela in his darkest days. Even through all the torture and repression of his life, he rose up and became a beckon of light to his country and the world. He changed our hearts and inspired us.

I had the incredible fortune of meeting him once at a private party in Bel Air about 12 years ago. I was one of several people hired to take care of him at a private function. Although I was one of the mere staff at the event, he made it a point to introduce himself and his daughter who accompanied him, to each and every one of us. He made it a point to remember our names. It was important to him. He looked me right in the eye and shook my hand sincerely. I will never forget it and it remains a highlight of my life. I guess when you have suffered as much as he did all those years, your value for life and it's inhabitants is so much deeper. I meant something to him in that moment; as a citizen of this world...connected.

I recently watched the movie Invictus and was so moved by it. The poem that kept him moving forward and never giving up while he was in prison for 27 years was Invictus by William Ernest Henley. I wanted to share it with you. It is a reminder that this world cannot oppress us. We must be the very best version of our self...The master of our fate; unafraid and convicted

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me

Black as the pit from pole to pole

I thank whatever God may be

For my unconquerable soul

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud

Under the bludgeoning of chance

My head is bloody but unbowed

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms the horror of the shade

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid

It matters not how straight the gate

How charged with punishments the scroll

I am the Master of my fate;

I am the Captain of my soul.

Tortilla Soup

At the request of my sweet friend Susanne, I am posting this recipe.
The recipe is from the Real Food Daily cookbook but I added a few little tips of my own.

Ingredients
1 Lb of tomatoes, diced
6-8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (homemade is always better)
1/3 cup of tomato paste
1 jalapeno, chopped
12onions, coarsely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tsp of cumin
8 corn tortilla's, coarsely chopped
1 tsp of oregano
2 tablespoon of Tamari (or soy sauce if you are not Gluten intolerant)
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro

Method
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute garlic and onions until onions are translucent. Add jalapeno, cumin, tamari, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute for 1 minute longer. Add Chix stock and tomatoes. Cover and bring to boil Lower heat and simmer for 10 mins. Add tortilla's and simmer for another 10 minds until tortilla's are falling apart.
Using a handheld immersion stick, blend the soup in the saucepan until smooth. Add cilantro.
Garnish with diced avocado and crunchy corn chips, pico de gallo and sour cream.


Homemade Tortilla strips

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon of canola oil
6 corn tortilla's
1 tsp of blended chili powder
1/2 tsp of maple crystals
1/4 tsp of sea salt

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Brush oil over both sides of tortilla's.
Cut into strips.Spread tortilla's on baking sheet.
Mix together remaining ingredients and sprinkle over tortilla's. bake for 15-20mins, tossing occasionally, until golden brown.

Bleeding heart

Today my precious Lily fell out of our tree and landed smack on her face!!
It was so hard to stay calm in that moment as my friend Jaime rushed her to my arms with blood all over her face. I wanted to scream, shout, cry...but I held my composure and took care of my baby girl. My heart was in my throat. Don't you just wish in those moments that it was you?
This has been a particularly trying week for me as a mother. I have felt incompetent on many levels. God gave me this moment to snap me back into reality. I was able to redeem myself as a mother but tending to my hurt child. To be tender, loving and make her feel safe again. To be grateful that she was OK and celebrate that it wasn't more serious.
I am humbled in this moment.

Transitions

Hello lovely people ; )

This has been quite an emotional week for me already.
Lily had her last official day of preschool on Monday. It is the end of an era! She brought home a little folder filled with some art projects and a little message from her teachers about moving on, that made me get all teary eyed. It said:

It's time to say goodbye
Our year has come to an end
We've made lots of cherished memories
And many more friends

We've watched your child learn and grow
And change from day to day
We hope that all the things we've done
Have helped in some small way

So it's with many happy memories
We send them out the door,
With great hope and expectations
For what the next year hold in store

It made me reflect on why this is such an emotional transition for me personally.
Shouldn't I be excited for this new stage in my child's life?
Will she need me as much?
How is it going to be without her for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week?
What changes will occur now i have less control of her friendships and influences?

Not to mention the fact that I absolutely LOVED her teachers at preschool this year. We have been part of this amazing little preschool that is so warm and loving and safe.
It is always scary when you are stepping into unfamiliar territory.

It's all about letting go!

I know a lot of you are feeling the same way. Our babies are growing up! I always joke with my children and tell them "Please don't grow up. Just stay this way forever!"
But they do grow up....and it is wonderful.
Every stage of there precious little lives is filled with more wonder, more joy and of course the moments you want to pull your hair out ; )

Being a parent is the greatest gift of my life.

So, as we all go forward into this new stage of life with our children, we should remember to savor each moment because it goes by so fast. I remember the anticipation of pregnancy. Wondering who this little person was going to be. 5 years later, I barely remember my life without her in it, nor do I want to!
She reminds me how to be more accepting, how to love, how to give, how to be truly happy, how to be kind and considerate. She helps me be a better person. She is my little piece on heaven here on Earth. God must think I am doing okay, to trust me to mother this little angel.
And so... I am going to trust him to watch over her as she enters elementary school and this next phase of her life.