Black Sheep Dancing

Why be like everyone else when you can be yourself?

Category Archives: Vegetarian


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Don’t talk to me.

I have a confession. I love things I shouldn’t. Seriously, just ask all my ex boyfriends. Kidding! But, I do have a unhealthy (or maybe healthy according to some research) with garlic, coffee, and onions. Just don’t talk to me until I’ve brushed my teeth.

So, the other day I was in the grocery store with CBear when we got some super yummy onion sandwich rolls in the bakery isle. However, they didn’t last long and I NEEDED some onion rolls. Like, I woke up from dreaming about them on Saturday morning. So, I went to my standby recipe site, All Recipes, and found this awesome recipe. I HAD to make them, so I did. I also made some vegetarian sloppy joe to go on it, and my Herbed Sweet Potato Fries and served some green beans, apple slices, carrots, and green peppers. It was sooooo good. Seriously, claudygirl, I may have to make these for every meal.

See, doesn’t it look yummy???

And today, I used some of my left over sloppy joe with spaghetti to make some Cinci-style chili. Kinda.

I don’t see my love of smelly foods ending anytime soon, so I apologize in advance.


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Sunday brunch and gorgeous days

Last week it was 80 degrees and sunny. It was awesome. It was lovely out, and inspired me, so Munchkin and I made some super yummy chocolate bananas foster. Mmmmmm! It may taste more like dessert, but who cares? It was awesome.

Chocolate Bananas Foster

  • Pancakes with chocolate chips in them (I use the 1950’s Betty Crocker Cookbook pancakes, page 72.)
  • 3 bananas, cut to your preference. I enjoy slices
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • walnuts

Directions:

  1. Make your pancakes. Stir the chocolate chips directly into the batter. Keep warm in oven.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add in brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cook until bubbly
  3. Add in walnuts and bananas and cook until heated
  4. Place heaping spoonfuls on top of pancakes. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and top with whipped cream


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Confetti!

So, I looked in my fridge and realized I get a bag of potatoes or sweet potatoes every single time I go to the store, and just had a TON of potatoes to use up, so what to do? Make my Confetti Potato Salad of course! I made this up, but it’s my absolute favorite! Hmmm…On a side note, real confetti is one of my least favorite things.  It’s fun, but what a pain to clean up, and it is like glitter – it never fully goes away.

Anyways, back to our story…

Emily’s Confetti Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 c. mayonaise
  • 1/2 c. sour cream
  • 2 Tbs. mustard (yellow or dijon)
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/2 c. chopped onion
  • 1/4 c. sweet relish
  • 3 Tbs. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3-4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Directions

  1. 1. Peel and chop sweet potatoes and boil in a large pan with a pinch of salt. While boiling, peel and chop regular potatoes and add to same pot until both are cooked but not mushy – about 20 minutes.
  2. 2. While potatoes are cooking, combine in a large bowl mayonaise, sour cream, mustard, celery, onion, relish, sugar, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
  3. 3. Cool cooked potatoes slightly and then toss with dressing.
  4. 4. Chop and gently fold in egg. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until serving.

Since I was cooking up cubes of potatoes anyways, I boiled event more, and kept some to mash up for mashed potatoes. I haven’t decided if I am going to eat as is or use it in a casserole.


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Amateur Hour

So, this weekend I got to play my  French horn in a talent show. It was the first time I had performed since my son was born nearly five years ago. And I have two degrees in music performance. It was long over due. It was lovely. It was great. The kid who has played with the Moscow Orchestra and Aspen Music Festival totally stole our thunder. (I kid – he was awesome!)

After I played I sat to watch and Munchkin was playing games on my iphone. I got a text message so I went to clear it and he says REALLY loud “No mommy! Don’t take it away! I’m playing Angry Birds!” Nice.

Anywho, I got to meet CBear’s mom for the first time, so of course I had to cook a yummy meal for her, CBear, and my aunt and uncle. It was an All Recipe Extravaganza!

For Dinner:

– Taco Casserole

– Honey Cornbread

– Salad

– Spiced Baked Apples served with ice cream and whipped topping

For the Taco Casserole I substituted the beef for half a bag of veggie burger crumbles and a drained can of black beans and just a bit of cayenne pepper. You know, since I’m a veggie. It was yummy and very homey feeling. I think next time I may add a can of corn, or even some hot peppers. And even better, the whole dinner was pretty cheap to make.

I think the best part about making yummy dinner, is you have a yummy lunch the next day. ALWAYS make extra.


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I should be _______.

I have guests coming for dinner tomorrow AND I still have to unpack from my trips this week. I should be cleaning. I should be doing laundry. I should be doings lots of things, but instead, today I did this:

The super yummy Apple Pie Muffins. Yuuummmmm!

And then I played on the computer to find more recipes, played with the munchkin, went to the store. Do you think if I serve my guests super yummy muffins they won’t notice the mess? Maybe??


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A “Whoops!” turns out yummy

So, I had this butternut squash that has been sitting around for awhile, and it needed to go. I looked up some recipes and I found a recipe for a squash casserole, but it was for yellow squash. I could sub butternut, right? However, after realizing I had lots of moments where I thought I had something and really didn’t, I made a completely new dish. And then I had some left over apples from some muffins I was making, so I threw those in too. And it turned out to be good!

Savory Butternut Squash Casserole

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, cubed
  • 1/2-1 onion, diced
  • 1 Tbs. Butter
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1 stack of buttery crackers, crushed

Directions:

  • Warm a large skillet with the butter. Put in squash and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. After five minutes add in onion and water and continue to cook until tender
  • When cooked, remove from heat. Add in milk, sour cream and apples. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish
  • Top with crushed crackers and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until bubbly and top is brown.


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Herbed Sweet Potato Fries

A quick side tonight that turned out great and even the munchkin loved. I’m totally bummed I forgot to take photos, but the result was so yummy!

Herbed Sweet Potato Fries

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into strips (or slices, or waffle…whatever your fancy)

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp. rosemary

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. paprika

Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Put potato slices in a large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and toss.
  3. Put potatoes on a sprayed baking sheet in a single layer
  4. Bake for 40 minutes or until done

Of course, this is a pretty basic recipe, so adjust to fit your taste. This can work as a side dish to your favorite sandwich, or would also work as an appetizer by itself.

I had hoped to use cayenne pepper instead of the paprika, but I am out. I’ll have to sub that next time. I’m thinking the kick with the sweet would be awesome. Regardless, I got my 4-year old to eat a reasonably healthy snack. Whoo hooo!


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Fat Sunday

So, I found a recipe for Beignets last week, and had every intention of making them for Fat Tuesday. Then life happened. So, last night we made the dough and this morning we rolled it out and fried them up!

I used to be very intimidated by frying things…you gotta get the oil, heat it up, not burn yourself, find something to do with the old oil…but I found these very easy.

And even if they are a little over-fried, they’re still pretty good.

Here they are all done. Don’t they just look yummy? And they are light and don’t FEEL like fried food. That actually may not be a good thing. I don’t usually like donuts, but I liked these. (And do did everyone else.)

The recipe is from Our Best Bites, and can be found here. The only thing I changed, was instead of dusting one side with powdered sugar, I turned them over to dust both sides. Mmmmmm…sugary goodness.