So I wrotea list this weekend.
Shocking, I know. It would be moredisturbing if I went all weekend without putting pen to paper and crafting an itemized itinerary.Yeah, that would be totally awkward. The very idea is making me slightly queasy.
I actually made a special list. A list outside of my usual and daily To Do lists, a list entirely different from my grocery store list, a list of pure unadulteratedkinky kitchen action.Forget about hanging out in the city, this weekend was all about♫ Hot Child in the Kitchen ♫.I realizemy version isslightly less catchy than theoriginal song, but seeing as most of you are too young to know what I’m talking about anyway,I’m singing it ♫ My Way ♫. I could throw a little Frank inhere too, but then you’d be totally lost. Assuming of course, you aren’t already.
I made a Recipe Testing list this weekend.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, the Hubby has a plethora of food, an abundancein fact, which meansfor the first time in a while I could spend my weekend unchained from the kitchen,doingwhatever it is that makes me happy. So I decided to spend my weekend in the kitchen, recipe testing. Obviously. ♫ Hot Child in the Kitchen ♫.
Besideswhen you get bit by the cooking bug or when you’ve got the itch,youroll with it or if you’re smart, you get tothe doctor and get that sh*t checked out. Rashes ain’t no joke, which is why today’s Week In Review is all about the recipes I tested in the past two days. *Cracks knuckles. One at a time, because that’s not creepy.
Let’s get listing:
- Artichokes: I’m all over artichokes right now baby. In part, so I can participate in my girl Sarah’s Chopped Kitchen Challenge, and also because Iadore artichokes. I have a special place in my heart for those green globes ofjoy. I pretty much want to shove them in my mouth faster than I can chew them. It isn’t pretty, but love isn’t always abouthearts and flowers. Sometimes, often times actually, love is about gettingmessy, tussling that hair up and rolling around on the floor… in a sea of artichokes, no less.I told you it was kinky in here.
I’m working on a quiche I like to call “The Greek,” which incorporates artichokes along with other flavorsof the Mediterranean andautomatically brings to my mind a topless John Stamos. Just me? That’s weird.
This is my third time making this quiche, my second time photographing him and let me tell you, he is officially ready for prime time. Now if I only I could find someone to type up the recipe, along withan equally fitting description of what The Greek entails; with or without visions of John Stamos dancing inour heads. Although I prefer with, or really the Hubby, but since he isn’t actually Greek nor looks Greek,I gotta go Stamos on this one.
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola: speaking of the other man in my life,the Hubby actually had one simple food request this past weekend and this bad boy was it. He wanted peanut butter and chocolate in granola form, andI threw in a banana for kicks, or maybe so I could call this The Elvis, which brings to mind Elvis. That one was a no-brainer, which means I’m probably still not smarter than a third grader. Pesky kids; bunch of know-it-alls.
This was perfection on the very first go around, which means I should probably listen tothe Hubbymore often, although don’t tell him I actually said that. We wouldn’t want him getting an inflamed ego. It might detract from mine, and we can’t have that, now can we?
- Asparagus: most ofyou are using Pharrell’s new song toget “Happy.” Not me, although I don’t mind the catchy tune. It’s just that myhappy comes in the shape of a long, phallic green vegetable: asparagus. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals, not to mention fiber and protein, while being incredibly low in calories.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that asparagus is titillating, a “delicacy of the vegetable world,” no less. It also finally came down in price at the grocery store, which meansI can buy it in mass quantities and of course consume it at the same rate.That is when I’m not rolling around in it, on the floor.What? It’s got anti-aging properties. Don’t judge me. Besides, I’m a ♫ Hot Child in the Kitchen ♫.
- Acorn Squash Strawberry Bread: I love bread and baked goods almost as much as my cat. I also love link up parties. They’re my jam, not to be confused with actualjam,and Heather’s Meatless Mondays with Squash just so happened to coincide with my recipe testing for Acorn Squash Strawberry Bread. Timing is everything.
This bread is sweet, without using buckets of white sugar. The Acorn Squash coupled with the Greek yogurt, almond milk, and a whole eggmake it incredibly moist and give it a little protein boost, without usingthe powdered stuff.There are hints of juicy strawberries and warm notes from thecinnamon and nutmeg.
It’s particularly good fresh from the oven or nuked in the microwave for a few seconds and then topped with butter. Since there’s no oil or butter involved in the actual recipe, you won’t feel guilty topping it with real, good for you, keep you satiatedstuff. Not that I would have felt guilty anyway. You know better than that.
Acorn Squash Strawberry Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1 cup cooked Acorn Squash puree*
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup Milk of choice, I used Almond Milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup strawberries, chopped
*Acorn Squash Puree: I start with an Acorn Squash.I cuthimin half, scoop out the seeds, and roast him, flat side up for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees. He’s done when his flesh can be easily pierced with a fork. Once he’s cooled, I scoop the squash into a bowl and use a potato masher to turn it into puree.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 5loaf pan.
- Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl from the flour through to the nutmeg. Add acorn squash puree, yogurt, almond milk, an egg and the vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Do not over stir. The mixture should be thick, but pourable. Add in chopped strawberries.
- Pour mixture into greased loafpan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50minutes toan hour; until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let rest15 minutes before removingfrom breadpan and putting onto acooling rack.
Enough about me. Let’s hear from you.
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Interested in participating in the Week In Review?
The Week In Review is a list, in its purest form, not of the things you still need to do, but of all the things you have done in the past seven days. It’s an achievement list and one with the sole purpose of bringing pleasure. Want in? Grabthe Week in Review buttonfor your post, link back to Clean Eats,Fast Feetsand get your list on. For more details, click here.
Link up and get your list on.
What did you cook this weekend? Anything exciting? What Spring Vegetable are you eager to get your hands on?Do you ever get bit by the recipe testing bug?
In addition to the above, today’s post is linked with Laura’s Strange But Good, She Eats Fresh Food Wednesdays, Anyonita Nibbles Tasty Tuesday’s,Hun… What’s for Dinner’s Simply Supper Tuesday’s, and Buns in my Oven What’s Cookin’ Wednesday.
