Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Pasta salad doesn't have to be as complicated as some recipes make it. And it does NOT have to have dead animal mixed in with all the pasta goodness to be delicious! Another Zombie Mom kitchen tip is always use bowls that are too big, it's hell to try and work with a small bowl that things keep falling out of and you can't really get a good mix going. I tend to use a separate bowl for preparing and serving. Few things make me as happy as a good spacious bowl.

I like to mix it up with different shaped pasta. The noodle is quite important (it is pasta salad) and it's good to choose one that's able to hold on to the dressing well. This time I chose campanelle. It resemble a small twisted cone with a ruffled edge. When boiling your pasta be sure not to over-cook. In fact, I under cook just a tad so that they stay firm when mixed with the dressing.



Speaking of the dressing you can choose any Italian that works for you. I like to use Good Seasons, you know the kind..."you make it fresh you make it best"...And I use a bit more water than the package directions call for..like maybe 1/4 cup.
I always do the pasta and dressing ahead of time to be sure that it has time to sit and absorb while I am preparing the other ingredients. I'm a firm believer in letting food "meld" together.



It's your choice of the veggies you add to the salad. I like to be sure and keep a good balance in color. The produce I chose for this batch are green and red bell peppers and some green onions. Be sure to use the stems of the green onions too, they have a bright green color that really sets it off.



Instead of some hacked up piece of meat I like to add beans to the mix! My favorites are kidney and garbanzo. Dump 'em straight from the can into your colander and rinse thoroughly. Get'em nice and cool with cold water and be sure they drain completely before adding to your pepper/onion mixture.



Next is the best part, the cheese! Here's where I go a bit crazy. Sometimes it's cheddar, hot pepper, colby, mozzarella, provolone...sigh...they are all so fine. This time I went with the longhorn only. Add as much or as little as your taste buds require. On a side note, if you are preparing the pasta salad ahead of time for an event, hold the cheese in a sandwich bag or small container until serving and stir it in right before it hits the table..it does tend to get a little soggy.



Last steps, dice some tomato and add the pasta/italian dressing mixture to the veggie/bean bowl. Stir well, and each time you re-serve be sure to mix it up a bit as the dressing tends to settle on the bottom.



See now, you are ready for a night of howling at the moon and rolling in the dirt!

It's a Burgh Thing

Oh where to start...could it be the ever changing weather, the small town feel of the big city, the amazing sports teams, or the fact that it's the zombie capital of the world? Oh, wait now I remember, it's the fact that we put french fries on everything!!! In case you've never seen or tried a "Primanti Bros" sandwich, here's a little sneaky peek for ya!

Wednesday Take-Out

Being the day before T-giving, decided to take the easy way out today...Pizza. Nothing creative, nothing fancy...just pizza...that is all.

Comfort Food Tuesday

Everyone is still feeling pretty icky around here, so Tuesday was designated soup and comfort food day.

I decided to make a cheesey veg soup served in bread bowls and some chicken.

I began by making my own veggie broth for the soup..2 cups of water with carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. These happened to be the veggies I had available.



In the soup kettle I started with the flour, cheese, milk and butter...nice and bubbly then added the veggies and stock.



For the bread bowls just thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough..roll into 8 balls...let rise an additional 30 min, brush with egg white and water and bake. After 15 min brush with additional wash and bake another 15 min. The egg wash makes the outside of the bowl crispy and keeps the soup from seeping through. When cooled cut center out and fill with the soup.



Also I wanted to get the kiddos to eat some protein so I baked 4 chicken breasts. I wanted to tie the cheesey theme in so I used crushed sour cream and cheddar potato chips mixed with bread crumbs for the coating. It was a crowd pleaser!

Magicless Monday

Everyone in the house is feeling kinda yucky (including me) so tonight's dinner was pretty basic.
Fried up some sandwich steaks to serve on kaiser rolls and boiled some pierogies served with fried onions and cheese. I usually prefer to make my own pierogies, but this time we had to settle for the frozen kind...

Steelers Sunday Snacking

On football Sundays we like to have something around to snack on while we watch the super Steelers kick butt!

This week I went with an artichoke/spinach dip that we had fallen in love with at the Olive Garden. After several trial and errors I finally got the recipe just right and now I like to make it for munchin' (it's better to eat at home so you don't have to worry about having spinach stuck in your teeth!) I serve it with sesame crackers and buttery crackers of some type. A few times I've had celery or a crusty bread on the side too...YUM!

Simple recipe...a can of artichoke hearts (cut up fine), frozen spinach, 8 oz softened cream cheese, 2 dollops of sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonaise, 1 cup shredded cheddar/monterey jack cheeses, salt, pepper, garlic salt and fresh diced tomatoes on top (after it comes out of the oven). Mix together, bake at 350 for approx 1/2 hour!

Saturday Fiesta Ole'

Nothing says "I love you, man" like tacos!

This is one of my favorite family meals because everyone can pick and choose their own toppings. Our typical taco spread consists of lettuce, tomato, cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, sour cream, avocados, black olives...browned taco meat and refried beans. I always refry my own kidney beans rather than buy them in the can (which usually will contain lard). It's very easy to squish them yourself to be sure of what is really in there.

I also make my own soft shells (tortillas, if you will). This only takes a few extra minutes and is so worth it. One tip I have for that is that it will work out so much better to pound the dough out yourself rather than using a rolling pin, you will get a nicer shape. Also, if you have a quesadilla maker that's the best way to cook them, and much less clean-up than using another pan.




Ole'

Friday Menu

Okay, so I wasn't feeling like cooking today and we ordered hoagies from a local shop...so it was cheese hoagie and fries...not starting this off with a very creative bang..but it is one of my favorite places to eat....and I couldn't resist.
So stick around it will get better!!

The Daily Creativity

So yes crafting, creating and being inspired is what I do in my free time...and this leads me to wonder...what do I do in my not free time and how do I apply my creativity to my every day life.

I would say that one of the things I have to think about most in a week is what I am preparing in the way of meals. Mind you I have 2 pre-teens, one who is as picky as the day is long, a husband who is a carnivore all the way, and me being a vegetarian. The simple answer to this dilemma would be to go to Subway every day and we could all get exactly what we want...but that is not an option.

So here's what I'll do...I will blog for a week on the meals that happen in this three-ring circus of a household. I just thought of this idea this morning and I already did my grocery shopping for next week, so I'm not gonna post fancy schmancy stuff that I would never usually make. Just a week of using what I have, trying to please everyone, boring, stay-at-home meals. (Okay, so I know there will be a few take-outs in there somewhere)....

Here we go!

Soup For A Cool Autumn Day!

Nothing warms you up on a brisk fall afternoon like some homemade soup. The days are starting to cool down here in Western Pa, so it's time to heat up the kitchen. One of my favorite and most simple recipes is cheesey potato soup. This was one of my comfort foods growing up, and it still does the trick today.

One of the best parts of the recipe is that you can use less or more of each ingredient to your liking.

Peel and rinse potatoes. I used 16 small potatoes for this batch.



Cut into 1/2" thick slices, or cube if you prefer.



Cover with water, making as much as you will need for the broth. Add 1 stick of margarine and onions as you like. For this batch I added 3 small onions, chopped. Occasionally, depending on what's in the veggie crisper, I add diced carrots or celery. Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt...and again any other spices that are to your tasting.



Let the mixture boil on medium for 30-45 minutes. To add a cheesy kick, float slices of American cheese on the top. I used 10 slices for a large pot. It is best to use American as it becomes smooth when melted. I've tried cheddar, mozzarella, provolone and they just seem to clump on the bottom. I add half the slices and let dissolve for about 10 min and stir in, then do the same for the second half of the slices.



Yum! I like the soup best served over refrigerator biscuits or fresh home-made bread!!

Zombies Can Have As Much Dessert As They Want!

While I'm digging through pictures for more spooky Halloween fun I thought I'd share one of my favorite dessert recipes ever!! The scariest thing about this one is that sometimes you just cannot stop eating it!

Cream Puff

In saucepan combine 1 cup water and 1/2 cup of margarine cut up into little pieces. Bring to a boil.



Transfer to your Kitchen-Aid mixer or large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of flour and beat until a caramel looking texture.


Begin adding 4 eggs, 1 @ a time and beating well after each.


Transfer to a 13" x 9" greased dish and bake at 400 degrees for 24-25 minutes. It will look puffed and golden brown.


This must cool completely before adding the filling or it will make the center runny.
So, while you wait you can beat 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 2 1/2 cups of milk, 2 large pks of vanilla instant pudding (or chocolate or any other flavor you like) until it is smooth.

When the crust is completely cooled add the filling and put it in the fridge for around 30 min to set it. The top it off with 1 container of thawed whipped topping. For the one pictured I also melted a handful of chocolate chips in a zip lock bag, snipped off the bottom and criss crossed the top and then pulled the knife through to give it a "marbled" look. You can serve immediately or chill, covered, until ready to serve.

As Halloween Continues

Okay, wanna share the rest of my pics from last year's Halloween Tea....



These cute little plastic Halloween candy bowls are dirt cheap and the local grocery store makes these round loafs of bread that are a perfect fit! Just hollow them out and fill them with your favorite dip mix. Tear the pieces into chunks for dippin' and everyone will think you worked your tail off making them! I use these for all occasions but they are extra special around Halloween with little plastic spiders crawlin' around the edges.



Simple, simple, simple is the key...but it has to look like work. This is simply a tray of cubed cheese, but I printed out these little tiny Halloween graphics and taped them to the back of toothpicks...charming!



These were bones and blood dippers. Using loaves of frozen bread dough, twist the ends to look like a bone, sprinkle with garlic and or butter and bake! Served in a straw pumpkin and I used a glass pumpkin candy dish for the pizza dipping sauce.





You may notice the little signs in several of the photos and there is an explanation. One of my dear friends has Celiac disease and cannot eat anything with wheat and such. What I did to help her out this year is I printed cards with her face and taped them on toothpicks inserted into each dish. If it was "friendly" for her diet it would just be a smiling picture of her. If it was "unfriendly" to her diet her photo would have an evil Halloween skull overlayed on it so that she knew it was not safe for her to eat. She loved the idea and I loved making her feel special.



Okay, now I'm getting excited and starting to plan for my 2010 gathering...this should be interesting.

A Passion For It All

Okay, I've said it before, and I'll say it again...it's a lot of work being a zombie wife. There are two things that I have an erupting passion for...the first is all things horror and the second is taking care of my zombie husband and two zombie children. If it were up to them it would be brains for breakfast, brains for lunch and brains for dinner, but I like to spice things up a bit and keep their zombie nutrition within the food pyramid.

I am a born hostess. Although you cannot stand to be around me for weeks before one of my little soirees, as I am a perfectionist when it comes to party planning. This is a rare personality trait in a zombie, but so be it.

Now like a lot of zombie moms I go a little over-board around Halloween (hey, I'm Pagan...that's what we do.) Actually I usually start pulling out the decorations around the end of July in order to have them all up in time for the annual Halloween Tea. Each year I try and go with a theme or such to keep all my zombie friends coming back. I thought I'd start the blog off with some photos from last years gathering...it really was quite enchanted.



It all began with some adorable little skeleton wrapped utensils. I got the skeletons on a garland at the dollar store for like 5 for $1, cut them off the garland and wrapped them with the utensil in a brightly colored Halloween napkin. Tied them all up with a spooky ribbon and place in an orange basket!



This is a view of the plate/utensil area...I put them on a tiled breakfast bar, not a lot of room, but a perfect little nook.




Being a beader at heart, what better way to dress up little pumpkins and gourds than by beading them with shiny sparkly things! I'll admit that the little seed beads to a great deal of patience and time, but you could easily change the pattern and roll them in the beads rather than adding them one by one.



One of my favorite things this year was my chip skeleton! He also came from the $1 store. A good wash with soap and water, lay him on top of a nice Halloween tea-towel in a basket and waaaa-laaaa add your chips to make him part of the party. I'm thinking next year I will be making a cardboard coffin. Beside him I put some salsa in a glass bowl and sat it down into a straw pumpkin....cute!



This was one of the most simple things I did, and one of my guests favorite! Simple to put the olives on a Halloween themed plate, but throw in a couple of skulls and you are rockin'! Again, these were from the $1 store and got a good washing before they touched any food.

Alright, don't want to overwhelm with my very first post, but I have lots more Halloween time fun to share so I'll break the post in two!