Another recipe with Ketchup?!? Turkey Meatloaf!

Here I sit, with my cream cheese bagel and lemon water, typing my post much sooner than I got the last post out and might I mention......I'm doing this post amazing and much needed yoga session with my dear friend Joan.  I hestitated leaving the house with Lizzie since we are on our 5th day on the Potty Train

* note the very proud pottier with her potty stickers and FIRST EVER marshmellow PEEP! 

not to mention the dark dreary day it is, but I (and baby) needed this time for our bodies....and Lizzie needed a little outing.  Also, Lizzie had what I politely call, potty success, before we left the house so I was feeling confident on the way out of the door and as expected......amazing on the way back in.  Win-Win.  I've digressed, so let me get back to our dinner from Tuesday night. 

Asparagus and Roasted Tomato Quiche

I am a week late in writing this post and am suffering from a serious case of spring fever.  I am going to make this short and sweet.  I like quiche.  I like it for dinner with a green salad.  I like it for lunch with a glass of tea.  I like to eat it on the back deck when the sun is out.  I like quiche.

I do quiche the easy way.  I buy a pie shell (gasp) and I oftentimes buy roasted veggies to fill it with (double gasp).  Yes, I am a culinary short-cutter at times.  I am not ashamed. To me, quiche should be an easy meal.  One that can be made quickly and enjoyed without feeling tired from a kitchen fuss.  Quiches are great for a meal swap because a) pie shells are typically sold in twos and b) two can be assembled just as easily as one. I know I am boldly stating the obvious here, but sometimes these things elude me and I kick myself every time I dig up a solo frost bitten pie shell in the freezer.  Would be so much nicer to reach in and find a bottle of cold gin an already made quiche for dinner instead.  Anyhoo...here is the recipe.  It is a mash up of different quiche recipes I found online.  I like the replacement of cottage cheese for the typical cream and other dairys.  I feel like I am getting some extra protein, but be careful with how much salt you add to the recipe when tweaking.  The quiches can me made ahead of time and reheated at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Manicotti, Mani-got......PotAtoes, po-tatoes

Sorry for this VERY late posting.  I've gotten caught up in spring fever, all things homeschooling and most importantly....DESSERTS.  Not sure what has gotten into me.....ok, maybe I do know what is IN me, but this resulting sweet tooth has got me hankering to bake!  I've spent a lot of free time the past two weeks doing just that.  Strawberries are popping up in the stores and I love to serve strawberries over panna cotta - so check, that's one I've made, actually not once, but twice.  And, One Hungry Mama posted a tempting Nutella Brownie Bites recipe that I just had to try - easy and delicious - best a day later as the brownies were a little crumbly fresh out of the oven.  But they set up better after a days rest.  And, lets not forget the Banana Pudding.  No crazy fancy recipe for this chica - just Jello brand vanilla pudding, wafers and bananas.  Yummo - gotta love the soggy wafers!  And while we are talking desserts, I might as well tell ya what desserts are planned for the future because yes-um, I have future desserts planned....a dessert wish list of sorts.  To be served for afternoon snack on St. Patty's Day - I have a Shamrock Shake up my sleeve from one of my favorite bloggers, The Naptime Chef. 

Rigatoni with Roasted Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch

Last week's swap had me at pine nut crunch.  Seriously, anything would taste good with a pine nut crunch topping.  I spotted this recipe in Bon Appetit's March 2011 issue.  I find one-pot pasta dishes especially appealing because you can cook and assemble everything early in the day or late the night before and throw it in the oven before dinner time.  They are easy to bring to a friend who needs a little mealtime love, perfect for next day leftovers for an always hungry husband, interesting for an adorable two year old and simple for a mid-week neighborly food swap.

Picture of pasta before putting in oven.  Please note delicious pine nut crunch topping.

Ketchup - is it a magical ingredient.....sometimes?

So - I had a lackluster week in the kitchen and wasn't feeling too inspired so I fell back on an old family favorite, Vegetable Beef Soup.  I have always liked it with a good piece of dense bread and butter in hand for dipping and our weather cooled a little bit so soup seemed perfect.  Not to downplay the recipe (and i know I already don't sound excited about it) but something is really off with my taste buds this pregnancy and things I normally found comforting and tasty, don't have the same affect mid-pregnancy.  So that was how it ended up with this soup.  But, my husband said it was good and he loved the healthy portion of beef so there were no complaints from him.  I also found some great organic free range cubed beef at Trader Joe's so I used that for this recipe and it didn't disappoint.