Food coloring?!?!?

I try to keep things funny and light-hearted around here, but today I wanted to ask you to take a few minutes to read this in lieu of reading my rambling stories about my goofy family.

I know that I have been labeled a "health food nut" by most of you, but you don't have to be an extremist like I am to be upset by that information.  I urge you to think carefully about eating and serving food that is chock full of food coloring.  Here are some safer options that I have posted in the past....

• homemade cereal bars
• fruit granola bars
• granola bars
• peanut butter chocolate granola bars
• power balls

And you guys know that I can't leave you without a new recipe for the day, so I thought I would share my new favorite veggie dish with you.

Zucchini and Carrot sticks

• 2 zucchini (sliced into sticks)
• 5-6 large carrots (peeled and cut into sticks)
• sea salt
• pepper
• italian seasoning (or any seasoning of your choice)
• olive oil spray (or cooking spray of your choice)
• olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 425.

2.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

3.  Spray waxed paper with olive oil spray.

4.  Put your sliced veggies in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil (no need to over-drizzle).  Season with salt, pepper, and seasoning.

5.  Lay out on the cooking sheet.

6.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until golden in color.  Flip the veggies halfway through cooking time. 

Slice your veggies and drizzle with oil.

Season your veggies and lay out on your baking sheet.

Bake until golden.

These veggies are delish!!!  We all loved them!  I particularly enjoyed them the next day along with a cup of brown rice.

Crockpot soup

We recently took our annual trip to the tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  For those of my green-crunchy-granola-tree-hugging readers, I apologize.  I know.  I struggle with the idea of cutting down a mature tree, for the sake of it dying a slow, albeit wonderfully decorated, life.

That being said, I love a real Christmas tree.  And I love the tradition of picking our tree with my family.  And I love watching Clark Griswold Mr. McGhee spend hours struggling to fit the "I-told-you-that-tree-would-never-fit-in-our-house" Christmas tree into the tree stand.  

This is the tree I picked.

This is the tree Mr. McGhee and the boys chose.

The boys won.  But in the end, the girls won.  Because we got to sit and sip our coffee and watch the struggle unfold.

After a long day of Christmas tree choosing, sawing, standing, and decorating, it was only natural that we wind down with a steamy bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup.

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup (Just a note....you will need to start your soup the day before you actually want to eat it.

• one package of chicken legs
• one package of chicken thighs
• 8-16 cups of water (it really just depends on how much your crockpot can hold)
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 6 stalks celery, diced
• 8 carrots, peeled and diced
• sage
• thyme
• rosemary
• salt
• noodles (I used spaghetti, cut into 1 inch pieces)

1.  Put the chicken, water, onion, celery, carrots, sage, thyme, rosemary and salt in your crockpot.  Cook on low all day.  Salt throughout the day.

2.  Strain your chicken stock into a pot and store it in the fridge overnight.  Pick the chicken off the bones and store chicken with cooked veggies in a container in the fridge overnight.

3.  Skim the fat off your chicken stock (mine was solid, sort of a jelly consistency).  Put it back in the crockpot and heat until warm.  Add your chicken and veggies in and let simmer all day on low.  

4.  Before serving, cook noodles on the stove and toss them in the crockpot. 

Fill your crockpot with chicken, veggies, and spices.  Cook all day.  Salt throughout the day. 

After 8-10 hours your chicken should be cooked and floating in a golden stock.

Drain the stock and set both the stock and the veggies and shredded chicken in the fridge overnight.

After you skim your fat off the stock, warm it up and all chicken/veggies/spices back in.  Cook on low all day in the crockpot.

Add cooked noodles before you serve.

This soup was a HUGE HUGE HUGE hit in the McGhee house.  My child that can not be pleased picky eater ate three bowls that night!  I served it with dinner rolls from Great Harvest.

Par-Tay!!!!

Whenever I am invited to a party, my goal is to be the girl that everyone is talking about at the party.  And, by that, I do not mean I want to be like this girl.....

....but, rather, more like this girl.....

It's true.  I love taking a dish to pass that ends up being the "hit" dish of the night.  You know the dish that you overhear everyone saying, "who made that?"  And then I just sit there pretending like I didn't hear them until someone points at me.  At which point, I casually shrug and claim it is "so easy to make" and "anyone can make it."  But secretly we all know.  It's a Heids McGhee special.  

Usually my guacamole reigns, but this week I think I have found a new contender.

I got this spinach and artichoke dip recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  She is a blogger, author, photographer, tv show hoster that I have been idolizing for years.  And I am nearly positive she has never been arrested for fighting.  Especially on November 29th, like our friend Lindsey was.  The Pioneer Woman is still busy cleaning up her Thanksgving dinner.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced
• 1 bag Spinach
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cans Artichoke Hearts, Rinsed And Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Butter (additional)
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1-1/2 cup Whole Milk (more If Needed)
• 1 package (8 Ounce) Softened Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cups Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• Extra Grated Pepper Jack
• Pita Wedges, Tortilla Chips, Crackers

1.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Crank up the heat a bit and throw in the spinach. Stir around and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the spinach from the skillet and put it in a small strainer. Squeeze the excess juice back into the skillet. Set the spinach aside.

2.  Throw in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes, until liquid is cooked off and artichokes start to get a little color. Remove the artichokes.

3.  In the same skillet or a different pot, melt 3 additional tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour until it makes a paste. Cook over medium-low heat for a minute or two, then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; splash in more milk if needed.

4.  Add cream cheese, feta, Parmesan, pepper jack, and cayenne and stir until cheese are melted and sauce is smooth. Chop artichokes and spinach and add to the sauce. Stir to combine.

5.  Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated pepper jack and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cook your spinach until it is wilted.

Strain your spinach, save your juice to cook your artichokes.

Cook your artichokes until they are browned.

Make your paste (fancy people call it a roux, Pioneer Woman ain't fancy and Heids McGhee ain't either!)  On a side note, even though I am not fancy, the words "ain't" really bothers me and I spent 5 minutes debating whether to use it or not.

Did I mention this is not a low-fat dish?  

Dump those delicious cheeeses into your roux and stir until melted.

Stir in your spinach and artichoke.  Pour into a dish and bake until bubbly and brown.

I served my spinach and artichoke dip with veggies.  Voila!  Suddenly, it's a healthy AND delish dish!  Perfect for all those holiday parties and you can relish in being the lady (or gentleman) that everyone is talking about!

Beets! It's what's for dinner!

Am I the only one that reads things all the time and thinks, "OMG, that is totally me!"  I ran across this the other day and I couldn't help but think someone had crawled into my head before they drew this cartoon...

Lately I've been in the "overwhelmed and craving routine" category.  We are really busy and I have been working so hard to stay committed to eating healthy and homemade.  So, I have been cooking unprocessed meals that nobody in my house will eat.  There.  I said it.  I am on a streak of really crappy dinners.  And guess what?  I'm cranky about that.  Ask my kids, they'll tell ya....mama doesn't like when nobody will eat her dinners.

Both of these sounded wonderful and looked great when finished too.  But neither of them were blog-worthy.  In fact, the soup was practically inedible and the pizza was so "meh" that I wanted to cry.

The only new thing that has come out of my kitchen lately that is blog-worthy is a roasted beet salad that I made the other day.  

Roasted Beet Salad

• roasted beets 
• feta (or goat) cheese
• walnuts

1.  Roast your beets.  I follow this method.....

• 12 beets
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
• Juice of 1 large orange 

        1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

        2.  Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)

        3.  Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately toss with the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper warm.  

2.  Let your beets cool for 10-15 minutes.  If you're in a hurry, you can skip this step.

3.  Sprinkle your beets with cheese and walnuts.

Here's my beets, all sliced up and sprinkled with dried thyme.  I also put sprigs of fresh thyme on top.

Once cooked, I removed the fresh thyme and let them cool a bit before adding in cheese and walnuts.

This is a simple recipe that my family all enjoys.  Beets are a fantastic source of vitamins, and the roasted beets can be refrigerated and enjoyed cold the next day!   In fact, maybe you should make a double batch of these beets in case you have a dinner failure, you have a back up plan.  Beets!  It's whats for dinner!

Walmart Apples

I did a little experiment the other day.  I stopped by this little farmers stand where I have been getting my produce lately to buy some apples.  I was ecstatic to see that they had honey crisp apples, which are our favorites.  Our farmers stand just so happens to be located in the Walmart parking lot.  And it dawned on me that Walmart sells apples too.  So, I ran inside Walmart to purchase a honey crisp apple.  And, I am sad to say, I did not have any people of Walmart moments on that trip, unlike the last time I was at Walmart and the check out girl showed me her hysterectomy scar.

I took the apples home and compared the two.  I was pretty shocked at what I saw.

(organic on the left, Walmart on the right)

(Organic on top, Walmart on the bottom).

My first thought when I compared these two is "what the heck is Sam Walton putting on his apples?"  Now, we all know that apples are on the top of the dirty dozen list because they contain the highest level of pesticides found in produce.  And guess what?  The apples are then dipped in wax to preserve their freshness...essentially, sealing in all those pesticides.  

Buy organic apples.  

Now this would be the perfect time to share my favorite apple recipe with you.  If I had a favorite apple recipe.  We eat ours straight up, so I don't have an apple recipe to share!

I'll make it up to you and share a recipe that contains my mini's two favorite foods, asparagus and bacon.  

Bacon Wrapped Carmalized Sesame Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus, about 20-25 spears, stems removed
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. 

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together oils, brown sugar and garlic. Set aside.

3.  Bunch together 5-6 asparagus spears and tightly wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. 

4.  Place on the wire rack seam-side down and repeat. Using a pastry brush, a spoon or even your hands (I did this…), brush the spears thoroughly with the oil/sugar mixture. Give each bundle a hefty sprinkle of sesame seeds. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Serve warm.

(I also read an adaptation on Pinterest that you can marinate the spears in italian dressing, wrap in bacon, and then bake).

Wrapped up and ready to bake.

 Finished baking and ready to be enjoyed.

These were delish.  We all loved them.  One of us preferred the bacon over the asparagus spears.  I won't name names, but it's the mini McGhee that wears pigtails and all things sparkly.

Autumn Meal

This weekend was gorgeous.  In fact, this was such a perfect weekend that autumn may be replacing summer as my favorite season.  Here's a few snapshots to show you why.....

Picture overload.  I know, sorry!  But, when your 9 year old mini tells you many times throughout the day that this is "the best day of my life", you want to document that day properly.  And I'm a blogger, so this is how I document things.  And I also encourage everyone to set aside a day and spend it outdoors  with your family.  The exercise (6 miles!), the fresh air, the unplugged-ness, the adventure....it's incredible!

And of course, you will be HUNGRY afterwards!  And naturally, the only meal suitable for the McGhees was a bowl of warm chili.  We had our chili with grilled cheese (colby-jack on Great Harvest honey wheat bread) and served with a side of sweet potatoes.

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position oven rack to middle position. Line the bottom of a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2.  In a medium sized bowl, place the prepared, cubed sweet potatoes, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, dried thyme. Distribute the ingredients evenly to cover the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread out the potatoes so that they are in a single layer.

3.  Roast in oven for about 40 minutes -OR- until the sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. Set the oven to broil and broil until the tops of the sweet potatoes start to brown, about 8-10 minutes (keep an eye on the potatoes when broiling, as your time may differ and you want to take care not to burn them).

Cut up your potatoes.

Season your potatoes.

Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake until soft and then broil until browned.

These were delish.  Seriously, seriously tasty.  Everyone in my family loved them.  Everyone except for my middle mini, who hates sweet potatoes.  However, he did mange to eat his portion of sweet potatoes by pretending his was spiderman and using his web-powers to shoot the potatoes directly into his stomach.  And I kind of believe that he could be spiderman....

.....and in case you were wondering, he landed on his feet......