Good morning, Lovelies....
After working in the studio yesterday and listening to hours of shows on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel while I worked (Giada and Nigella are my favorites), I decided that I'd make a vegetable stew for dinner. I'm always glad to find new ways to eat our veggies, just to change things up a bit. Veggies are so, so important to a healthy diet. The great thing about the stew I fixed is that there is no recipe. (My kinda cooking!) You just start out with a large can of diced tomatoes and two regular sized cans of beans -- I used one can of dark red kidney beans and one can of garbanzo beans but you can use whatever you have on hand. Beyond that, you just toss in whatever veggies you have in your fridge or pantry and season it to taste.
For our stew, I knew I wanted to throw in some cauliflower that we needed to use up but I worried that it'd be weird in a "soup" but it turned out SOOOO good! I chopped up cauliflower, half an onion, two small potatoes and lots of celery to throw into the pot. If I'd had carrots and squash, I would have added those and maybe some peppers too. But you get the point that you just use what you have on hand and don't worry about it! As for seasoning, I added chicken bouillon cubes and then salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh chives and parsley from our garden. Oh, and I added some water to the pot, as the veggies soak up some of the tomato liquid. You could also season this stew like you would chili, if you'd prefer. Anyway, that's it. It was fast and easy. It tasted GREAT -- we both loved it! We didn't even miss the fact that there was no meat in the stew because it's so thick and chunky and hearty and filling! And it's a great way to work more veggies into your diet!
When we were kids, I remember days when Mom knew that Dad had had a long, hard day at work and she wanted to have a home-cooked meal waiting on the table for him when he got home. But to kick it up a notch, we kids used to ask if we could make it a "fancy dinner" which meant that we'd light candles, turn down the overhead lights in the kitchen and use the "good glasses" (aka goblet style drinking glasses that were kept in the china cabinet and were much fancier than the Tupperware plastic cups we drank out of most nights - ha!).
So last night, I knew that Bart had worked a later shift in the day and would be getting home later than normal and I wanted to have dinner waiting for him when he got home. I also knew that he was going to stop by the grocery store on the way home for fruits and veggies which would make him later still -- all the more reason to have dinner ready and waiting. However, as I made the final preparations on dinner and set the table, I got to thinking about how I could make dinner "extra special" and then I remembered the candlelight dinners w/my parents and siblings growing up and a plan began to form! I couldn't remember the last time we'd had a candlelight dinner at HOME so I went and found a suitable candle for the table, turned down the lights and turned on some smooth jazz music. I was so excited when my hottie hubs came in the door and everything was ready and waiting! (Normally he comes home in the afternoon -- before dinner time) I was even more glad that I'd gone to the extra effort when the sweet man came in carrying the groceries AND fresh flowers! I quickly prepped the flowers (in the photos above) and added them to our candlelit dinner table and you know what? We had a really great, relaxing dinner. We got to talk and listen and just BE together at home -- no TV on -- and I highly recommend it!
When was the last time you had a candlelit dinner at HOME (with kids or without)? If you have kids, they can certainly be a part of the process. We thought those "fancy dinners" were so much fun growing up and it was a great thing for us to work together to set the table and find candles and such, doing something nice for Dad and getting excited for his arrival at the end of the work day. It definitely brought us all together, you know? Heck, even if you're eating alone, candlelit dinners now and then are definitely the way to go. You're just setting the tone for a relaxing evening and you know what? Everyone deserves a little rest & relaxation now and then, don't they? :)
Happy Friday, Friends.
I'll be back tonight at midnight, EST with the first peeks at my newest Raspberry Suite stamp set! See you soon!!