Feast Your Eyes > Valentines Day Floats

I scream! You scream! We all have...kids!
Wait.
Is that how that rhyme goes?
Oh, that's right.
We all have ice cream! (Although I think the other works too...)

Well, Valentines Day Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Floats, to be exact. Gaze upon this concoction of yummy:

How cute is this? All that pink frothy-ness is just perfect for a Valentine's Day treat, don't you think?

First you pour this:

Then you scoop this:

Then you look like this:

Happy Slurping!

~Angela

Feast Your Eyes > Talkin' Turkey

Is everyone else on the last bits of their Thanksgiving turkey, like we are? Is the announcement of leftovers for dinner met with howls and wails of, "NOOOOO!" and gnashing of teeth?

Well if you are like me, then your motto is, "No turkey left behind on my watch!" Woo those persnickety eaters back and waste none of that great leftover turkey, with our recipe of: Cheesy. Gooey. Yumminess. Which some people also call Turkey Tetrazzini  (boooring...).

What's great about this recipe, other than using up what's left of the turkey, is that you probably have the rest of the ingredients already hanging out in the fridge from Thanksgiving.  Check out the recipe:

Glossy's Talkin' Turkey Tetrazzini

1 - 16 oz package of uncooked spaghetti or linguine

4 c. - diced, cooked turkey

5 strips of peppered bacon

1 c. chopped onion

1lb - container of mushrooms (your preference)

3/4 c. -  frozen petite peas

1 t.- minced garlic

1 can cream of chicken and herbs

2 c. - Chicken broth or stock

1 1/2 c. - cream cheese

1/2c. milk or cream

1 t.- salt

3/4 t. - pepper

1/2 t. fresh thyme and parsley

3/4 cup of grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta and drain. Cook bacon, set aside and reserve drippings. Saute onions, mushrooms, and minced garlic in bacon drippings, add 2T. of butter if needed. Add in cream cheese, chicken broth, cream of chicken, milk, frozen peas, turkey, Parmesan, and rest of seasonings. Heat until bubbly and thickened. Combine pasta, turkey mixture, crumbled bacon and spoon into a greased casserole pan.

**optional- top with buttered bread crumbs, Italian cheese blend or crushed Ritz crackers.

Bake for 30 min or until bubbling.

Note- Yours will look extra creamy. Mine had double the noodles and less creaminess as my little assistant chef added in a whole lot of extra spaghetti...

Enjoy those leftovers!

~Angela

Feast Your Eyes > Retro Pumpkin Squares

Cans and cans of pumpkin everywhere!

While running around my local supermarket the other day, I was in awe of the engineering feat that was made with hundreds of cans of pumpkin soaring high, into an orangey tower of yumminess.

Then I ran away as fast as I could when I saw my boys eyeballing the distance to the top of that tower!

Nothing says November like pumpkin puree, right? Ok, maybe Thanksgiving, but Tom Turkey knows that he would be nothing without good, reliable, 'ole canned pumpkin's support.  So in honor of this fabulous fall staple today we are making:

Glossy's Retro Pumpkin Dessert Squares

These babies are from my granny, and like everything from my granny - it is good for your soul.

Baking Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

  

*Make your crust:

1 C. flour

1/2 C. oats

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. butter, softened

Mix together, press into bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Middle layer:

2 C. canned pumpkin

1 (12oz) can of evaporated milk

2 eggs

3/4 C. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1t. cinnamon

1/2t. ginger

1/4t. cloves

Mix, then pour over baked crust. Bake again for 20 minutes.

*Topping:

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. chopped nuts (Any preference.We like pecans or walnuts.)

2 T. butter

Sprinkle nut mixture over pan. Bake for 15 more minutes. Then take 1/2 C. melted caramel and drizzle over top. 

Cool, then cut into squares. Serve with whipped cream.

Eat. Then float up to pumpkin heaven.

~Angela

P.S. A couple of delicious variations are adding chocolate or butterscotch chips to the topping. You could also make this in a pie plate and serve in wedges.



Feast Your Eyes > Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Aaah, the leaves are turning and the days are shorter, fall is here! Is it just me, or is everyone else having to use a team of horses to drag your family (or yourself) out of bed on these chilly mornings?

Well never fear, here is a recipe that will work better than any alarm clock, when trying to rustle up your herd in the morning. (I watched a western last night, uh, can you tell?! It stuck with me...)

These gooey babies are a super lazy smeazy version of your everyday cinnamon rolls, using refrigerated pizza dough instead of your usual, break out the big equipment and big biceps, all day rising bread dough. Don't get me wrong partner, (I just can't stop!) true cinnamon rolls are divine, but some days you don't have time to be Paula Deen.

Add some canned pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar, and some spices and you have yourself the the best smelling alarm clock ever invented!

Note: When I took this pic I was using the orange as a place holder for some apple cider - then forgot. Story of my life.

Glossy's Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

16 oz (or so) refrigerated pizza dough

3/4 C. canned pumpkin

1/3 C. maple syrup

2 T. room temperature butter

1 1/2 t. pumpkin spice

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

2 T. brown sugar

Chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting:

3/4 C. powdered sugar

1/2 C. room temperature cream cheese

1/3 C. maple syrup

1 T. apple cider

Unroll dough into roughly a 10x12 rectangle onto a well floured surface. Mix all other ingredients together and spread a thick layer onto the dough. Roll up the dough starting on short end, and then slice into 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices. Place into a well greased 9x9 pan and place a towel over the top. Place in an empty microwave to "rise" for 20min. Note: you can skip this step if you want. The rolls will be just as delicious, but I just find that it helps the rolls become a little fluffier. Place into a 350 degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Top with frosting while still warm from the oven.

**Double this recipe for a 9x13 size pan**

Oh. My. Gaww. I want to be woken up every day like this!

~Angela

P.S. Hmm...lotso' leftover pumpkin, are you feeling some pumpkin scones? Maybe those are next!

Feast Your Eyes > Mangia Bene!

I'm pretty sure that means "eat well" in italian, if not, well I am very sorry to any people or persons that I've offended...but Eat Well!!

Fall is here and sadly that means the end is near for of all those yummy fresh goodies from the garden. I snagged these beauties from my a garden just in the nick of time:

I decided the summer needed a proper send off with some beyond amazing, fresh tomato, spaghetti sauce! I started with lots of roma tomatoes which I seeded and chopped. I didn't peel them as I have no shame in admitting that I'm a lazy chef, or as I like to say, a "smart and easy" cooking chef, or "smeazy" for short.

So Pretty!

I then sauteed fresh minced garlic, white onion, and some seeded fresno peppers in some homemade basil garlic oil (I don't even know what got into me that day!). I then added the diced romas, and some italian herbs and seasonings and let it simmer in all its goodness for around three heavenly smelling hours. It was a little chunky at the end; and there's definitely not that anything wrong about being a little chunky (!!); but I was looking for a thinner sauce this time around, so I whipped out my handy emulsion blender and pureed it a little in the pot.

**Note: Have the lid handy and remove pot from heat as you do this, or you will give yourself a hot tomato sauce facial; which may or may not be what you were expecting...Who knows, you may be a better multi tasker than me!

 

I then cooked up some whole wheat spaghetti at about half the cook time and added enough of the fabulous sauce to thoroughly coat the noodles and put it back on the burner on medium heat (I left the remainder of the sauce to hang out, and used it as a little red bed for the finished spaghetti). As it cooked I used a pasta spoon to continually lift the spaghetti, which gives the pasta a creamy volume to it. Just as it was about done, I drizzled in some of the amazing basil oil from earlier. The basil oil is also very naughty on crusty french bread. 

And then we ate. And ate. And ate.

  I'm still full.

Glossy's Fresh Roma Sauce:

2  to 3lbs - fresh roma tomatoes

1 - medium onion

3 to 4 - Fresno Peppers

2- cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh Italian herbs or 1 to 2 t. of the dried blend.

1- 16oz package of spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

Saute onion, garlic pepper until just tender in basil oil. Add diced and seeded tomatoes and simmer 3 to 4 hours. In a separate pot cook spaghetti until half done, drain, and add enough sauce to coat noodles. Return to medium heat and cook till noodles are "al dente", having asborbed the added sauce. Add a tablespoon or so of basil oil at the end to finish. Take the remaining sacue and ladle a 1/2c. or so onto a plate and top with cooked spaghetti. Finish with some shaved parmesan.

Basil Oil

1- bunch of fresh basil

2 - cloves of garlic

2 1/2c. extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil on low until warm. Add basil and garlic and heat (on low!) for 10 min. Remove from heat and steep for another 10 to 20 min. Strain out basil and garlic. Store in fridge when not in use.

Happy eating!

~Angela, aka "Chef Smeazy"

Feast Your Eyes > Summer's Goodies

I'm a garden mooch. There I said it.
Yes, I myself do not have a garden this year unlike everyone else in my family, even though I have 4 hungry man-ish boys in my house, and really should do one.
Yes, I do go around to said family member's gardens and pluck, pick, and gobble their garden's extra bounty.
Yes, I do find it lucky ducky that their little household's cannot keep up with their big garden's goodies.
Yes, I do run, not walk, over when I hear "Do you want some...", and I feel no shame about it!! It's really like veggie charity if you ask me.
So there.
Whew. I feel better getting that off my chest.
So... moving on to a great summer recipe straight from my garden, uh, a garden.

Glossy's Super Easy Salsa:

3-4 tomatoes (depending on how thin or thick you like it)
1-4 hot peppers (more peppers = more fire)

1/2 of an good sized onion

1 clove of garlic

cilantro (I used 5 sprigs)

1tsp sea salt

dash of pepper

Throw it all in the food processor or a blender

Oh. So. Good.

And please, feel free to come out of the closet you fellow Garden Moochers! Amazing recipes and salsas await you! We won't judge. :-)

~Angela
P.S. - for even yummier flavor try roasting the veggies in a cast iron pan for a couple minutes before blending.