TASTY TUESDAY AND A COMPLETED PROJECT FOR A GREAT FRIEND

Today's recipe is for a sweet fruity salad to go with your Thanksgiving holiday meal.

Cranberry Pecan Salad

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) package of cherry gelatin (or 2 (3-ounce) packages)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 pint sour cream

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

1)  Dissolve gelatin in 1 and 1/4 cups boiling water.  When well mixed add cranberry sauce.

2)  Mix well and refrigerate until gelatin mixture begins to congeal.  Then add sour cream and pecans and mix well.

3)  Pour mixture into a casserole dish measuring about 7 x 11 inches.  

4)  Chill for several hours in refrigerator before serving.

And I know I said I would share photos of some art show items...

And I completely forgot.  I apologize for that, and right now my work table has active projects on it so I will share some photos tomorrow when I can get the table cleaned up and take some pictures. 

Instead, I am showing you a painting I made for a very good friend of mine, Saurabh, who is in the U.S. for a couple of weeks before he leaves for India again over the weekend.  We got together Sunday evening for an early supper, and it was wonderful to enjoy his company over a lovely Thai meal.  I painted a small canvas (about 5 x 12 inches) to celebrate friendship.  Right now the painting is in the U.S. mail system on its way to where Saurabh is staying at a hotel.   Here is a photo:

Wishing blessings to all of you.

Gotta Clean This Up

Good evening, everyone.  I am playing catch-up after sleeping late today since I stayed up most of the night to watch election coverage online.

Just wanted to share with you a photo of how my art desk looks when I have completed all the projects I want to make for a show and have not cleaned up the desk yet:

I need to get it cleaned up so I can take photos of items to list in my eBay store.  These are the times when I wish I had an art fairy to come out of the cabinet and clean up while I sleep.

Tasty Tuesday

Wow, what a week.  The show was on Saturday.  Over 3,000 people came through, and sales were better than they ever have been.  I was not sure what to expect with this being an election week and all.  I am a bit sore still from lugging around boxes of my creations and from being at the table all day.

I took my mom with me today as I went sourcing, gorgeous November day, no jacket required. 

Anyway, time to focus on the recipe.  I enjoy many kinds of Asian food, and I have been craving egg rolls, chow mein, beef and broccoli, and more types of Asian food lately.

So, to hopefully help satisfy the Asian food cravings, I am sharing a recipe for:

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Salad Oil

4 cups cold cooked rice

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed, rinsed, and drained of excess moisture.

1 cup shredded or diced cooked pork, beef, or shrimp

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

salt to taste (optional)

6 green onions, including tops, thinly sliced or chopped

Instructions:

1)  Saute rice in oil over medium heat for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

2)  Add meat and peas to the rice.  

3)  Pour beaten eggs over rice mixture.

4)  Cook, stirring often, until egg is set.

5)  Mix Soy Sauce with the sugar and salt,

6)  Sprinkle onions and pour Soy Sauce over the top of the rice mixture.

7)  Stir until blended and then serve.

Tasty Tuesday, Sort-of

Yup, It's Tasty Tuesday, but since I am a little late, it might be Tasty Wednesday by the time I publish this.

It is late at night, and I have been busy making items for the craft show this coming Saturday.  Even though I am cutting back on the different types of products I am making this time, and I am trying to use only what I have available at home, I still find myself on the wrong end of the clock.

As far as recipes go, I have been thinking about the coming holidays and foods that can be enjoyed at a holiday feast or enjoyed as part of a regular evening's dinner side dish.  I dug through my box and found one, though I can't recall who gave it to me.  It is good, though.  And it is definitely not diet food.

Bacon Carrot Bake

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots, cut in half and then each half sliced in half lengthwise.  Carrots will need to be partially cooked.

6 slices of bacon, diced, cooked in skillet, and drained.

1 can condensed tomato soup (do not add water).

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 small onion, diced.

Instructions:

1)  Put sliced and partially-cooked carrots along with bacon in 1 and 1/2 quart casserole dish.

2)  Add soup, brown sugar, and diced onion.

3)  Stir until well mixed.

4)  Cover and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5)  When done, let stand uncovered for 2 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

That's it for now, everyone.  Thanks for stopping by,  I hope you enjoy this recipe or that it sparks creative cooking ideas for you.

It's Tasty Tuesday!

This is the first Tasty Tuesday on the new Abundant Empress blog.  I love food; I am a true foodie.  I love to try new recipes, and I love my old-standby recipe collection.  Cooking and enjoying food (especially with friends) is part of my concept of living an abundant life. 

My goal with Tasty Tuesday is to provide recipes and ideas that have some nutritional value, that are fairly easy to make, and that do not require a long list of ingredients.  I don't like making fussy meals, and I am not a gourmet by any means.  I like fixing tasty, simple, and hearty meals, so those are the types of recipes I will share here.

If I have a recipe or if I come across a recipe that I enjoy that is also a specifically "healthy" recipe, I will share it.  I generally try to cook dishes that are on the fairly healthy side, but I am NOT all about the sprouts, the kale, the gluten-free, the fat-free options (and humans need a certain amount of fat in their diet anyway).  

I also share recipes on my Facebook page (Abundant Empress, LLC on Facebook) every Thursday, so if you want more recipe options, you can check that out as well.

Of course, if you have ideas for altering recipes to your taste,by all means go ahead.  These recipes can be followed to the letter or you can play around with them according to your preference. 

Today's Recipe is Chili Beef Pasta

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked rotini (spiral) pasta

1 pound of ground beef (or you can use ground turkey if you prefer)

1 can of spicy chili beans (such as Bush's or Kuner's)

1 can (about 14 or 15 ounces) diced peeled tomatoes (do not drain)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1)  Cook pasta according to package directions,  Drain.

2)  While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef or turkey in large sauce pan or Dutch oven (medium-high heat).  Drain.

3)  Add cooked pasta, beans, tomatoes, and chili powder.

4)  Cook and stir for about 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

5)  Top each serving with cheese while hot.

Serves 6

Additional topping options:

Small dollop of sour cream on each serving
chopped oniion
cooked bacon bits
broken-up corn chips

Enjoy!

Sharing a Couple of Recipes

Every Thursday I share recipes on my Abundant Empress Facebook page.  Today I shared two recipes, so I thought I would post them on my blog as well.   In the future, I will try to post a different recipe here on my blog every Tuesday.   The blog recipes will be different from the Facebook recipes.  But because today was a bonus day of two recipes, I wanted to post both of them here.  They are tasty. 

Hi Everyone! It was a golden day here in Minnesota, and the air is getting chilly. I love days like this because I feel energized to get a lot accomplished. And, let us not forget...

It's THursday -- Thyme to Share a Recipe!

I declare it a bonus day today, so I am going to share with you TWO super simple recipes: One is for a lovely spread that you can serve with crackers or veggies at a party (or a Friday movie night, curled up on the couch with your honey, your kids, or your pets, or all of them).

One is for a vegetable side dish that will add nutrition and flavor to many types of lunch or supper meals.

RECIPE 1:

BACON SMOKEY SPREAD

Ingredients:
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled into bits
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sliced green onion (optional)

Instructions:
1) Combine cheddar cheese and cream cheese.

2) Mix until well blended.

3) Add remaining ingredients.. Mix well.

4) Top with a few crumbles of bacon if desired, also top with small slices of green onion if desired.

5) Chill for about 1 hour.

6) Serve with crusty bread rounds, crackers, or fresh-cut veggies.

RECIPE 2:

ITALIAN STYLE BROCCOLI

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 pounds of broccoli, cut into flowerets
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh lemon will taste better than the jar lemon juice for this)

Instructions:
1) Steam broccoli in large skillet for 5 minutes until crispy-tender.

2) Remove broccoli from skillet, and drain.

3) Pour oil into skillet and add garlic.

4) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until garlic is LIGHTLY golden -- do not let the garlic brown too much, or it will be bitter.

5) Add broccoli and lemon juice to skillet, Toss gently.

6) Cover skillet and cook for 1 additional minute.

Those are the two recipes for this week. Thanks for checking in.

Finding Abundance Right Outside Your Door

I tried a few times to write an article to go along with this entry, but writing about it is not really getting the point across.  Anxiety levels are running high for me this year (just part of anxiety disorder, which often operates on its own set of rules, often without actual cause).  One way I am helping myself to move past those anxious moments and bringing enjoyment into my life is by visiting a local park every day (alternating parks as I have several of them near me).  

Autumn is my favorite season. I love trees any time -- but most especially when the air is cool and there is a breeze to flutter the leaves, which are sounding a bit more crackly than they did in the summer.  Spending time enjoying my favorite season in the glory of the outdoors each day is a very abundant experience for me.  It brings me peace and helps me get over the anxious bumps in my day and keep moving on tasks when I return home rather than allowing myself to become bogged down and non-productive.  It's easy and free (except for the bit of gas used driving there)  It's been lovely, and I am grateful.

Sometimes a very minor activity that does not cost much if anything and is very easy to do can make a lot of difference in our perspective on life, can pour some abundance into our laps, can make us smile from the inside out.

Sharing some of the tree photos I took while at the park yesterday (yes, the sky deep above was that blue):