Convertible Bug: Childhood Dream Come True!

If you grew up with me, then you know what car I always wanted.  Remember the game MASH?  You would pick what kind of house you wanted to live in, how many kids you would have, where you would live, and what car you would drive.  My three choices were always Vette, Viper, and Volkswagen.  I had a dad and brother who were really in to cars, so I didn't think it was unusual to be in to cars as a little girl!  I always dreamed of having a convertible VW beetle.

When I was in high school and started looking for cars, we couldn't find a convertible VW.  I HAD to have a convertible.  In the end, I'm glad I didn't find a VW, because I got the best car ever-- 1977 Triumph Spitfire.  I love that car and still own it!  The problem with driving it now is that it only has two seats (no backseat) and won't fit a car seat for Harlow.

{Harlow and my dad sitting in the Spitfire}

{Both the Spitfire and the Beetle are yellow-- their original colors!}

Since going to one salary so I can stay home with Harlow, Colin and I are cutting as many corners as possible.  We cut cable (gasp!), buckled down on our budget, and made a huge decision to sell my new(ish) car.  I had a car that I loved driving, but most days it just sat at the house.  We were making monthly payments on it, and then you add in insurance and property taxes.  We have a second vehicle that Colin takes to work and that we drive when we go out of town.  My car was an expense that we knew we could cut.  But what would I drive if we sold it?

My parents and I (and Harlow) went to the town where I grew up to visit friends.  When we drove up to their house, there sat a 1971 convertible Volkswagen Super Beetle.  I couldn't believe it!

Skip forward a couple months later, and we picked up the VW and sold my new car!

My dad is currently restoring the VW, and I can't wait to drive it!

I'll be sure to update you when it's ready to zoom around town!

What car did you always dream of having?

Twice Baked Potatoes Dupe (with Spaghetti Squash!)

If you have a hankering for twice baked potatoes, then eat twice baked potatoes.  If you want to try a twist on the indulgent dish, try it with spaghetti squash!

Happy accidents do happen!  I discovered that spaghetti squash can take on a mashed potato texture if heated in the skillet long enough and smashed a bit.  Woohoo!

This isn't a very exact recipe, because it will change depending on what you like in your potatoes/squash.

I baked a spaghetti squash, and used half of it for this dish.  I froze the other half (did you know you could do that!).  Here's how to freeze it: post on freezing spaghetti squash

Here's how to bake the squash: click here!

Let's get started…

-Bake the spaghetti squash, and let it cool.

-Take half of the squash, and use your fork to scrape out the flesh to make "noodles".

-Melt 3 generous tablespoons of butter in a hot pan.

-Once the butter melts and bubbles, stir in 2 tablespoons of flax meal.

---The flax meal acts as a thickener, and flax has great health benefits!  I use Bob's Red Mill in the yellow package.

-Stir the flax meal thoroughly until fully integrated with the butter.

-Stir in the spaghetti squash.

-Add seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, go wild!).

-Stir in cheddar cheese, sour cream, whatever you want!  Ranch dressing?  Sure!  I didn't try ranch, but it might be as good as it is with potatoes!
--I only used about 2 tablespoons of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese so it flavored it without making it super fattening and ruining the integrity of the squash.  You could really load up on the cheese and sour cream and more butter if you really wanted to fool people!

-Stir, stir, stir!  You want the cheese to fully melt and all the ingredients to come together.  The more you stir, the more the squash will break down.  You can even smoosh (autocorrect does not approve of that word) it with your spoon.  It won't be completely smooth, but it will become like a mashed potato consistency.

I also threw in some toasted sunflower seeds, because I like a bit of crunch.  What else do you think would be good thrown in?  Bacon?  Of course, bacon!  Oh, and chives!

This would be a great side dish, or just eat it straight out of a bowl like Colin and I did.  It will give you a full feeling (yay!) and is a little less guilty than potatoes.  Nevermind, we'll ignore the cheese and sour cream and call it healthy!

This will make about 5 servings as a main dish and much more as a side dish.  If you used the entire squash, you could feed a crowd!

Let me know if you try it out!

Insta-Recipes 3.0

Today's Insta-Recipe roundup is full of dishes perfect for summer!

Homemade Pasta Salad

This is a great side dish for a summer potluck!

-One box of pasta, cooked

-2 carrots, shredded

-1 raw zucchini, chopped

-Handful raw mushrooms, chopped

-1/4 red onion, chopped

-1/8 cup feta cheese (or more!)

-White balsamic vinaigrette dressing (pour about half a bottle, stir, taste, add more as needed)

-Chill in fridge for a couple hours

*I think it would be yummy with olives thrown in and would make a main dish with shredded chicken or tuna!

Naan Pizza

I ate a lot of naan when I went to India a few years ago.  I picked up a package of naan at the grocery store the other day and used it to make a quick "pizza"

-Stonefire tandoori baked naan

-Sabra roasted red pepper hummus (instead of pizza sauce)

-Red onion

-Cilantro

-Sunflower kernels

-Goat cheese

-Grilled chicken, shredded (seasoned with cajun salt, garlic powder, dill)

Sweet Potato Hash

There are a ton of recipes for sweet potato hash on Pinterest.  Search there for one that looks yummy to you.  I added red onions and carrots.

*Insta-recipe posts are inspired by dishes I throw together and post on my personal Instagram account.

Chipotle Cranberry Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is one of my favorite things to make!  I make a big batch so we have lunch for a few days.  I wasn't a huge fan of chicken salad until I whipped this up (I avoid celery at all costs), and now I can't get enough!  I could grab a fork and just eat it out of the bowl.  I like it on just about any type of bread.  Just to be safe, you may want to make this when you will have lots of people will be around...just so you don't consume it all by yourself in one sitting!

Chipotle Cranberry Chicken Salad

-1.5 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast

-1 cup almonds

-1/2 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

-1/4 cup mayo

-1/2 cup sour cream

-1/4 cup chipotle mayo (I use Kraft) *see note

1)Boil the chicken.  Be sure to season it while it's boiling.  It will make the salad so much more savory.  I like to season it with coriander, dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, garlic powder, and cajun seasoning.

2)While the chicken cooks, throw your almonds and craisins in a food processor to chop them into smaller pieces.  Set aside.

3) Put the cooked chicken in the food processor and pulse a few times to shred the chicken.  You can shred it by hand if you're not lazy like me.  :)

4) Combine the chicken, almonds, craisins, mayo, sour cream, and chipotle mayo.

**Note: If you are not able to find chipotle mayo, you can just use plain mayo for the entire recipe.  It will still be good!  If you want the chipotle taste (which really sets it apart), you can blend 1/4 cup of mayo with chipotle peppers in a food processor.  You can buy the chipotle peppers in a jar or can.  Another option is to mix the mayo with a tablespoon or two of the juice in the jar/can.

5) Set in the fridge for a few hours to chill and for flavors to combine.

6) Grab a fork and eat it straight from the bowl.  Spread on bread and share with friends.

I strain the water the chicken was cooked in and save it for broth for soup or to use in other recipes.  Winning!

Spaghetti Squash with Buttery Kale

I tried spaghetti squash a few years ago but didn't really know what to do with it.  It has recently become a huge craze, and now, thanks to Pinterest, there are lots of yummy recipes out there!

I'm giving this funny squash a second chance, and we're off to a good start!  I made a stir fry a couple weeks ago and knew I wanted to try a few other variations.

I also have started making zoodles-- zucchini noodles!  I'll share more about that in the future, but I promise they tie in to my spaghetti squash post!

I asked my instagram friends for zoodle recipes, and I got some good ones that I've pinned for later.  Ramona sent me a recipe for butternut squash noodles with kale.  It looked soooo good!  The problem was I didn't have butternut squash on hand…or a few other needed ingredients.  I did have a spaghetti squash in the fridge that needed to be used asap.  I decided to adapt the recipe to fit what I had in the fridge and pantry.  Deliciousness was born.

Spaghetti Squash with Buttery Kale

adapted from Snixy Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 bag of frozen kale

6 tbsp. butter

nutmeg

1/2 cup sunflower kernels

1/8 cup of goat cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Cut spaghetti squash in half, brush with olive oil, and cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.  Let cool.  I let it cool in the fridge overnight.  Once cooled, shred the squash with a fork.  It will look a bit like spaghetti!
• Toast the sunflower kernels in a dry, hot pan.  Set aside.
• Melt the butter and add a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Once the butter foams and starts to brown, pour into a large bowl.
• Pour the frozen kale in the skillet.  Cook through, adding a bit of water if needed.  Salt if desired.  Pour the cooked kale in the bowl with the butter and stir to coat the kale.
• Put the cooked spaghetti squash "noodles" in the skillet and cook until warmed through.
• Add the buttered kale, goat cheese, and cheddar cheese.  Stir together and cook until cheese is melted.
• Stir the sunflower kernels throughout the squash and kale mixture.
• Serve warm!

How do you like to cook spaghetti squash?  Gimme those recipes!