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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I LOVE Spaghetti Squash, but making it the same way all the time is just kind of boring. 

My niece was here from Switzerland so we tried something different with the Squash. Here is the recipe:


1 medium Spaghetti Squash (Cut in half)
1 lb ground beef or turkey/chicken/pork whatever your preference is
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
Parsley, handfull chopped
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Olive Oil or Butter for browning
1 large egg
1 cup grated cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, sprinkle the Squash with a little bit of olive oil, set on a baking sheet and bake it until it is almost done (around 30 minutes). While the Squash is in the oven, in a large pan, add the olive oil, add the finely chopped onion, cook until translucent, then add the garlic. Let that sweat a little, but make sure it's not too hot, because you don't want to burn your garlic.

Once you smell that delicious garlic aroma, add the ground meat, season with salt, pepper and other spices to your taste. Just at the end add your chopped parsley (if you don't like it, you can leave it out).

Let that mixture cool down, then mix it with the beaten egg and the cheese. Set aside until your Squash is almost done.

Remove the Squash from the oven, and stuff the meat/egg/cheese mixture into the hollow part. Sprinkle with some more cheese and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes or so until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and serve! You can actually cut this in slices or just in quarters and serve. Makes 4 portions!

Enjoy!


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Easy Delicious and Nutritious Banana Bread



So there is someone in this household that always asks for Bananas..... and it then drives me Nuts (or Bananas) that this same person won't eat them. But I love baking so the best option is making Banana Bread. 

I went to find a basic cake recipe and then modified it the way I like it and also trying to make it a bit healthier. So here it goes:

You will need:
4 ripe bananas,
2 table spoons raw Cocoa Nibs (DivineOrganics.com)
2 tablespoons Easy Cook Oats
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I used Walnuts)
2 tablespoons slivered Almonds (extra for the top)

115 gram /1 stick melted Butter 
150 gram Brown Sugar (white will work too)
2 large eggs
200 grams Flour (substitute from sweet rice flower, from KodaFarms.com)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda

PreHeat the oven to 350 FH / 180 Celsius
Butter a Loaf Pan 8.5 by 4.25 (or similar)

In a bowl mash the ripe bananas (I just used the mixer),
add the sugar and the eggs and beat until nicely incorporated
add the melted Butter and the dry ingredients
(I do this a little at the time)
Mix until all is well combined, make sure you don't beat it to death,
that will make the bread all gummy.

Fill the batter in the prepared LoafPan and sprinkle some Almonds on top, 
then bake for about 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Or eat a warm piece! 

Super yummy any time of the day! 

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Monday, July 4, 2016

Cold Lithuania Borscht aka the "Pink" Soup!

While living in London from 97 to early 99, I made some great Lithuanian friends Ilona and Mantas! At the end of my stay I was in a bit of a bind and needed some friends and distraction. Ilona and Mantas where there for me and helped me out tremendously.

We've spent the days working, Mantas tattooing his clients, just as he does today at www.mantas-tattoo.com and Ilona as a waitress, while I was still a personal trainer.  The evenings we spent at their Apartment in London, drinking wine, listening to music and eating delicious food. I especially loved Ilona's traditional Lithuanian Borscht!

This dish is fantastic for Summer! And if you love yogurt, cucumber and beets.... the more the better.

Cold Lithuanian Borscht is fantastic for those hot summer days, where your are hungy but you want to keep it light and fresh! A cold "Soup" that can be enjoyed alone or like Ilona served it with roasted rosemary potato wedges! YUM! Ok let's get to it!

You will need:

1 lb of beets cooked finely chopped
(I use cooked beets from the grocery store and I chop them with rubber gloves on, as not to stain my hands for days)
1/3 English Cucumber, diced
3 hard boiled eggs diced
1 small bunch of green onions (about for stems, finely chopped)
1 bunch of dill (finely chopped), keep some twigs for garnish
4 cups buttermilk or kefir
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water

Grab a big salad or other bowl, add the beets, the cup of sour cream, cucumber, eggs and stir carefully. Then add the chopped spring onions, the dill, the buttermilk (or kefir) and the water, stir and  season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to eat!

Once your ready serve in bowls and garnish with a slice of cucumber, a dill twig and the half of a hardboiled egg if you have extra!

If you are on Keto Journey, this is a fantastic meal for Summertime!

If not, you can serve it with boiled or oven baked rosemary potatoes! If you don't feel like doing potatoes it's delicious also with a crusty slices of fresh bread!

ENJOY!!






Monday, February 1, 2016

Spicy Tofu and Rice Stacks

I know I haven't posted anything in a while, well life is moving at a fast pace and things fall by the wayside. New business, new hobbies, the dog, the job everything takes time away from everything else, but yesterday I thought I really have to try to do something with this blog. So there I was and I saw a post how someone used their molds to do a sashimi inspired dish. So I thought, Katja bring out the molds.

You will need:

1 pack of firm tofu
2 small avocados or one large mashed
1 medium cucumber peeled and cubed
white or brown rice 8 oz cooked
mayo
siracha
soy sauce
Lemon juice

I started out by slicing some firm tofu, season it with salt, pepper and garlic and fried it in a pan until it was browned and crunchy on the outside, then set it aside, let it cool and chop it up in cubes.
Next take the two avocados, mash and season with salt and pepper, add some lemon juice to prevent from browning.

Slice and cube your cucumber

Mix about 2 or 3 tablespoons of mayo with Siracha (depending on how hot you want it)
Next arrange all your ingredients and set up your mold. 

Start with a layer of cucumber, then add the mashed avocado, next comes the tofu and then the rice, make sure to press down firmly.


A. Set up all ingredients
B. Cubed Cucumber      
C. Mashed Avocado      
D. Tofu                          
E. Finish with Rice        

Then turn you mold upside down so cucumber is on top of the stack! Add a dollop of SirachaMayo and some Sesame Seeds and VOILA! A healthy Snack! Or light Lunch!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Venturing into Art

Well.... I admit, I get bored easily and switch back and forth with cooking, baking, sports and all that other great stuff, but recently I felt like I was lacking in the creative department. So I said to myself... come on do something! And so I went out and got some supplies...

Like plain stretched canvas, gold leaf, modge podge, paper, paint, glue, ornaments, studs and ribbone, not necessarily in that order.....

And this is what I did with it!
"ChiFriends" 16 x 20 Mixed Media $59.00 plus s & h
The Chihuaha's have been finished today and are ready to ship at any time. Mixed Media on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 inches! One of a kind! $59.00 plus s & h

















"Dobie" Mixed Media 12 x 16 SOLD
The Doberman Portrait is 12 x 16 inches and has been SOLD! Please contact me of any custom pieces! I will continue to make pieces in different colors and of different breeds!


Any feedback or special requests are welcome! Part of proceeds will be donated to Animal Rescue!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Seven Spoons "International Inspired Skillet Meals for Two" my Review

We all know that sometimes there is no time to cook from scratch and as I like going grocery shopping, I always try to look for new things I could try, should I need anything really fast, or because I'm just too plain lazy to cook from scratch.

So recently I went to Sprouts and saw  "Seven Spoons" frozen meals for two....

Looks deliscious right? Well I can't say it didn't taste good, but buyer beware and look at contents closely..... out of the net weight of 654gr (23.1 oz) only 36 grams or 1.29 oz is CHICKEN!!!

I couldn't believe it.... this is supposed to be a meal for 2 people, but the amount of chicken/protein in it is 1.29 oz? And all the rest is guess what white rice a few cashews and sauce....

This is just amazing to me, how in the world do these food companies get away with this? Come on, 1.29 oz of chicken so pretty much that's 0.65 oz/ 18 grams of chicken/protein per person?

That's the amount of protein a 4-9 year old child needs in a day! How are you going to market your product as a meal for two?? This is not a meal for 4 - 9 year old children.... it's an adult meal!

For example an inactive adult male with a body weight of 185 lbs needs at least 66 grams of protein to just sustain his body functions..

Well needless to say, this is not a product I would ever buy again. Not because it didn't taste good, but because it's just wrong to advertise this as a balanced meal.... out of one portion of 328 grams.... 18 grams are actually protein, the rest..... processed white rice, a few nuts and sauce! SO disappointing!

If you ever get tempted to buy it.... just buy it for the seasoning in the sauce, which is terrific but just go and get some extra chicken to toss in..... cause otherwise, you'll have to go find it amongst all the excess rice!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Furbaby Fashion Statements!

So, by now you might all know how much I love to do different things..... like cooking, riding horses, playing with my pooch and doing whatever I can to help animals in need!


Well we're going to be at a 4th of July event showcasing TheGoldenCarrot and I thought I need to make something different.... something that allows us to show 4th of July Pride with our 4legged Babies as well....

So I started making Bows! Yes you heard me right..... I made those bows, with my own hands! Aren't they cute! And they look great and are easy to put on.... just slip the elastic over the one end of your dogs collar and voila...... FASHION!





The best thing is.... I can send them to you! $5.95 per bow, including shipping and $1.00 per bow goes directly to the Horses of TGC!

Let me know which ones you like and I can send them to you, please email me NeckGlove@icloud.com for payment details or more information!


I've created an album on my FB Page, please go and check them out! I will be adding other Designs as well! Please just click on the link

BowTies for FurBabies!






Thursday, March 27, 2014

Classic "ApfelStrudel" or AppleStrudel!

So after a long long time on break, I am finally starting to cook again. We currently have some guest in our spare room that we have been renting out on AirBnb  and they have some European Heritage, I thought I take this opportunity to make a classic ApfelStrudel! We ate Apfelstrudel as kids all the time as my grandma and my aunt were experts in getting the dough really really thin and we just loved it as dessert or main course.

Here is what you need for the dough:
200 g fine flour
125 ml water
1tablespoon oil
sprinkle of salt
flour for dusting
butter, melted to brush on
oil to brush on

I always prepare the dough first and then work on the rest of the ingredients, but that is entirely up to you.

For the filling:
1kg apples, peeled, quartered and sliced in 3 mm pieces
150 g breadcrumbs
150 g sugar
80 g butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla-sugar
2 tablespoons rum (I used Amaretto  this time)
80 g raisins, I don't like them so I left them out

Ok lets start:

On a clean surface, make a mound with your water and create a little indentation, add the oil and the salt and start combining these ingredients with a fork, little by little add the water until everything is combined and you have a smooth dough. Dust your hands with flour and kneed the dough until smooth and no longer sticky. Transfer the dough on a plate, brush with oil and let rest for at least 30 minutes (or as long as it takes you to prepare the remainder of the ingredients.



Now the filling:

In a big bowl, mix the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon and the rum, add the raisins if you are using them and set aside for a while. In a small pan, melt the butter and roast your breadcrumbs until they are golden brown, set aside to cool.

Preparing the dough for filling:

Take a large kitchen towel and dust with flour, place the doug in the middle and roll into a square with a rolling pin (dust the rolling pin with flour so the dough doesn't stick to it), roll out as thin as possible, then brush with melted butter and let it rest for 5 minutes, once you are done you can pull the dough thinner by moving your hands underneath the dough with the backs of your hands up and pulling slowly away from the center without getting any wholes in it.

Once the dough is thin enough, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, then add the apple mixture and roll up tightly using the kitchen towel. Tuck under the ends and transfer carefully onto a buttered baking sheet. Be careful to not make any holes.

Brush generously with melted butter and bake in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 40 minutes. It should be golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar!

Serve hot or cold on its own or with vanilla sauce or icecream!

Bon Apetite!


As a variation, you can use ground almonds or hazelnuts and my aunt used to add a couple of dollops of sour cream!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Vegan Chili

So my friend Casey is vegan and it's hard for her to cook, as she is so busy with caring for 45 horses, a dozen dogs and donkeys that she just doesn't have the time.... so whenever I visit her at the ranch I try to bring her something I make at home....

It's cold up in Anza so I made her a

VEGAN CHILI and here is the recipe:

1,5 cups Bob's Red Mill High Protein TVP(Textured Vegetable Protein) rehydrated,
1 can chopped tomato
1 large onion chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic chopped
2 cans tomato juice ( I used spicy)
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 cup Barley
1 can black beans (more if you like more beans)

spices: paprika, black pepper, chili, cayenne, salt, italian herb blend and a little ground cumin

chop the onion and garlic set aside

rehydrate the TVP according to package instructions

put a little oil in a large pot, and add the onions cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook a little longer
add in the TVP, the tomato juice, the chopped tomato and the tomato puree and stir well
then add in the barley….. if the consistency is too thick add some water…. as the barley needs it to cook and absorb

add your seasonings to taste

cook until the barley is "al dente" (so it still has a little bite to it) about 20 minutes

then add the can (or more) of beans….. this should be enough for 3 big portions

DONE! Bon Appetit!

Monday, June 3, 2013

June Visit to the Golden Carrot

As most of you know, one of my passions are horses, I don't ride much anymore, ever since my beloved Zeppelin crossed over, but his passing led me to the many deserving horses at The Golden Carrot.

It was time to go up and check on the guys and gals up there and do some physical labor and get tanned in the process. I feel so good after a day of hard work, it makes you realize that you actually did something else than stare into a computer screen all day.

When I got to Anza, Casey had done a lot of the stall cleaning already, the day was gorgeous and we went over the plan for the day. Exercising a few different horses, giving them baths and then do whatever else is needed. I met little Shelby for the first time, fell in love with him right away and will give him a partial sponsorship. He needs a couple more sponsors and you can give a little by clicking on this link:

Make a One Time Donation!


I said hello to Corazon, look at this gorgeous mare, how could you not love her.

I worked with four horses in the round pen, Montego (Arab and Ex-Show Horse), Pepe Grillo (Chestnut Pony) and his side-kick Keller (Thoroughbred) they are inseparable, and Dominic (possibly Azteca). Working with them was quite the experience.

First to go was Montego! I'm not new to horses, but fairly new to working with them in the round pen and Montego picked up on this immediately. He tried to test me a few times, by trying to change direction, speed and doing anything all together. I had to proof to him first that I was the boss and he needed to do what I told him. I got the hang of it after a few little hick-ups and he worked fine for me. We got him to sweat a little and then he was given a well deserved bath. What a gorgeous boy he is.... and he knows it too!

Next were the inseparable duo of Pepe and Keller.... It was clear from the start that the smaller (only in stature not in personality) Pepe was the boss of the two. Both of them also knew what to do in the pen, listened to me very well, but there was no mistaking on who was in front and who was to be behind. If Keller ever got in front of Pepe, he got put in line with a nip to the rear, or got pushed to the fence so he had to fall back. After working up a little sweat, both of the gentlemen got a nice cool shower, while their girls looked on. A couple carrots for each and back into the herd they went..... Nevermind that each of them rolled right after being cleaned.

Last but not least was Dominic. He was easy to lead into the pen, with his harem of girls following him all the way down, curious as to what was going to happen to him. This gorgeous ladies man has a big following. We actually did not know if Dominic knows what to do in the round pen and I found out very quickly that he doesn't know much. He pretty much just stood there and looked at me.... However as soon as I took up the lunge whip, he started to fall apart.... I only moved it toward his hind quarters and he started cantering full speed away from me, trying to break out of the pen.. freaked him out. I'd just hold the whip, he canter and trot around me not knowing when and what he should do, trying to find  way out.....

I put the whip on the ground, he would stand there, look at me, come over and just try to nuzzle like a big baby.... panting with anxiety, but a nice hug and soft words, he'd breathe normal in 30 seconds. So it is very clear he is frightened of the whip and I suspect that someone must have beaten him up pretty badly. I tried this out a few times with the same result. Pick up the whip and move it.... PANIC! I want out! Run to gate! Put the whip on the ground, he looks, walks up and nuzzles me, if I move he walks behind me like a puppy. He's a complete love bug that wants nothing more than a person that loves on him... Breaks my heart that he has been mishandled by people he trusted. Shame on you whoever you are! I hope Karma gets you! You can find Dominic's history here!

Dominic got his well deserved carrots and a shower and it was time to start putting horses away and preparing feed. The day moved by so quickly and it was time to head home. I wish I'd live closer and I could work with Dominic more, pamper little Shelby and make myself more useful. I'll come back after my travels back home to Switzerland.

If you want to help us, consider volunteering your time, donating or sponsoring, if you can spare 3 gourmet coffee's a month.... you'll buy us a bale of hay or a bag of feed! We appreciate it and the horses will LOVE you!





Tuesday, May 14, 2013