September 12, 2013

Autumn Dinner Menu


Menu
 Lovely Autumn Dinner

~Lentil Stew~

~Green Salad~

~Fried Apples~



Recipe for 
Lentil Stew

This recipe received excellent reviews from my family. Daddy said, 'This is really good, really good!"

2 bell peppers, any colors, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1.5 lbs. chicken--tenders, thighs, breast--cubed
1.5 cups green lentils
2 c. chicken broth 
2 c. water
juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon Salt, yes, 1 tablespoon. Trust me, it really needs it.
4-6 tablespoons cumin
a few tablespoons olive oil 


Directions:

1. First, saute chicken and onions, with a small amount of olive oil, until onions are translucent and   chicken is well cooked. 

2. Add peppers, lentils, and cumin, and saute all ingredients together for 5-10 minutes being careful to avoid burning of lentils.

3. Add chicken broth, water, lime juice, and salt.

4. Bring all to a boil and leave simmering until lentils are soft.  Stir occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn't stick on the bottom the pot.

Recipe Notes:

* I used homemade chicken broth that is very concentrated. If using normal broth, substitute more broth for the water listed

* Serving with a dollop of unsweetened yogurt or heavy cream, chopped cilantro or whatever else sounds good to you! Delicious...




The Green Salad was, well, a green salad. I just made a dressing with olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. It was really yummy.


Fried apples....so yummy! They have nothing added but butter and cinnamon. Just chop apples as seen in picture, fry with lots of butter (I used half a stick for 4-6 apples), and add cinnamon when soft. Great sugar free dessert!

So there, everybody, is my Autumn Dinner Menu! I will be working on developing a separate page for my low-starch, sugar-free, and dairy free recipes in the near future, so stay tuned!

Love,

Madeleine 



September 09, 2013

Sweet Sixteen


So I've had my sixteenth birthday. It was really delightful! My parents planned amazing festivities, including: birthday breakfast, fall birthday shopping with Gillian and Mama, and a dinner out with my parents at a small plate Mexican tapas restaurant that was unreal.

I received some beautiful gifts that I am super excited about. I had fun snapping some photos of them, so here they are.


This is a Cuppow (cuppow.com) ; it makes drinking out of a jar, and avoiding plastic super easy. 






I now have a Moleskine journal (shop.moleskine.com). It's beautiful leather, nicely lined, and a pleasure to write in!



And this, everybody, is a Buff headband (buffusa.com). I LOVE it! It is designed for endeavors such as hiking and long wilderness trips to keep hair out of the way. So cool, right?


And...this gorgeous mug from a local artisan. I am SO in love with it. 





With some birthday money I found these flats on clearance. They are Born, so super comfortable, and originally $80 down to $20. That's right, $20!

So, that was my birthday. I was so blessed to receive many beautiful things. 

Love,
Madeleine