A variety of fresh croissants. Top: Sandwich size butter croissant from Shop Rite, Chocolate Croissant and Butter Croissant from Starbucks. Bottom, L-R: Pistachio Honey Croissant, Chocolate Croissant, Butter Croissant (all from Starbucks) with American Cheese. (c)2019
Enjoy your bagel however you like it!
I’m not doing resolution-type resolutions, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be and do better.
Happy New Year!
My Breakfast: Low sugar oatmeal with a touch of butter, craisins, and granola along with a lovely cup of English breakfast tea with less sugar than I normally would use. Go Me!! (c)2019
L-R, Top-Bottom: Free dessert at Chili’s, Free entree at Jimmy’s Egg, Free sidekick of ribs at Texas Roadhouse, Free soda at Regal Cinemas (from points accumulated), Free drink (or food item) from Starbucks, photo of tea at Jimmy’s Egg, Dessert at Ruby Tuesday (after getting free burger), French onion soup at Red Robin (after getting free burger), Raspberry white chocolate cake (not free, but oh so delicious!). Links in post. (c)2018
Birthday freebies are one of the fun parts of the week or so before my birthday. I am on all the email lists, and to be honest, I can’t possibly use all of the opportunities that arise in my inbox. Some of the benefits come with joining a rewards club, and some are simply signing up for an email list. I thought I would share some of the best ones, although as I said I didn’t use them all, although many of them don’t expire until the end of the month, so I still have time.
Note: Some free items require an additonal purchase (like an entree, etc.)
TGIFriday’s – free dessert
BJ’s Restaurant – free Pizookie
Chili’s – free dessert
Jimmy’s Egg – free entree
Ruby Tuesday – free garden bar or burger
Red Robin – free burger
FYE – 20% off entire purchase
Hot Topic – $5 reward
Starbucks – free food item or drink – only good ON your birthday
Texas Roadhouse – free appetizer or sidekick of ribs
Do you have any to add?
Cranberry Cheese Spread
I experiemented with this earlier in the year, and decided to have it for breakfast, spread on a croissant last week, and it was delicious. I think it works well as a breakfast spread or as an appetizer/snack on crackers or as a dip for breadsticks, pretzels or vegetables.
Ingredients:
1 cup softened or whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup craisins
Directions:
Mix until incorporated.
Options: To make a dip or larger amount, use the entire container of 16oz. whipped cream cheese (or softened 8oz. block) and add in 1 cup (or your preference) of craisins. Incorporate thoroughly. Chives can also be added for a different, delicious flavor.
Cranberry Cheese Spread. Recipe above. (c)2018
Traveling to Vermont for Thanksgiving with family. (c)2018
Fireplace on a cold Thanksgiving night. (c)2018
Thanksgiving Dinner. (c)2018
Treat Yourself!
Coffee, Tea, Soda, Beer? What’s your go-to drink for your writing time?
My Favorites:
Coffee – I don’t drink coffee.
Tea – Adagio Teas The Walking Dead Daryl Tea and Twinings Prince of Wales Tea
Soda – Diet Coke, usually caffeine free
Beer – I don’t really drink beer, but I do love cider. My choice is Strongbow or Redd’s.
Add yours in the comments!
Easy Meals
1. Crock-pot Lasagna – this is amazing and easy. My family loves it!
2. Quiche – another quick and easy, delicious family meal.
3. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (in the blue box)
4. Casserole made from leftovers – mix the leftovers, add a sauce (pasta, Worcestershire, gravy, HP sauce), if you have rice put it on the bottom, if you have mashed potatoes, spread it on top, add shredded cheese, and bake for thirty minutes at 350°.
5. Pour a can of Chunky soup over cooked rice. You can add cheese, sour cream, crackers, croutons, onion or tortilla strips.
Now, that dinner is finished, get back to writing!
The original of this recipe was as a pie, directly from a colleague who was born and raised in New Orleans. Sweet Potato Pie is a traditional Southern dessert, very similar to pumpkin pie, although I think a little bit sweeter. I was on a trip to Virginia a couple of years ago, and was ecstatic to find a sweet potato pie in the local McDonald’s alongside their apple pies. It was amazing! Even years later, I miss it in my northeast home.
My mother could not grasp the idea that this pie was dessert or that it is typically eaten chilled. For her, it was a side dish and that’s what it became in our house for Thanksgiving.
Over the years I’ve changed it, and sometimes when I can’t find the extra large Keebler graham cracker crust I will make it as a casserole. That is the recipe that I’m going to share with you this November.
I know that this is a fall type food, but I will eat this all year round.
Sweet Potato Casserole
This started out as a pie, but then I got a little lazy, and it became a casserole. It is still pretty awesome!
Ingredients:
1 lg can of yams or sweet potatoes
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 bag of mini marshmallows
Directions:
1. Cook the yams on the stovetop. When hot, drain and return the yams to the saucepan and mash.
2. Add the stick of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix thoroughly either by hand or with a mixer.
3. Transfer the smooth yams to a casserole dish. Cover with the marshmallows.
4. Bake in an oven at 350° for thirty-five minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.
5. Serve as a side dish. Yummy.
Apart from a hearty soup or stew, chicken or turkey pot pie, or creamy mac & cheese, I find quiche to be a really great, warm, easy to eat, easy to make comfort food. I think the common link of comfort foods is softness. Something you can savor and hold on your tongue without changing the consistency or the taste. Quiche is like that.
I’ve adapted this over the years, but the original recipe that I started with came from The Kitchen Survival Guide by Lora Brody. We bought this book when we first got married, and it was wonderful for teaching all the kitchen basics that neither of us knew anything about.
After putting either a non-stick spray or greasing the (8×8 or 9×9 square glass) pan with butter, there are different bases that can go on the bottom of the quiche. The original recipe called for bread. During Passover, I’ve used two layers of matzo, and just last week, I used two layers of Ritz crackers. So be creative, and use what you and your family enjoy.
I’ve also mixed all the ingredients and poured them over the base and I’ve layered each ingredient and then poured the egg mixture over. I think I prefer the layered version.
Put diced or chunked onions on the base. (1 onion)
Cover the onions with the cheese. I like cheddar, monterey jack, colby jack, mozarella. Any of those individually or any of them mixed with each other. (Use about 8oz. of cheese or how much you like.)
Put spinach over the cheese. If you use the frozen box of spinach, drain it well. You can use the whole box.
Combine 8 eggs (the original recipe called for six), 2 cups milk, 1 tsp. salt, 1 TB pepper. (You can add 2 tsp. garlic powder if you like that extra flavor and/or 1 TB dill weed).
Mix with a fork or whisk.
Pour over the layers.
Put the quiche in the refrigerator for one hour.
After one hour, put into an oven preheated to 325° and bake for 40 minutes. If you like the top a little more well done, you can leave it in for another five minutes or so.
Serve hot with salad or biscuits (or any bread/roll that you prefer.)
Griffins and Ginger Snaps 