We had one of those ginormous 1.5L bottles of cabernet sauvignon leftover literally from Christmas. I was going to cook with it, but then yesterday afternoon as we were sitting out in the front watching the kiddos play while our power was out, I got the idea to turn it into sangria. It was a gorgeous mid-70s Saturday in JANUARY on a 3-day weekend…so why not?
I’m trying to be healthy and nothing healthy looks good!
Until I get my Cooking Light, I remembered I got a Taste of Home featuring healthy recipe options…so I checked it out and found some garbanzo bean burgers!
Now you may not get excited about this, but I LOVE me some garbanzos ~ have been known to eat a whole can plain {rinsed first, of course!} Also found a new recipe for hummus which I’ll be trying soon, too.
1 can [15 oz.] garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. canola oil
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted
1. Place the beans, water and lemon juice in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, egg and seasonings and mix well. Shape into six patties.
2. In a large skillet, cook patties in oil in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Serve on buns with cheese. Top with pickle slices, mayonnaise {or lemon garlic aioli} and ketchup, if desired.
{I used my grill pan with just a little evoo}
I served them with a slice of lowfat cheddar on a multi-grain sandwich thin and a small chopped salad.
{Jay got some mac n queso on the side to make up for the absence of meat in the meal! ;-)}
They were delish and suuuuper flavorful ~ very falafel[esque]. I will definitely be making them again.
So tell me, are there anymore closet chickpea lovers out there?
{mixed greens, carrots, red pepper, sugar snap peas, cucumber, red onion, raisins, blue cheese, garbanzo beans and light ranch}.
Tonight we’re having the SAME thing.
Although, I’m adding some curried carrot soup…again, one of my faves and super easy.
Looks like I’m going to have to do some serious meal planning action.
Fortunately there is a Cooking Light subscription with my name on it making it’s way to the mailbox soon.
I need some new ideas.
Stay tuned…..more new recipes to come!
And speaking of staying tuned….we’re NOT going to be….we’ve {Jay} has decided that for the first quarter of 2011 we’re turning off Direct TV.
No Bravo.
I’m dying inside.
And then he informs me that the new TVs these days do not have antennas so you can’t even get a fuzzy showing of local channels!
A pair of old skool rabbit ears is looking pretty attractive right now.
BUT…
I think it will be good. I can’t imagine how much more I’ll/we’ll get done without our dear friend, Mr. Samsung. Last night as I was in the workout room watching RHofBH, I thought at least I may get more elliptical and treadmill time in if I HAVE to go to the gym at night to watch TV!
It’ll be interesting to see how it goes ~ it could go either way.
Who wants to invite us over to watch the Superbowl?
*****
On another note, here is a hint {a big one} of the theme of Holden’s birthday next month:
Dried pine needles litter the floor, half the ornaments are cozy in tissue paper and put away in the box, turkey noodle soup is on the stove and turkey salad is in the ‘fridge ready for sandwiches tomorrow.
Here we are 3 days post Christmas and the kids are still in their jammies ~ one with a slight fever and one still napping at 6:30pm {yikes!}
The house is semi back-to-normal…dishwasher is empty, laundry is {almost} caught up, the upstairs is vacuumed, there is one bag ready for Goodwill and the new toys and goodies have found a home.
Jay’s poor uncle is stuck in Miami until Friday, though. He can’t get a flight out to NYC until then….thank goodness he has a friend in South Florida.
A little sad that it’s all over, but looking forward to another New Year’s Eve close to home {on our street!} and possibly {OK, for sure} some karaoke. Look out Beyonce…..
Some good stuff is already on the calendar for January ~ 1st or 2nd {Rose Parade float viewing} and then the following weekend is reserved to help my bestie welcome the big FOUR-OH! Trying to figure out how to wrap her walker and making a mental note to head to Wal-mart for some Geritol!
Should be fun.
Then it’s back the the ol grind with school, homework, sight words, dance class and workouts!
I have let myself slide since December 5th…too much indulging and certainly not enough activity.
OK, so maybe a {little} activity, but certainly not enough!
Now to vacuum up those pine needles and ladle up that soup.
Hope your Tuesday had you relishing in the last few days of 2010!
Up early to get the coffee brewing, the breakfast casserole in the oven, the panettone {a family tradition} toasted and the raspberry puree for the bellinis in the blender.
You may want to grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa. This is going to be a mile long Monday post!
Things are heating up and the clock is ticking ~ less than 2 weeks and Santa will be coming down the chimney. This week is BUSY. So much on the holiday plate {more like a HUGE platter!}:
Make loads of puppy chow and saltine toffee, share holiday traditions in Elliott’s class, shop for white elephant gift and gift for Jay’s boss, pick up Christmas card photos, print letters, address, seal and stamp 120 envelopes, menu plan for 7+ guests here for Christmas, etc. etc.
Not to mention I’ve only bought about 2.5 gifts and haven’t wrapped a thing!
Last month when I glanced at “December” on the calendar I knew it was going to be full, but isn’t it always? Something BIG going on every weekend…Vegas, Jay’s b-day and company party, Elliott’s Winter Recital and then, BAM!, Christmas! And, of course, there are all the little things sprinkled in amongst the big ones ~ school parties, playdates, laundry, dishes, homework, studying sight words, dance class ~ which brings me to the “something’s gotta give” thing. This week dance class lost out. I finally realized that I was packing WAY too much in. I felt terrible that she had to miss it, but at that moment, I needed to make sure that Jay’s b-day dinner was top priority.
*****
Saturday evening was Jay’s holiday party which is always a good time. It’s held at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley. It’s so neat to sit under Air Force One and enjoy appetizers, martinis, dinner, chats and dancing with fun co-workers!
Each year I stress on what to wear…finding the perfect dress, shoes and accessories. This year a new dress was out of the question. I do have a gorgeous plum colored number from Banana that I got earlier in the year that I was planning on wearing, however, my foot/ankle has really been bothering me the last few days so I knew heels were also out of the question. I decided on a pair of shoes and then built the outfit around them.
I bought these little plaid mary janes for like $2.50 at Target and then glue-gunned on the rosettes.
Jay said it was “business casual” {perfect!} so I immediately thought that the festive pantalones rojos would make an appearance. I just paired them with an old black top, cropped short-sleeved sweater, my crazy “Vegas” necklace and red rosette statement ring.
Done.
Comfy. Festive. Comfy. Casual. Comfy. {did I mention that?}
{The above pic cracked me up. I think, in this situation, Jay enjoys being the photographer because he doesn’t have to dance!}
{California Gurls!}
Cheesy background shot:
Group Shot:
We hired a babysitter for the first time ever! A super sweet girl from across the street. No, I didn’t call once to check up, however, SHE called us at midnight to get some idea of when we’d be home! Oops…I think I forgot to mention that. We were still in Simi waiting for the valet to bring us the car!
I think it’s evident by the photos that we had a good time.
*****
Then yesterday I had my monthly Bitch Bingo session with the ladies.
So much fun….and I won twice!
It was a brunch and I brought Creme Brulee French Toast. This is a recipe that my sister told me about years ago and I am just now getting around to trying it. I MUST share it with you!
It’s the perfect thing to assemble on Christmas Eve and then bake up Christmas morning and serve while opening gifts.
*****
Last night Jay and the kids decorated the annual gingerbread house.
Royal icing and mini gum drops everywhere!
*****
Oh, and the weather is crazy warm for this time of year. There’s something just not right with going to see all the Christmas lights in a tank top and flip flops!
When it comes to sangria, I think less is more {not drinking less, but less ingredients!}. There are some complex recipes out there, but in my opinion the simpler ones are just as delish.
{Thanks, Hollie for supplying last night’s beverage!}
I wanted a quick and easy tapas style appetizer and came across the manchego recipe from Ty Flo {Tyler Florence}.
Soooo good!
I made paella on Valentine’s Day almost 5 years ago and Jay’s been asking me to make it ever since.
So glad I found this recipe because I will make it more often now. You can also add mussels or clams…I just used chicken breasts, pork chorizo and shrimp.
Last year when we were celebrating Jay’s 40th in Vegas, we went to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and had the café con leche flan for dessert. It was out of this world! Mine was obviously not as good, but not a total failure….I cooked the caramel a little too long in the beginning, but the custard part was fine. I also used a square pan rather than the standard round cake pan {because seriously, how does the flan know if it’s round or square?}
It was a little ghetto-tastic, but I look forward to perfecting my skills down the road…
And it’s not a party until someone dresses up as “Santa Tiana”…
*****
I hope you enjoyed your Spanish feast, Babe!
May all your hopes and dreams come true on your way to 42.
The other day I asked Elliott what her favorite part of Christmas was and she said, “When Santa brings me presents!”
Now, I think that’s what most 5 year olds would say, but I was hoping she’d say, “The spirit of the holidays and sharing it with family and friends.”
Maybe down the road. But I am still trying to teach them the {true} meaning of Christmas. Trying to emphasize the “it’s better to give than receive” thing.
I am thrilled that her elementary school {celebrates} the holidays. At their preschool they celebrate {Winter} and that’s it.
Elliott’s class invited the mommys and/or daddys to come in and share a holiday tradition with them. I think I was more excited than she was!
I asked her what she wanted to talk about and she said “our ornaments”. She wants to share hers from ’07…the cheerleader bear. She chose the cheerleader that year because that’s what she dressed up as for Halloween and apparently that is her favorite one to date. So we will take that in and talk about how we add a new one to the collection each year and when they grow up and are out on their own they will already have a nice, nostalgic memory box filled with goodies for their trees.
Then she added, “I also want to share puppy chow with my friends!”
This is something I make every year, too. Super easy and always a hit.
So, I’ll be busting out several batches of this stuff for Jay to share with his co-workers and Miss E to spoon out onto cute little paper plates for her classmates. I’m sure the parents will LOVE all the powdered sugar dustings on their kid’s clothing!
*****
What’s your favorite tradition during the holiday season?
