Day 2 of the longest week, ever!

Good news guys, I'm surviving.  Well, kind of anyway!  Once the evening shift rolls around I am starving but supper is not quite ready.  I picked this recipe for today because I was quite sure that I wouldn't like it anyway... turns out I was wrong.  It was DELICIOUS and the kids loved it apparently, even though it has tomatoes in it.  Definitely a keeper.  It was a chickpea/cheese/spinach casserole served with a baked potato and steamed broccoli.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly (when do I, really?) so here is my version.

Chickpea Casserole

 1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1+ tsp paprika

4 cups cooked chickpeas

1-28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained (but keep the juice!)

7 oz fresh spinach

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.

*Add cumin, oregano, and paprika, cook 1 more minute.

*Add half of the chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach, cook another 5 minutes.

*Mix 1/2 cup yogurt with reserved tomato juice and remaining chickpeas.

*Add yogurt mixture and stir in the cheese.  Remove from heat.

*Transfer to a large casserole dish and top with remaining yogurt and paprika.

*Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Oscar night!

While planning our menu for the week I forgot about our annual Oscar party.  So tonight was a deviation from our menu and it wasn't really a meal at all. It was a lot of good food for my husband's favourite night of the year. We managed to fit a few of our good friends into our attic and feed them some delicious snacks, appetizers and desserts. To wash it all down, I made some of my very special lemonade.  What a great night!

 We had homemade (vegetarian) sushi, mozza sticks, stuffed jalapenos, veggies and dip, hummus and pitas, spinach and artichoke dip, and a curry dip.  (Not pictured: housepoets cookies and lemonade!)

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I recently bought my sushi loving husband a sushi-making kit.  There couldn't have been a better night to try it out and he was so eager.  Glad they turned out :)

Mozzarella Sticks

1 block mozzarella cut into strips

3 cups panko bread crumbs

basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper

chili powder

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

*Mix together spices and bread crumbs

*Dip cheese into flour, then egg, then bread crumbs, then egg, then bread crumbs again!

*Place on baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes per side

Stuffed Jalapenos

10 jalapenos

1 package of cream cheese

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp basil

salt and pepper

*Core and wash jalapenos

*Mix together rest of the ingredients and stuff jalapenos

*Place on baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil

*Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, turning once

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

3 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*Saute garlic and spinach in olive oil for a couple of minutes

*Combine with cream cheese, mayo, parmesan, romano, and spices

*Gently mix in artichokes and transfer to a lightly greased baking dish

*Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes