The Colors and Flavors of Fall

This is my favorite time of year.  It's a time to harvest and "close the book" in my garden.  The weather has been holding steady with 70ish temperatures, barely any wind and the trees are making a brilliant spectacle of themselves.  It's their time to shine and they don't disappoint in these parts of the woods.  The sky is a deep blue almost every day with a spattering of clouds and the clean crisp air compliments my walking routine.

My inspirational view while walking

With the Fall comes a variety of flavors, too.  By this time I should have made pumpkin bread, pancakes, soups and maybe some stews.  But, my kitchen has been severely lacking of any signs of creativity and those great Fall flavors.  Yes, still on the "eating plan" and I have lost about 18 lbs.  Hooray!  On the other hand I feel sorry for my hubby having been deprived of some of the nice meals he's grown accustomed to over the years.  Fear not, it won't be forever.  It just seems that way!

Fresh pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter

pumpkin ginger pie bars!

If you're looking for a few pumpkin ideas, look no further.  These are the "best" of last year, same time!  Pumpkin gnocchi and a pumpkin ginger pie bar recipe for you to make and enjoy.  Let me know how they turn out!  I know, I'm itching to try them once more, SOON!

What's on your Bucket List?

Yesterday, I happened to catch part of a show on TV where one of the segments talked about, What would you order for your last supper?  I only saw one of the responses and this gal wove a dream to rival no other.  She'd be sitting in the French countryside with a loaf a crusty, yet soft on the inside, baguette smeared with salted honey while sipping a glass of the best local wine.   And that was just for starters....

I thought for a moment and found I couldn't be as decisive as she was.  Do I need to clarify my dream?  Perhaps..but, is it possible that I have many?  I'd say so..I know my last supper would be in some exotic location, maybe one which I haven't visited, yet!  Do you have a "bucket list"?  

If you're wise, you develop one at a young age..don't wait to do the things or go to locales where you can't fully enjoy what it has to offer.  Take for instance,  the hills of Tuscany!   Would you be able to climb to the top of Cortona's lofty paths.  They seem to stretch to the Heavens!  Or maybe you'd like to zip line over the canopies of jungles in Costa Rica, snorkel in the balmy clear waters of Hawaii or Tahiti or sit at that French bistro nibbling on a fresh from the oven chocolate croissant.  The list goes on and on...

Lunch Italian Style

Climbing the Hills of Cortona

I guess my point is, don't give up on any of your dreams.  Be ready for any opportunity.  As for me, my "bucket list" seems to get longer and longer as I travel and my horizons are broadened by each country and culture that I experience.  Where to next?  Not sure...but, I'll be crossing it off my bucket list.  And once it's deleted, it doesn't mean "never to return".  I have to admit, I'm still haunted by "the boot" shaped country of Italy.  It feeds me in every way, including my stomach and SOUL!

Tips for Fooling Your Tastebuds

As most of you know I've embarked on another "diet plan".  This has been the story of my life, unfortunately, because of the choices I've made and probably because of the "pudgy gene" I've acquired!  I take one look at my lineage (grandmother) and I see the pounds lining the areas where I constantly try to carve them away.

Over the years and with alot of knowledge in this area, I've come to realize that you need to fool your taste buds.  This will make the road to weight loss an easier and more flavorful path. 

Here are my tips:

Instead of peach pie cut up a  peach, sprinkle with cinnamon and truvia. mix it well and enjoy!

Roast, roast, roast your veggies with a sprinkle of olive oil, sea salt and pepper.  The roasting brings out the goodness and sweetness.  My favorites are roasted red peppers, eggplant, bok choy and believe it or not, cabbage!

Roasted cabbage with lemony mahi mahi

When you have a sweet tooth, make a fresh fruit smoothie.  Just ice, about a cup of fresh fruit, a dash of truvia and vanilla and water. blend and you have it!  My lifesaver has been an orange smoothie.

If you like applesauce, make your own.  Don't buy a big jar filled with chemicals!  Peel and chop apples, add a little water and cinnamon and cook on low.  If you don't want chunky applesauce. place in the blender for a swirl.

And finally, start an herb garden with perennials like oregano, thyme, lavender, chives, and some mint.  Come summertime add cilantro, parsley, basil and rosemary.   With these you can embellish your meats, fish, salads, desserts and dressings or marinades.  My latest creations have been numerous variations of marinades like chili lime, ginger lemon thyme, or rosemary lavender dressings.

Dried lavender from the garden.



Dried oregano ready for the sauce!



Dried Lemon verbena - great in anything!

If you're limited to lettuce, dress it up with handfuls of herbs.  It will wake up the taste buds and fool them into thinking you're eating something special.  But, actually you are!  You grew and nutured those herbs for that healthy meal...

Fighting the Diet Demons

So, the good news is I've lost 16 lbs and 10+ inches.  The bad news is,  this week has been a struggle with the same 1 lb!  I found out you can't cheat one iota on this "eating (not much food) plan". I lost, gained, lost, gained the same lb!  The only thing to do is evaluate what went wrong.   Could it have been the glass of wine?  The one measly oyster appetizer?  The ahi selection for my entree was perfect except for the wasabi mashed potatoes hugging the sides of the fish like a Siamese twin.  or the bite as tiny as a fingernail of a limoncello raspberry tart?   Oh, oh...I sniffed the aroma of the carrot bread pudding (pounds by osmosis?) Or, all of the above?

Carrot bread pudding - off limits!

Raspberry Limoncello tart - Couldn't resist and forgot to take a proper picture before...mesmerizing!

Then we went out  to dinner last night for his birthday, again.  This time I would be more prepared to trick the diet demon and that nasty lurking pound.  I had apples all day...I mean nothing but apples...3 to be exact!  So, when I drank that one+ glass of red wine, I'm sure it wasn't going to register.   No fingernail size dessert and no eating of the pasta silently surrounding my steak which I promptly portioned in half.  Wrong!

The scale this morning deceived me again...there's that same pound.  No more cheating until the ultimate surprise.  That comes in November.  Until then, stay tuned for more creative ways to fix chicken and fish.  And if I'm feeling really strong willed,  I may bake a cake or two.   Yahoo!

Italian Stuffed Shells - Pasta of the Month

It's that time again, pasta of the month - October.  I couldn't let the day pass without honoring my hubby with this great meal.  Happy Birthday, my man, and many more.

Creme brulee in Italy 5 years ago!

 
Truth be told this is not his birthday dinner.  It came from the archives of "not posted yet".   This amazing stuffed shells recipe is a special dish you can serve to your guests! 

  When I was a working girl, I confess, I actually had these delivered to my door from a frozen food supplier.  They were good, but not exceptionally good like homemade.  I thought these would be time consuming, but if you use prepared sauce they are relatively easy and quick.

Let's pretend I used ready made sauce from a jar.  (I didn't, but it's not a bad idea to streamline the recipe..)  Therefore, I won't give you the sauce recipe, this time...still working on the perfect marinara/bolognese sauce!  I promise, you will impress your guests as this dish comes out of the oven all cheesy and bubbly!

Ingredients:

about 3 cups of sauce (your choice) HINT: I used to saute Italian sausage and garlic to add to the store bought sauce

about 16 large pasta shells

For the filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 handful chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cup cubed eggplant

2-3 basil leaves chopped

ricotta cheese (15 oz container)

1 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For the topping:

1 handful chopped parsley

1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Boil water for the pasta shells, salting it as it starts to boil.  Cook them according to directions, al dente.

In a skillet, heat the oil, add onion,  mushrooms and eggplant and cook until soft.  In a bowl put the ricotta, basil,  parsley and eggplant mixture.  Add the egg and Parmesan and mix well.

Stuffed and ready to bake

Drain and cool the shells and stuff with the mixture.  In a 9x11 baking dish spread about 1/2 cup of sauce on the bottom.   Place the shells in a baking dish and  pour the remaining  sauce over the top, then add the mozzarella cheese and additional parsley.  Bake for about 25 minutes, allow to cool slightly and serve.    This dish will freeze well before the cooking process so you can make days ahead and enjoy your guests!

Cheesy and Bubbly!!  Yum!