Showing posts with label stuffed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stuffed. Show all posts

Saturday, October 27, 2012

This Week's Blog Post

Striped Agate Necklace
This huge teardrop is striped agate. It is black with blueish grey stripes. The strand is made up of onyx and manmade hemalyke.
So simple and beautiful! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Jim and I made stuffed butternut squash. We baked 2 pre-cut and de-skinned butternut squash halves at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
At the same time we cooked the following diced vegetables in the oven:
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 summer squash
  • 3 parsnips (but agreed would have been better with turnips or carrots)
  • 1 package of pre-sliced mushrooms
We seasoned these veggies with curry, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. The veggies were done before the squash so we left that in a little longer.
We cooked 1 cup of quinoa and seasoned it with orange zest, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, salt, pepper, spring onions and maple syrup to taste.
Once everything was cooked we put the quinoa in the squash cavities.
Then poured the veggies over it. I also had some leftover breadcrumbs in the freezer which we put on top (amazingly delicious addition). Then put it back in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes so it is all hot and ready to eat! 
Not only is this delicious and filling, it is also vegan and gluten free so anyone can enjoy it! This was inspired by a local chef if you would like to see his video tutorial.
Around Town Part I
I live in a city called Methuen (I call it a town since it feels more town like to me). While it is not a picturesque town, it does have some amazing historical buildings which I have decided to check out. So over the next several weeks I will be showing some beautiful bits!
Starting off with Town Hall.
I remember going here when I moved to the town for my business certificate and thought “how grand is this?”
It was built in 1904 as the high school and later used as the town hall. Architecture has become so bland in recent years. New schools look nothing like this!
Thank you for stopping by! It sounds like Hurricane Sandy will be affecting my area at the beginning of the week. It has been such a devastating storm in the Carribean! 
My fear is always losing power. A couple of weeks after moving into my house 4 years ago in November we had a wicked ice storm and my neighborhood (as well as all the surrounding neighborhoods) were without power for 3 days. Not fun, especially when I was trying to settle into my new home and had to stay at my parents house for those days (not to mention worrying about pipes freezing)!!! Mother Nature really loves having her evil fun.
Last year Trick or Treating was rescheduled due to a massive snowstorm at the time. It may be rescheduled again this year! Happy Halloween everyone!~Val
 
 

Saturday, February 18, 2012

This Week's Blog Post

Smoky Quartz Necklace
I love these assembled magnesite beads that are red, brown and grey in color.

I paired them with large 14mm smoky quartz beads to make them pop! This is available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Making Love in the Kitchen
Our favorite Saturday night consists of making love in the kitchen….not literally, but figuratively. Get your mind out of the gutter! Jim came up with this term since we really enjoy cooking together, sharing ideas and accommodating each other’s food likes and dislikes. Of course we do this with the red wine flowing for added fun. It also gives us plenty of time to chat and laugh with each other.

We experimented with Quinoa last weekend by making stuffed peppers and tomato. Mmmm! We sautéed finely diced mushrooms in olive oil and tomato sauce along with grated parmesan. We added some heat to this with curry and chili powder until will were both satisfied with the flavor. The quinoa was cooking while this was going on. Once that was ready we mixed it all together to create a delicious stuffing.

We sliced a red bell pepper lengthwise and hollowed out a massive tomato I scored at the grocery store to accommodate the stuffing. Then we baked this around 350 or so. It took a while to cook. Towards the end we added fresh mozzarella.

Neither of us had experience with quinoa. What a great food! This South American grain is very high in protein, amino acids, fiber, magnesium, iron and more. It can take place of rice for a much healthier alternative. It can be added to soups, salads, stir fries and can even be eaten as a cereal. So we will continue to experiment with this goody in the kitchen.

Grammys Fashion
Here are a few of my favorite gowns from the Grammys. Taylor Swift looks gorgeous in Zuhair Murad. I would have appreciated it more without the train which is distracting, but the gown is stunning regardless.

Rihanna totally rocked Giorgio Armani!

This Alberta Ferretti gown on Kelly Rowland is perfection....my favorite from the evening! I love how it is accented with the bold ring and large earrings.


Stress
It has been a very long time since I have had a cold or any other health ailment and I just read this interesting article that stress can help ward off colds and the flu! I thought it had something to do with drinking a little antioxidant rich red wine each night but maybe it has to do with stress. The wine routine is here to stay though!!!

I basically work 2 jobs so I guess this positive stress and adrenaline is doing me some good!!! Stress also helps prevent tumors (sounds good to me), enhances memory and more! Of course the article does mention that if the stress is prolonged it is not a good thing so maybe the stress needs to be monitored!

Owl Love

I came across these sweet owls on Pinterest. A belated Valentine’s Day photo! Follow Me on Pinterest.

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week! ~Val