Substance of Living

Is it your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner this year?  Why not make it a casual affair by setting up a buffet.  That way everyone can dish their own plate and the big reason is to allow more room in the center of the table for your beautiful tablescape ! Thanksgiving Tablescape by Between Naps on the Porch Here's the menu to make life a little easier. Buffet Table by Divine Dinner Party Thanksgiving Buffet Dinner Menu Deviled Eggs (This can be made the day before) Apple, Cranberry Walnut Salad tossed in a Brown Sugar Glaze Roasted Corn on the Cob Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (This can be made the day before or open the can and refrigerate on serving dish) Green Bean Casserole (This can be assembled the day before minus the french fried onions ) Sweet Potato Souffle (This can be prepped a day or two ahead) Cornbread Stuffing (This can be prepped a day or two ahead) Herb Roasted Turkey (Thaw according to USDA guidelines ) Slow Roasted Beef wi...

Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Pumpkin Panna Cotta Unflavored Gelatin Heavy Cream Pureed Pumpkin Monday Pumpkin Roll Powdered Sugar Ground Cloves Eggs Pumpkin Puree Cream Cheese Vanilla Extract Tuesday Pumpkin Dump Cake Pumpkin Puree Evaporated Milk Pumpkin Pie Spice Yellow Cake Mix Pecans Ice Cream Wednesday Pumpkin Banana Creamy Dreamy Dessert Heavy Cream Half and Half Vanilla Extract Pumpkin Puree Light Brown Sugar Ground Ginger Ground Nutmeg Brandy Bananas Orange Juice Orange Zest Unflavored Gelatin Thursday Pumpkin Cheesecake Ginger Snaps Cream Cheese Pumpkin Puree Ground Nutmeg Pumpkin Pie Spice Candied Ginger Vanilla Extract Semisweet Chocolate Heavy Whipping Cream Bourbon Carmel Sauce Friday Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream Heavy Cream Pumpkin Pie Spice Kosher Salt Dark Brown Sugar Vanilla Extract Rum Pumpkin Puree  Saturday Creamy Pumpkin Mousse - Dairy and Sugar Free Unflavored Gelatin Pumpkin Puree Agave Syrup G...

The past few days, I've been craving chocolate.  Not any ordinary chocolate like a candy bar, ice cream, or cake but something that would melt in my mouth.  I wanted to feel like I was being pampered and getting away with something naughty.   Truffles!  That's what I wanted.  Alas, I didn't have any cream and really was being lazy about going up to the store. This is what I had on hand: 6 ounces Neufchatel Cheese Vanilla extract Confectioner's Sugar - some Bakers Chocolate Cocoa Powder Was there a way to make truffles using ingredients on hand or was I really going to have to go out?  See, I was being totally lazy. The search engines were kind to me and I "met" Meryl from MA.  Meryl is the photographer, cook, and writer at Inspired Bites .  She actually makes Cream Cheese Truffles in Two Flavors , with her main ingredients being what I have on hand. Unfortunately, well fortunately for my waist, I didn't have enough po...

  Ingredients 1 16 oz Tofu, drained and pressed 1 Onion, chopped 1 Lemon, sliced 5 Garlic Cloves 16 oz. Vegetable Medley, fresh or frozen 1/2 cup White Wine or Water 1/2 cup Quinoa 1 cup Water In a saucepan, add 1 cup water and the quinoa.  Cook according to your package directions.  If you don't have directions, bring to a boil and then simmer until the quinoa grain comes apart and soft. Meanwhile... Over medium heat add about 2 Tablespoons oil in a skillet, along with the onions and garlic.  Stir and when the onions become translucent add the sliced lemons.  Remove skillet from heat and add the wine. Return the skillet to the heat.  Add the vegetables and tofu.  Allow to simmer. This recipe seems too easy to be delicious but it really is.  The tangy flavor of the lemon makes this light and refreshing. What are your favorite tofu recipes? Please share me with your friends! Please forward this post to your fr...

Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday BBQ Chicken, Spinach and Pasta Frittata Elbow Pasta 1 Small-Medium B BQ Chicken 1 Small Red and Green Capsicum* 5-6 Scallions Garlic Fresh or Frozen Spinach Fresh Basil Eggs Cheddar Cheese Parmesan Cheese Chili Flakes Lemon wedges for serving (optional) Monday Vichyssoise 3 Large Yukon Potatoes 1 Large Onion 15 Ounces Chicken Broth 1 Pint Sour Cream green onions (optional) Tuesday Brown Rice Vegetable Casserole Chicken Broth Brown Rice 2 Large Onions Soy Sauce** Basil Cauliflower Florets Broccoli Florets 4 Medium Sweet Red Peppers 2 Garlic Cloves Salted Cashews Cheddar Cheese Wednesday Broccoli Three Cheese Bake French fried onions 1 bag Frozen Broccoli and Cheese Sauce   Cream Cheese 1 Red Pepper Red Pepper Sauce Thursday Mom's Minestrone Soup 3 (14 ounce) Cans W hite Beans Pancetta or Bacon (Vegan Bacon) 2 Cloves Garlic 1 Onion 2 Celery S...

Normally when a loaf of bread doesn't turn out quite right or we have leftover pieces of a loaf, we freeze them and eventually make gluten-free stuffing.  Which took a long time to get enough together unless I made a batch of bread specifically to add to the pieces due to the cost of store-bought bread or even the bread mixes in a box. A couple months ago, DH and I started mixing up our own "all-purpose gluten-free flours".  Guess what?!  We ended up with quite a few loaves of bread that tasted good or looked nice but weighed too much.  Had we shellacked them, they would have made great door stoppers.  (We now think we have come up with a flour mix that you'll really enjoy.  Will get all dusty with the details after a couple more items have been tested with the mixture.  Be on the look out!) So, on this particular night, we made gluten-free bread pudding.  A dessert I haven't been able to enjoy for far too many years than I c...

Day Menu Item Shopping Sunday Black-Eyed Peas with Potatoes and Tamarind dried black-eyed peas baking soda turmeric ghee or oil black mustard seeds cumin seeds 1 large onion 1-inch piece fresh ginger 4 - 6 fresh green chilies ground coriander ground cumin cayenne Asafoetida* 2 firm medium tomatoes tamarind fresh parsley or coriander 2 medium potatoes sea salt Monday Winter Vegetable and Tofu Korma ground cardamom   turmeric   crushed red pepper flakes   ground cumin   ground coriander   cinnamon clarified butter, ghee, or sunflower oil 2 medium yellow onions  fresh ginger 4 medium cloves garlic 1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes 12 ounces cauliflower   sliced almonds sea salt 12 ounces firm tofu greek yogurt   heavy cream a small bunch of fresh cilantro "I use a yogurt/cream blend here, which is inspired by Indian kormas, but there is no reason you couldn't su...