Roasted Chickpeas

I love chickpeas. I'm not sure why, they really aren't anything special. But they are very versatile. They are a great non-meat protein addition. They work well for hummus, as a salad topper, and they are even great in pasta. I keep seeing this recipe popping up all over the cooking shows and blogs that I follow. So just for fun, I decided to make this little chickpea snack.

Roasted Chickpeas

• 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
• olive oil spray
  
• salt
• 1 tsp chili pepper powder (to taste)
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375°. Drain chickpeas in a colander and let them dry completely. Pat dry with a paper towel if needed.
Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 30-35 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes. All ovens are different so make sure they don't burn. They will be golden brown and crunchy on the inside when done, not moist.
In a medium bowl, combine all the spices. Remove chickpeas from oven when done and spray with olive oil spray. Immediately toss with spices while hot. Eat at room temperature.

I messed with the spices a little, just for my taste. I'm sure the combination that was given by Gina is also delicious. I just did a strike through on the things I omitted. The combination I used was tasty, but I might kick it up with some cayenne.

They are a little crunchy on the outside (more so if I hadn't been paranoid they would burn) and tender on the inside. We ate most of them up before they completely cooled down.

I give this idea a thumbs up as an alternative to popcorn or other salty snacks. They are protein packed and nutrient rich.

Why not sub out your your impulse snack and give these little treats a try?

Fresh Cherry Cobbler

When I made Cherry Sorbet a few weeks ago, I spent a long time pitting over 3 pounds of fresh cherries. I just couldn't dump the leftover puree in the trash. I saved it in a plastic container in the fridge for a few days till I could find another purpose for it. I was so excited to come across a recipe for fresh cherry cobbler on All Recipes.

Fresh Cherry Cobbler 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk

• 2 cups pitted sour cherries (sub in the cherry puree)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the butter in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and place in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating. Remove as soon as butter has melted, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the milk until well blended, then pour the batter into the pan over the butter. Do not stir.
Rinse out the bowl from the batter, and dry. Place cherries into the bowl, and toss with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Distribute the cherry mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cobber should come out clean. 

I undercooked the crust a little bit. It was very buttery and very tasty. It was a great use for the leftover cherry puree. Although keep in mind that the cherry puree had a lot of the natural flavor zapped out of it, from the cherry sorbet. So that made this dessert not as cherry to the extreme in flavor.

 I served it hot with vanilla ice cream. I think it went over pretty well with everyone.

 So don't waste that leftover cherry puree. Or if you are so inclined you could just make this recipe.  

I won't judge.

Cherry Sorbet

Cherries were on sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago, I just had to find a reason to use the ridiculously large bag that I bought. I have been wanting to use my ice cream maker for a sorbet. So it seemed like a match made in heaven when I saw a recipe for Cherry Sorbet pop up on Gina's Skinny Recipes. This super simple recipe helped me take the plunge into sorbet making.

The only thing that took forever was pitting all the cherries with a pairing knife. I know, I know. They have tools for that. But I don't. Plus it actually helped take my mind off a nagging headache that I had had all weekend. So I honestly didn't mind the repetitive action.

Cherry Sorbet

Ingredients 

• 2 lbs cherries
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar or agave
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Stem the cherries and remove the pits.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cherries with the water, sugar, and lemon juice, and cook until the cherries are very soft and cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly.
Puree the cherries and their liquid and put the mixture through a fine sieve.
Once the cherry mixture is chilled, freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

It was so flavorful and had an surprising texture. If you don't like cherries this is not the recipe for you. But it wouldn't be too hard to substitute in another fruit.

Be sure to keep the remaining cherry puree. You paid for it, use it! I did! I found a recipe for a quick cherry cobbler. I made that a few days later and it received as good of reviews as the sorbet.

So take the plunge into sorbet. Its an easy, healthy and sweet treat.

Magic Stromboli

This recipe came to me via a reader/friend, Kelly. It was so simple she posted the whole recipe on my Facebook page! In her instruction she said "roll up and MAGIC stromboli!" So I just knew the dish had to be called Magic Stromboli.

Its a great Be Your Own Chef recipe. I'll put the ingredients that I used as inspiration.

Magic Stromboli

4 crescent rolls (roll of 8 for 2 people)
Cooking spray - olive oil or butter

Pizza Toppings:
3 Pepperonis per roll
1 tablespoon Mozzarella per roll
Sliced onions
Marinated artichokes
Parmesan cheese to top

Pizza Sauce:
1/2 c. Tomato paste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay out 4 crescent rolls with edges all pressed together on a sprayed baking sheet. Fill with your favorite toppings. Be careful to not overfill. Roll up and magic stromboli! Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Bake for 11 minutes. Serve with a salad.

They were flaky and tasty. Be sure to make a salad or something extra to go with these. Or plan to eat all four yourself!

I put a few slices of onion in two of them and  half a chunk of artichoke in two of them. So to distinguish the different strombolis I put a tiny piece of onion on top of the onion filled ones. Clever, right?

This would also make an excellent appetizer for your next gathering. And you can make lots of different kinds very easily. So easy to please everyone!

Go ahead and give this simple recipe a try. Thanks to Kelly for sharing her Magic Stromboli!

Simple Alterations

Why is the thought of alterations so frightening? Why do people freak out when I say the word hem?

Take a deep breath. Its okay, even you can do a simple alterations. Now I'm not saying get out that $200 blazer you just bought and try to put darts in it. Start small and very basic. Hemming pants is a good way to begin.

For all of my growing years, I watched my mom diligently hem all the pants and jeans I had to the proper length. I think they were mostly tall sizes that were hand me downs from my sister. At least my mom was teaching us economy. Which is so important today.

That is why I even had this first project to work on. I found a great deal on a pair of dark jeans that actually fit my hips and waist. Unfortunately there was only one pair left, a long. I'm only 5'6", these long jeans went clear over my feet. Not even the tallest of heels could hide how ridiculously long these jeans were on me. So I went to work on them (about 3 weeks after I originally bought them).

I could actually cut off another few millimeters off the bottom. They still seem a little long, but they are not covering my feet up anymore. That was my real goal. I'm counting that as a success.

While chopping off my jeans, I had a brainstorm about this shirt hiding in my closet.

I bought this cute gauzy shirt about a year ago. At the time I thought I could accept the weird 1/2 to 3/4 sleeve length, but the cuff of the sleeve cut into my arm. Honestly it was hard to get the shirt off over my head. So what I'm trying to say is I never wanted to wear it, before...

Before I hacked off those wonky sleeves. I sewed up the edges with a simple straight stitch. (I honestly wasn't even that careful about the straight part.)

It looks much better, its more comfortable and its so much easier to put it on. Now I think this shirt will become a summer staple in my wardrobe.

Okay so this was no "how to" guide on these alterations. More of a suggestive nudge. This is a simpler take on the Re-dress Idea. We might not all have the skills the Bishie has, but we can still do simple things recreate a piece of clothing. Even if its switching a retro button to a more modern one. It can really transform an outfit.

Dust off that sewing machine, if you don't have one borrow one from a friend or your mom. Begin your adventure in creativity.