Turkey and Veggie Green Curry

There is something so tasty about curry and coconut milk. It's creamy with complex flavors of lemongrass, chilies and spices. And it goes with anything from veggies to meats to noodles.

It's true that homemade green curry is better and it's not hard to make, but I understand now that not everyone wants to make their own everything (yup, that was shocking for me learn!)... and sometimes we just want things to be just plain simple.

Enter this flavorful Turkey and Vegetable Green Curry. Cook the meat, add in roasted veggies with a few spoons of prepared green curry and coconut milk and you have a meal in less than 20 minutes. I do like to roast the veggies separately but you could just add them directly to the pan and skip that step. Use what you have on hand too- no broccoli? Add in squash, or sweet potato or zucchini - what ever you have. You could even skip the turkey and go straight veggies. If you like extra spice in your dishes, add a few slices of jalapenos to really bring zing.

Grill Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Basil Sauce

I can't stop trying to eek out a few more days on the grill before Snow Miser rears his pretty blue head.  Once again I found myself with a spaghetti squash so I cut in half, scooped out the seeds and plopped it on the grill to get just a little smoky flavor.

I'm also using up the last of my home grown tomatoes about now, so a quick warming of onions and garlic with them makes a super quick sauce.

When you chop the basil, do chop up the stems and eat them. They add a tiny crunch and additional basil flavor.

The whole dish is a healthy, tasty, rendition of classic pasta and sauce, just a little different.

Flax Seed Crusted Sweet Potato Cake with Basil Dressed Kale Salad

Sometimes you accidentally create a dish so delicious, you gobble the whole thing down and then for days and weeks after you keep thinking about. Recreation was a must.

Using left over grain and a left over roasted sweet potato, I mushed them together and formed patties. A little crunchy crust comes from flax seeds. Where this really goes over the edge is the basil dressing and kale salad, completely flavor explosion against the warm sweet potato patties.

Use the left over grains you have in the house or follow my recipe brown rice, quinoa, lentil recipe. While you can substitute grains, definitely keep the sweet potato over a white.

Accidents happen for a reason....for a tasty Fat and Happy reason.

Sweet and Hot Pepper Relish Pasta - Gluten Free Optional

Summer conjures up emotions of carefree days and uncomplicated meals. Running through sprinklers and washing cars mean more than slaving in a hot kitchen. It just feels like the right time to simplify life.

At the beginning of summer, a jar of Sweet and Hot Pepper Relish came to me as a secret ingredient. Admittedly, this seemed like a challenging ingredient; most people would agree that this is an item enjoyed as is, nothing really needs to be done to it.

But my goal with secret ingredients is to make an actual recipe out of it, so I needed to pull out my thinking cap.  But summer-lovin means it had to be elementary, like tossing in a pasta dish that has the versatility of being served hot, cold or room temperature.

My love for all things pickled and relished is not a secret. I've been known to eat spoons of tangy, fiery and vinegary substances directly from the jar. I did question whether the sweet side of the relish would be too sweet for a savory pasta dish, but coupled with the chewy pasta, hot pepers and the salty cheese it worked great.

Homemade Creme de Menthe and Basil Mint Chocolate Shamrock Shakes

Recently I came across a couple of different recipes for making homemade creme de menthe; with St Patrick's day right around the corner and visions of shamrock shakes clouding my judgement, how could I say no.


Both recipes are great in their own right. The first is very much a knock-off of the classic green, bottled creme de menthe and only takes minutes to make. While the other is a more refined, upscale, sipping (if you will) creme de minth. If you are short on time go with the quick option and you won't be disappointed.

For the longer, steeping version I used natural cane sugar my sister brought back from Hawaii for me (another successful secret ingredient!) and I opted to let the color be natural rather than fake green. This method takes 2 days for steeping but the result is a subtle, almost caramel-ly mint liqueur. In both cases I preferred these chilled and opted to keep in the refrigerator for storage.

Now the questions is what to do with the creme de minth. This time of year it only makes sense that a shamrock shake is warranted. But rarely can I stick with the easy options; I wasn't looking to make a difficult recipe- just to elevate this yummy shake. The simple addition of fresh basil added to layers of mint shake and chocolate cookies and you've got a fricken delicious dessert!

Basil Cubes; How to freeze fresh basil

The weather is absolutely gorgeous out right now; warm and sunny falls days with just the lightest hint of crisp air in the evenings. Summer plants are still producing the last of their wares as the golden leaves fall around them. Unlike the color white, summer salads and grilling is not only acceptable but encouraged!  If only we could bottle this feeling and these flavors for those cold, dark, winter days ahead.

Freezing fresh herbs puts us one step closer to the summer and fall feeling during the unavoidable Midwest blizzards. If you are growing your own herbs, or if you are participating in a CSA program or if you just have an overwhelming amount of basil that you don't know what to do with, this is your answer. Rather than force yourself to put basil in every single thing you make just to use it up - chop and freeze it for use weeks and months down the road. Plus it's completely the simplest thing you can make today.

Dried herbs are great in a pinch and even better for longer cooking soups and stews, but why not use fresh every chance you can? Imagine fresh pesto in January! Take your remaining fresh basil and freeze it now, you'll be super fat and happy you did come this winter.