Spicy Chickpea and Bulgur Soup

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/spicy-chickpea-and-bulgur-soup-recipe.html

I used white rice because I had some to use up. Used vegetable broth instead of water. Used 1.5 Tbsp of harissa but it was a little too spicy for my tastes. Next time I'd cut that in half. Otherwise, it was excellent!

Corn on the Cob

Another "I want to not forget this"... A friend at work told me you can cook corn on the cob in the microwave.  It works well, I like the method.  Here's how:  Leave the corn in the husk.  Cut off the hard bottom 'stalk stump'.  Cook on high for 2 - 5 minutes depending on size of ear (maybe more like 3 - 5).  Let sit in microwave several minutes.  Remove and peel away the husk.  I think it peels away much eaiser than when un-cooked -- it falls away nicely and the stringy things are wilty and stick together more, making less of a mess. 

I like to cut the corn off the cob.  I have to let it sit for a while longer to cool enough that I can grasp the ear to cut the corn off.   Holds its heat!

Pasta Salad

I wanted to have a record of this one and not forget it.

2+ cups of pasta -- I used rotini/fusilli
almost 1 full diced green pepper, diced up small
1 sweet pepper, diced up small
about 1/8 cup diced onion
1 medium tomato, chopped
about 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
about 2 Tbsp olive oil
about 4 Tbsp Garlic Expressions salad dressing
1/8 - 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta.  When it has cooled, add the olive oil and stir it in.  Add all remaining ingredients except the salad dressing and mix them in.  Add the salad dressing 1 Tbsp at a time and stir. Keep adding gradually until everything's well-coated but not so much that the dressing wants to pool at the bottom.  (Garlic Expressions is a garlic-y oil-and-vinegar type dressing with other herbs and spices.)

Soup du Jour - Chickpea and Pasta

I just made up a recipe. And it's good! I wanted to make something today but haven't bought ingredients for the next selected recipe. So I thought of some items I had on hand and came up with a concoction to try.

Can of beef broth
2 cups of water
Can of garbanzo beans
1 cup of pasta -- I used whole wheat rotini that was left over
6 baby carrots, chopped (I think this approx = one medium carrot)
1 small onion, chopped
1 or 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Approx 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (I heart garlic)

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, garlic, and carrot and cook about 5 -7 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the broth, water, beans, and vinegar and simmer on low heat about 15 minutes.
3. Add the pasta and cook per instructions on pasta box.

It turned out good! I will make this again, especially to use up more of the whole wheat pasta.

Southwestern Spaghette Squash - I wanna try this

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash (serves 4)

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash (3 pounds)
1 (14 ounce) can Mexican-style tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup monterey jack cheese, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut squash in half lengthwise.
Remove and discard seeds.
Place squash, cut side down, in greased baking pan.
Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until just tender.
Using fork, remove spaghetti-like strands from hot squash and place strands in large bowl.
Add tomatoes with juice, beans, 1/2 cup cheese, cilantro, cumin, garlic salt and pepper; toss well. (I mixed all this together while the squash was baking to save time)
Spray 1 1/2 quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon mixture into casserole.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through.
Serve immediately.
I served it with corn chips, avocado, and sour cream on top. Perfect fall meal.

Caramel

Found in an old email

Someone had written this to me in an email a few years ago. I just ran across it and it's just neat and insightful. I don't want to lose track of it. Not sure it will make much sense to others but here it is.


"My job change is a weird turn going from an over abundance of rules to hardly any at all.

The other half of our conversation also fits in with that theme. While one can think that changing jobs will find the happiness and the internal peace one wants, there is also the extreme of resigning oneself to not changing "because the next thing will probably be the same". So, even in this arena one has to search for the proper balance. While I'm quite aware that happiness comes from within rather than without, there are some things that are not acceptable and must be changed every so often while other things do not have to change because it was the improper thinking of depression that caused it to be unbearable. I wish I could help you there but that middle ground is something only you can find just as I had to find my peace in life. For me some of it was a job change to go with my new happier self. I had to leave the environment that I was in for when I started I was depressed and now I was better and I wanted to break away from that job as I had too many triggers present. I was dealing with them well but my coworkers had seen the old me and I wanted a new place where only the well adjusted me would ever be known. So, you may find Maritz will work for you or you may find that you'll want to leave as the desk, a person, an assignment or whatever will trigger old memories. You won't get depressed because of the triggers as you'll be better but you might not like to be around them anymore. I didn't want any of these reminders so I left that particular job.

Don't you like that, we talk about the "grass is greener" syndrome then I toss the opposite at you and say that the grass can be greener.

Balance is the key. Pick your pasture Melissa and find the field with the right shade of green for you."