ghee & naan

first you need to make the ghee. it's basically clarified butter. take a stick of butter & 4 oz. (equal amount) of water, put in pan & heat. next, take a spoon & skim the white solids off of the top. what remains will be the clarified butter, called ghee. ( i placed in a pint sized, wide mouth canning jar)

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast ( 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic ( i used fresh crushed)
• 1/4 cup clarified butter, melted
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• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
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• Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
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• During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat. ( i used a paninni press)
• At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle on lightly floured surface. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

o sigh, the food budget

as i sit and look at a recipe book of sauces, i sigh & think what great food i could make if budget wasn't an issue. ever since the dave ramsey classes that we took, we are on a strict budget

(thanks to him, we are almost out of debt & we are doing some final repairs to sell our house in the spring :))

i cringe when i look back when wes was little & i think of how broke we were while owen was in college & here i am, an "all organic" mom who was walking through wegmans on no budget while paying with a credit card. (i wonder how much each meal cost after all of that interest on that already pricey food.) yes, i am sad to admit it. i was crazy to not have a budget. my son didn't even know what a happy meal was (not that they are very happy).

i am however pleased to admit that i fed my child healthy food & now i find alot of organic snacks & cereals at the surplus outlet for a fraction of the cost. now i will always keep a food budget, although it will increase.yay!

but for now, i will continue shopping at the farmer's market, aldi, surplus outlet & wegmans with joy, knowing that i am saving my family money & still able to make delicious food while on a budget.

menu this week

Saturday

broiled flounder

roasted asparagus

roasted sweet potatoes

homemade rolls

Sunday

grilled chicken

mushroom risotto

roasted brussel sprouts

homemade rolls

monday~

spaghetti squash

homemade sauce &

topped w/ ricotta & romano

sauted baby zucchini

tuesday~

pumpkin pasta (pasta by deb)

w/ alfredo sauce

chicken breast

wednesday~

butternut squash soup

garden salad

naan

thursday~

turkey burgers w/ avocado

corn on the cob ( i froze )

spinach salad

friday~

ny strip steak w/ balsamic glaze

caramelized onions

garlic mashed cauliflower

fresh green beans

all about the cookware

alot of people don't like to cook. i feel like part of the problem is their junky cookware. yes, i would love to have some All-Clad cookware & Le Creuset but that will come later down the road. i have some "alright" cookware (nothing fancy) but there is a huge difference compared to walmart cookware where the coating peels off & God only knows what junk is made out of & if you are ingesting it. so, invest in some decent cookware & i believe you'll enjoy the cooking process a little more ( or a whole lot).

chicken w/ creamy wine sauce

slice 2 shallots, 2 garlic cloves, baby zucchini, mushrooms & cherry tomatoes

chop 1 T. parsley & take the thyme off 1-2 sprigs

in large skillet, on medium heat, add olive oil & saute the shallots & garlic (do not burn)

& then add zucchini and cook for several minutes

add mushrooms once zucchini starts to soften, olive oil as needed

when mushrooms are starting to cook , add the tomatoes.

then add parsley & thyme

add 3/4 c. white wine & turn up heat to slow boil. cook for several minutes and turn off heat.

in a separate pan, make a roux w/ 2 T butter & 2 T. flour (stir w/ whisk~do not burn) take off heat & add 1 cup heavy cream.

add 3/4 c. freshly grated romano cheese.

mix the cream sauce into the veggies in skillet.

add salt & freshly ground pepper

grill chicken breast on panini press or grill.

let rest for several minutes before slicing (this will keep it from being dry)

place over favorite pasta (pasta by deb) i used spelt.

garnish w/ romano cheese & add the sliced chicken

tortellini soup

i realized this will be hard for me to write an exact recipe since i never measure anything.

i'm going to have to start though :( bear with me please!!!

cook sausage & drain (not into sink unless you want it to clog:))

in a large pot, add 2-3 T olive oil

saute 1 onion & 2-3 large cloves of crushed garlic until onions are clear

add fresh baby spinach until wilted (or you can use frozen- add after sauce then)

add the cooked sausage

add 1-2 tsp italian seasoning or fresh herbs if you have (fresh is ALWAYS better)

add several turns of fresh ground pepper (my favorite :))

add 1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 large can of diced tomatoes ( i used whole peeled plum & i cut them)

1 jar of spagetti sauce or add another can crushed tomatoes

add coarse kosher salt ( couple pinches-less is you used jarred sauce)

you may want to add a half can of water

(my soups are usually thicker)

add tortellini & cook on med-low until they are tender.(don't overcook)

add freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

serve along with fresh bread

pumpkin lasagna

i substituted w/ brown rice lasagna noodles.

cook lasagna noodles according to box. & preheat oven to 350.

saute in 2 T. olive oil~ 1 Lrg sweet onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced ( i just crushed mine)

1/4 t. italian seasoning

add sliced mushrooms

10 oz. bag of baby spinach leaves (until wilted) and set aside for a few

add 1/3 jar Alfredo sauce

mix together 1 15 oz. container ricotta

16 oz. pumpkin puree

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t.ground pepper

1/8 t. nutmeg

3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

spray pan. spread 1/2 c. alfredo sauce ( or1/3 jar) on bottom of pan

layer noodles, ricotta mixture, veggie mixture & repeat.

finish w/ noodles & 1/3 jar alfredo sauce on top

cover w/ foil & bake 45 min

uncover & grate parmesan on top. cook uncovered 15 min

let rest for 15 min b/4 cutting

ENJOY!!!!