Saturday, December 10, 2011

Life is crazy!

I've been avoiding writing this post because I don't want to admit to myself that I am not keeping up with my life lately. True story. I in fact have not taken pictures of how to make Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts. And I wanted to have it posted 2 days ago. 
Due to my hectic life right now, I'm taking a blogging break until 2012. Sounds so far away, but it's really only 3 weeks! Starting in the new year, I'll be posting the Parmesan Chicken recipe as well as the Beef Fajita recipe. Plus I will be giving away a few cookbooks. 
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 3 weeks!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Winner

The winner of the cookbook as chosen by random.org is:
Comment number 7, which is... 
Contact me at crystalscozykitchen@gmail.com to claim your prize!

There's a give-away currently going on at FrugalFamilyTable.com - so head on over for another chance to win!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Giveaways to enter!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the cookbook going on currently!  Ends tonight... so get your entry in.

Also over on Frugal Family Table I just started another giveaway! Be sure to check it out!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Menu: Nov 28-Dec 4

Happy Monday everybody, except I'm sure a lot of you will be reading this on Tuesday since I'm posting so late... so Happy Tuesday to you! I absolutely love December, except how cold it gets. Brrr... But I love how happy everybody is and how much more they seem to care about others. It's just a shame that it can't carry though the whole year (except for those crazy people who risk others lives so they can save money! But we won't discuss that here.) I love Christmas lights and carols. I love hot chocolate. I love sitting down with a blanket and a good book (doesn't happen very often now... my 2 year old thinks that the only books I should read are to HIM! Which we do, both snuggled in a blanket.) What do you love about December?

Here's the menu:

Monday: Taco Soup
Tuesday: Taco Soup
Wednesday: Roasted Butternut squash soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday: Frozen Pizza and leftover soup

Friday: Ate out
Saturday: Salmon & Maple Acorn Squash
Sunday: Beef Fajitas

Vote for the recipe you want to see next Thursday. Parmesan Crusted Chicken won this week's recipe slot.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Giveaway: Baking from the Heart

To start this week of give-aways, I'm giving away one copy of Baking from the Heart: Our Nation's Best Bakers Share Cherished Recipes for The Great American Bake Sale.

To enter this contest leave a comment telling me what you want for Christmas. Or one thing on your want list in general if you do not celebrate Christmas.

*Contest open to everyone - Family, Friends, Followers, Complete Strangers, etc. 
*One entry per person. 
*Winner will be announced in 5 days - on Wed, Dec. 7, please check back to see if you won as I will not require you to enter any contact information. 
*Winner will be selected by random.org.

~Remember to keep coming back as there will be more things given away in the next week!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Sweet Potato-Coconut Thai Curried Soup

Happy December everybody! I can't believe it's almost the end of the year already. I was going to start a slew of giveaways today, but as is most often the case, I'm a bit behind with everything in my life... so I'll have to start that tomorrow. Be on the lookout. I will be giving things away on this site as well as on frugalfamilytable.com during the next 2 weeks.

Sweet Potato-Coconut Thai Curried Soup
adapted from Jenn Cuisine
You'll need 1 red bell pepper, diced.
You'll also need ginger and garlic - 4 cloves garlic to be exact.
Mince or finely shred the garlic,
mince or grate the ginger as well - you'll want about 1-1.5 tsp ginger.
You'll also need 1 onion, diced (or grated as I did - I was on a grating kick that night!)
Add 2 Tbsp Olive Oil to a pan, then toss in the onion, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Cook until they start to soften.
Once they are mostly cooked, add curry paste.
1 Tbsp red curry paste is what I added. You can adjust for your own taste preference.
Stir in the curry paste. Let cook 1 more minute.
You'll also need 2 cups broth - chicken or vegetable.
Add that to the pan.
Stir well.
I used my hand blender to blend the soup at this point.
Still a few bits left, but that's okay.
You'll also need 4 sweet potatoes - that have been roasted and cooled enough to handle.
Peel and place into a bowl,
Mash with a fork.
Add to pan.
You'll also need 1-14 oz can coconut milk and 1-12 oz can young coconut milk (or you can just have 2 cans of either...)
Coconut milk has this delightful cream on top - be sure to open it completely as it will not pour out!
Add the coconut milk to the pan.
both cans.
Looking good...
At this point, puree completely either using a hand blender or blending in a blender in batches.
Once blended, simmer on low for a few minutes to a half an hour to let flavors blend.
I also added some salt.
and 1 tsp cumin.
Enjoy warm.