Books for my 101 in 1001 list…
In my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, my goal was to read 100 books in the 1001 days. I was going to keep the list on Library Thing like I did with my last list, but I just can’t remember to add them there. So I’m going to keep the list here.
Another of my goals was to review half of those 50 books, so if you see one you’d like me to review, let me know.
- “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler” by E.L Konigsburg
- “Murder Boogies With Elvis” by Anne George
- “Mummy Dearest” by Joan Hess
- “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer
- “New Moon” by Stephanie Meyer
- “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” by J.K. Rowling
- “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J Fox
- “Eclipse” by Stephanie Meyer
- “Freakin Fabulous” by Clinton Kelly
- “Breaking Dawn” by Stephanie Meyer
- “Sex in the South” by Suzy Parker (I went to college with the author. It’s at times funny, shocking and … well, more shocking.)
- “Some Day You’ll Thank Me For This: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Being a ‘Perfect Mother’” by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays
- “The Sloppy Copy Slipup” by Dyanne Disalvo
- “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Tagged with: 101 Things in 1001 Days • Books
Veggie Burgers… really!
One of my goals for the 101 in 1001 Days was to serve my family one vegetarian meal per week. I haven’t been quite that consistent, but I did make some amazing veggie burgers last night. I got the recipe from the new Food Network Magazine (a subscription I got for free thanks to my Coke reward points!).
Now, I did adjust some of the recipe for us… no mushrooms. Ew. But if you like that sort of thing, saute some mushrooms in olive oil and spread over the top of the burger. The recipe also called for 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, but given our nut allergies, we skipped that one just for kicks.
So here goes…
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans (I used white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 small red onion, shredded and squeezed dry
- 1 small carrot, finely diced (I used more than this. We like our carrots.)
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tbs parsley
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
- English muffins
Put the beans in a bowl and mash with a fork until chunky. Put pretty much everything but the muffins in the bowl and mix. To be honest, I didn’t really measure anything. I just plopped stuff in till it looked good.I also threw in a small handful of shredded parm just for good measure.
Then, scoop out the mixture and make four burger patties. They’re delicate, so don’t try to grill them. Just put them on a hot skillet long enough to sear the sides and warm the insides.
While the burgers are warming, slice and toast the muffins. I used whole wheat muffins to give just a little extra fiber. When I took the muffins out of the toaster, I spread each side with Laughing Cow cheese (my newest favorite thing) so it got all melty.
Top with a burger pattie and mixed greens. Yummo.
On a scale of 1-5, I got a 4 from Mike and a 2.5 from Griff (though he ate the entire thing in about three bites). Eliza, of course, didn’t even try it. If it weren’t for bananas, apples and chips, that child would starve. Whatcha gonna do?
On the mama scale, it was a hit. I’ll make this one again. I loved it!
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Everything but the baby…
I always loved going to Baton Rouge and going by Gambino’s on our way home from Mike’s folks’ house. This time of year, they’d have these huge racks all in the bakery filled with all manner of king cakes. How I loved wandering through and picking flavors.
Before we had kids, we’d get their praline king cake… oh, my gosh, just thinking about it makes me a little woozy. But, with the nut allergies, we had to cut that out with the kids. Enter the brownie filled king cake. Again, amazing.
But in all honesty, I like the plain ones, too. Simple cinnamon bread with a creamy icing and super fine colored sugars. But, alas, we can’t so much get them here in Florida.
So I made one of my own. And it was good! Now, the icing needs work, and the only sugars I had were pastel, but it was good anyway.
Here’s the recipe (from Weekend Getaways) with a few modifications…
1 c milk @ room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 pkgs active dry yeast (I used rapid rise.)
1/3 c granulated sugar (I substituted Splenda.)
1 tsp salt
1/2 c shortening (I used butter.)
2 eggs, beaten
4 c all-purpose flour
Cinnamon sugar
Put the milk in a small bowl and add the flavoring. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and set aside for a few minutes until foamy. (**With the rapid rise, follow the directions on the yeast package.) In a large bowl, cream well together the sugar, salt, and shortening. Add the beaten eggs and continue creaming. Blend in the yeast mixture and add the flour slowly, kneading constantly until the dough is smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour and a half or until double in size.(Again, follow the yeast package directions if using the rapid rise.)
Roll the dough out in a rectangular shape and brush the surface with vegetable oil. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. (I made a paste of butter, cinnamon and Splenda brown sugar and spread that all on the dough.) Seal in the sugar by folding the dough in half lengthwise. Cut the dough into three even strips, sealing the edges, and then braid the strips together. Form the braided dough into a circle and let it rise until double in size.(Ok, come on, I did not braid anything. I made a big circle with the dough and called it a day).
Preheat the oven to 370 degrees and bake until brown.
I got the icing recipe from What We’re Eating, but I must have done something a little odd since mine wasn’t thick enough.
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp milk
pinch o’ salt
As for the colored sugars on top, I took the easy way out and used colored sugars that I already had. Pretty tasty if I do say so myself.
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Fondue Fun…
This weekend, we had the cousins stay with us, and last night, I made fondue. It was a good time, I have to admit. We had cheese fondue with veggies (followed by a rotisserie chicken… I had to fill up two pre-teen boys, after all) and then chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmallows. Yummy all around.
As part of my 101 List, I wanted to try new recipes, so I used a recipe from Paula Deen for the cheese fondue. The recipe is…
2 c grated Gruyere
2 c grated Swiss
2-3 tbs flour
2 1/2 c white wine
nutmeg
Grate cheese. Mix flour in with cheese. Simmer the wine in a pan or skillet on the stove and then add the cheese a bit at a time until it’s all melted and the mixture is thickened. Transfer to a fondue pot.
** I used Sparkling Grape Juice with the kids, and it gave the fondue a slightly sweet taste. I also used a bit of Havarti and some Buttercase, too, in with the other cheeses. Instead of nutmeg, I added freshly ground pepper.
For the chocolate fondue, I melted several squares of Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate with a handful of white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips with just an itty-bit of oil. We used firm, fresh strawberries and bananas as our fruit dippers.
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I’m good enough, I’m smart enough & doggonit, people like me
I wrote this several years ago & I’m going to write another one as part of my 101 Things. But I think that the original list isn’t too bad. Frankly, it makes me feel pretty good about me.
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