Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu

I tend to go through phases of pins, and at one time, I searched and re-pinned a ton of spaghetti squash recipes. As a healthier alternative to pasta, it can be used in so many dishes and provides great flavor and texture.

The recipe I tried tonight was skinnytaste’s Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu. This particular dish also suggests another low-fat alternative, using ground turkey instead of ground beef. It can be found on many boards across Pinterest, most titled with some kind of “healthy” subject.

A quick note that I decided to halve the recipe, as I was only cooking for myself.

The recipe starts with cutting the spaghetti squash in half to cook. I have issues cutting through a huge raw squash, so I just poke a bunch of holes in it and throw it in the oven at 375 for a little over an hour, rotating about every 20 minutes.

I cut my onion, carrots (I used about 5 baby carrots instead of one big carrot), and celery for my (combined) mis en place. I then melted butter, added oil, and sautéed the veggies. After reading the comments, I threw in some minced garlic as well.  The recipe calls for a 3-4 minute sauté, but I always find that a few more minutes gets that little bit of extra softness that I like for veggies as part of a sauce.

Veggie Mis En Place

Sautéing the veggies with oil, butter, garlic

Next, in went the raw turkey with a sprinkling of kosher salt. I used about a half pound, in order to make two servings (lunch tomorrow!). I stirred this pretty often, so I could break the chunks up into the smallest pieces possible, until it was all browned.

Adding the turkey meat

Make sure the turkey meat is browned

For the next step, I used a 14 oz can (half of what the recipe called for) of crushed tomatoes. As I continued to stir, I noticed it definitely wasn’t “saucy” enough; it was mostly just meat and vegetables with some tomatoes stirred in. Thank goodness I had a small can of tomato sauce on hand. As I added almost the full can, it reached a better, sauce-like consistency.

With just canned tomatoes added

With the extra tomato sauce added

Per the recipe, I added salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. I added a bay leaf (plus an extra, because I love the flavor it brings) and covered to cook, checking on it about every 15 minutes to stir.

While that was cooking, the spaghetti squash finished up in the oven. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. Taking a fork, I scraped all the meat out of the shells into a plastic container.  It really almost looks like pasta!

The spaghetti squash cooked all the way through. 

Cutting it open to scoop out seeds

"Pasta"!

After about an hour, I uncovered the pan. It had nicely reduced into a thick, chunky sauce. I reheated the squash in the microwave, transferred some to a bowl, and topped it with the ragu. I suppose I could have made it a little prettier with some grated cheese and fresh herbs on top, but I was ready to eat.

Reduced ragu

 The dish was delish! Meat-y, tomato-y, and vegetable-y all at the same time, it was definitely both a full flavored and healthy meal! This will stay on the list to make again for sure.

Spaghetti Squash with Meat Ragu 

Try it out for yourself. But make your changes as you see fit!

My pin: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/266486502924268688/

Original link: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/spaghetti-squash-with-meat-sauce-46-pts.html

The Return of Pinsequences

Pinsequences is back to remind you that DIY has consequences! It looks so easy, but can it be done? I am here to test the pins that you want to try. Décor, jewelry, recipes, art, home storage – people post links that make anything seem possible. I have many great successes and just as major failures in trying to recreate my pins.

I follow about 200 people and companies, and I usually just browse my feed and re-pin things that look interesting. Or if I am looking for something specific, I search Pinterest instead of Googling, as I find it brings better results.

I tend to stick to healthier recipes (or really good gluttonous ones!), any kind of art projects that don’t include real sewing, home projects that can make my life better, fun holiday ideas, and anything that can be done on the cheap.  

If you found something you want someone else to try first, send it my way.  I am going to ease back in with some easy pins and work my way up to the more complicated ones.

These are the tales of my pinsequences.

Crockpot Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters

I am obsessed with using my slow cooker.  I want to use it for everything.  And through this pin I found-I made a dessert with my slow cooker. I find making dinner in the slow cooker yields plenty of left overs for Joel and I.  And with desserts, I can always send them with Joel to share with co-workers or take them on our Tahoe trip and hope that everyone enjoys them after a day on the mountain.

Chocolate covered peanut clusters were really easy to make.  I was out running errands one day and decided to make it.  I was at Target and not a regular grocery store so my ingredients didn't match the original recipe.  Though I feel it turned out just as great.

Ingredients:

1 jar of dry roasted peanuts salted
2 packages of premier white chips
1 package of milk chocolate chips
1 package of peanut butter chips
1 package of ghirardelli chocolate





And here's what it looked like after I layered the chocolates with the peanuts.  I cooked it on LOW for 3:30.  

I read on another recipe that you should check it after 2 hours and here's what it looked like.

And then I let it sit for 20 mins after turning the heat off after 3:30 and I went to town scooping out the clusters onto wax paper. 

This was the part I was worried about-as the original instructions were just scoop out.  I didn't know what to use or how big to make them.  As soon as I got going on the first couple I was able to gauge how big to make them.   I used regular table spoons for scooping.

And here's a close up shot of them-while letting them cool

After letting them cool for 4 hours I decided it was time to taste one and put them in containers for Tahoe and another container for Joel to bring to his co workers.  They were great! 

I think they were a bit too chocolatey and needed a few more peanuts.

I Heart Pizza...

...but I don't let myself eat it that often, with the high calorie and fat content.  That is why I was so excited to see a healthy cauliflower version on Pinterest!  I have used several substitutes for dough in the past - tortillas (which work, but still have a good number of calories and carbs), various thickly cut vegetables (which don't really give the satisfying "bread" taste), and honestly just the pizza toppings on a plate (which come on, is not really pizza).

After reading this blog entry, I couldn't wait to cook. I have made riced cauliflower before, so that step was easy.  You really just cut the leaves and stems off a fresh head of cauliflower and put it in the food processor.  The smaller the chunks of florets the better, and the less you grind at a time, the quicker it actually goes. Surprisingly, it really does take on the look and (almost) texture of rice.

This recipe called for 8 minutes in the microwave, so I set the timer and went to watch TV. Coming back to check on it about 5 minutes later, it was already cooked to the core and creating a weird crust in the bowl.  Thank goodness a head of cauliflower makes enough for screwups!  I reduced the cooking time to 2 minutes and even added about a tablespoon of water, and it was perfect!

Time to make the dough!  To make it even healthier, I used two egg whites instead of one whole egg and only half the specified amount of cheese.  Once all the spices were incorporated, I spread it out on the pan.  I ended up using the bottom of cheesecake pan, since it was round, but really any oven-safe cooking vessel will do.  I assume metal will help in this case to get as much crisp as you can. It looks a little.... wet... and loose... But I had faith and put it in the oven to cook. 

Uncooked cauliflower dough, ready to be cooked.

I ended up cooking a few minutes longer than the recipe said, but that could have just been my oven. Check out the crisp edges!  It looked to be working!

Cooked!  Looks close to real dough, complete with crispy edges.

 While the crust was baking, I took the advice of the blog and precooked my toppings - I put spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and black olives in a sautee pan with some cooking spray and garlic.  Towards the end, I added bay scallops and salad shrimp for some protein.

Precooking seafood and veggies.

Once the crust was finished, I spread out pizza sauce (yes, it was store bought, but next time I will make my own), added the toppings, and capped the whole thing off with more mozzarella.  Under the broiler it went for about 4 minutes, and it came out looking perfect and delectable!

Finished product!

And now for the taste test... I cut it into 4 pieces and nervously tried to pick up one.  Surprisingly, I was able to.  It was not quite as strong a base as dough, but it held together much better than I thought. A tentative bite gave me .... PIZZA!  Weird! It didn't taste like cauliflower at all.  Like the link says, it is not quite dough either, but with the crispy edges, I really got the crust-like flavor and texture.  The toppings were delicious - seafood and veggies just can't be beat.  I will absolutely be making this one again.  Thanks Pinterest!!

Try Try Again

If you saw my last post, you know that I was growing wary of the viability of actually completing a Pinterest DIY.  Since I already had bought a bounty of supplies, I decided to give the jewelry making one more chance.  I chose the braided hex nut bracelet, as linked from the same pin as the first "pinattempt."

The website called for twine, but I just bought some plain black cord for a cleaner look (plus I didn't like any of the twine at the store I went to).  It started off easy, just cutting and braiding, (I will do better at taking pictures along the way in the future), but then came the dexterity part. Stringing on the hex nuts and braiding them into the bracelet took quite the strong hand.  I will say the directions were EXCELLENT, although executing took some practice. 

As you take on this task, heed the instructions - keep your thumb underneath each hex nut as you braid and hold TIGHT! Do not let go the entire time; it helps to even hold the last few in place with the other fingers of your hand.  This is not really something you can start and come back to later.  Plan on finishing the entire bracelet. And you will be glad you did.  It looks really cool & unique.

My only issue is, there are no instructions on really how to connect the ends.  I guess you can just tie it together, but that may get bulky.  I am still working on that part, but can't wait to wear my new creation! I am so glad I didn't give up on Pinterest.

Braided Hex Nut Bracelet - SUCCESS!

First Pinattempt

I had heard about Pinterest for awhile, but never really understood what it was.  Skeptically I signed up for an account after receiving numerous invites and started browsing.  After a few days, I started to repin and then finally  found my own links for original posts. Inspired by all the jewelry crafts, I ventured to Hobby Lobby and Home Depot (!) to pick up supplies to make some bracelets.

My first venture came from a pin with several bracelet ideas.  http://pinterest.com/pin/266486502920564136/

First up - the DIY wrap bracelet.  I gathered my colored string and a couple of different sizes of beads, just in case.  Immediately I ran into my first problem - the beads wouldn't fit on the string!  The site didn't really give sizes, so I had to eyeball it in the store. I had to melt down the ends so I could force them on.

I started braiding, per the first step.  Then, as I tried to incorporate the beads, it wouldn't stay together!  When I tried to braid the string around the beads, it slipped right off.  After about an hour, I finally gave up.  I am not even sure what advice to give to try to make it work. My skepticism about Pinterest was growing.  Were they all just great ideas, but non-achievable??   I decided to give it one more chance....  Stay tuned!

First try, first fail.

A few small crafts

I've been obsessed with Pinterest ever since Rebecca gave me an invite.  I'm finding outfits, recipes and DIY crafts.  I've never been a DIY kind of person and I'm actually looking forward to finding more and more things to do.  I now have to find the time to complete all these projects.

The other Sunday, while waiting for my new King bed to be delivered, I decided to knock out a few smaller crafts that I'd seen on Pinterest.

The first was making my own infinity scarf via Pinterest.  I've fallen in love with infinity scarves as they are perfect with any outfit.  The best part of the infinity scarf is you don't have to worry about the sides being uneven while wrapping around your neck.

I'd had this scarf in my closet and I'd worn it a few times and knew it'd be perfect for this craft.

The instructions were super simple:
I matched the two ends together and started to tie them together until all ends were tied together.  I made sure that the knot was super secure as I didn't want it to unravel.  I then cut off all the extra strings and viola!  I had my own DIY infinity scarf.
And here's a photo of the finished product.

Another project that I couldn't wait to do was this memory jar via Pinterest.  We have so many tickets from our travels and concerts.  I didn't have a large enough mason jar but I'm on the lookout for one.  Here's what I've started thus far and hope to find a larger mason jar soon.

And the next one is just so smart.  Freezing chopped green onions to help speed up prep time via Pinterest.
I know they are only good frozen for about 3 weeks and I do a lot of cooking and I hate throwing the left over green onions out b/c we didn't use them quick enough when in the fridge.
Tip-make sure to dry the bottle and green onions thoroughly as moisture will just add freezer burn to the onions.