so, these aren't the prettiest pictures i have ever posted. i wish i took it out of the pan to photograph it. but this was delicious nonetheless. i am always amazed when the dishes i throw together come out being more fantastic than i could have imagined.

i was trying to use up some of the items i had in the freezer and closet. so...i decided to make a fairly odd version of lasagna.


the ingredients are:
a can of diced green bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes
a can of pinto beans
a half of red bell pepper [from the freezer]
a half of a yellow bell pepper [ditto on the freezer]
2 cloves garlic

i cooked them in a pot with red cooking wine, white wine vinegar, a few drops tabasco sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lots of oregano, and parsley.

i only used a jar of spaghetti sauce b/c i'm saving up the others for pizza&&various other pastas. so after it came out i drizzled it with olive oil.

it was soooooooo goood.

my mom lovvves to go out to eat when i am home. we went to chipotle one day. i had the vegetarian burrito bowl. my goodness, it is delicious! i want to eat it every single day of my life. these pictures are terrible, but trust me on this one. it was soooooo good.
we also ate at a mexican bar&grill that just opened in pg. they own a grocery store as well [a big thing for small town pg, let me tell you!] arturo also catered my friend julia's wedding this past summer. delicious food! i had a guacamole tostado. sooooo delicious. as was the pico de gallo. yummm!

and finally, we ate at chili's. i've been severely disappointed in chili's. after finding out there are eggs in their black bean burgers and them taking away the southwest veggie soup. but, i decided to make do and had their chicken quesadilla, but with a substitution of portabellos instead of chicken. and i replaced the cheese and sour cream with guacamole. so yummy! i think i gained 500lbs over this break.

before i left for home, i made progresso lentil soup--those are crushed crackers on the top. i also had progresso tomato basil, but ate it so quickly i think i made myself half-sick. i won't be eating that one for quite some time.
my mom had squash waiting for me at home so i ate it for a snack/late dinner of sorts one night. i am tired of squash now.

i am returned!

i cannot believe how quickly this year is progressing! thanksgiving break seems to pass more quickly every year. sad, really.

i made a bread bowl this t-giving and placed chili inside of it. it was delicious!

there were also cookies, of course! oatmeal pumpkin. they were extremely moist. but they definitely should have had chocolate chips added in to make them sweeter.

I WISH!

i wish i had some peanuts to stress eat. har, har. i have soooo much stressful project stuff to accomplish before thursday.

i was accepted into western's graduate program! hurrah! i still need to get things together for the assistanceship application, etc. and my first choice is still NIU because of it's nearness to my home...

anyways.....

i have been obsessed with popcorn lately. i have eaten many, many entire bowl fulls by myself. disgusting. but delicious. nice low calorie snack rightttttttt?

i made pan-fried potatoes with green bell pepper, onion, and garlic. nothing special..
finished off the wine i got for cooking that white wine marinara sauce (too lazy to turn it around correctly, sorrrrrrrrrrrrry)...
i recreated a chicken wrap that i was in love with during my pregan days--chikin boca patty, sweet baby ray's bbq sauce and PICKLES. yummm. i ate this for like 3 meals in a row. oops! sorry for the blurry picture. it was just so good i couldn't take the time to get a good shot.

yummies!

when i was in grade school, my friend and i would have sleepovers on friday nights and the next morning we would make giant batches of mashed potatoes and gravy to watch cartoons with. i had some instant mashed potatoes and some mushroom gravy so i decided to recreate those times but on a sunday afternoon!
the first picture is just the mashed potatoes with the gravy mixed in.

but this evening, i had to add a boca chikin patty. this reminded me of the rare hot lunches that i would partake in while attending grade school. they would give us a grisly chicken patty with gravy and mashed potatoes. i am amazed at how chicken-like the patties taste. it's ridiculous. but, i like them. i cooked both the gravy [canned campbell's mushroom gravy] and the potatoes with chardonnay. it was a nice addition. i also used parsley, a pinch of salt, and onion&garlic powder on the potatoes. yummm! i scarfed it down in like 2 seconds flat.

FINALLY

finally, i have begun to take photos of my food again!

i cut up some potatoes and seasoned them and baked them. and they were delicious. i ate them for dinner and then lunch the next day.

i used the rest of the chili in the freezer as a comfort few days of food. it was just as scrumptious as the day i made it. i think that is going to be my thanksgiving meal of choice this year.

i finished off the spaghetti sauce from pizzas last weekend with kidney beans and rice noodles. nothing exciting, but it was enjoyable.

lastly, i made homemade marinara sauce. it was a garlic and white wine sauce and i'm just going to say that it was fabulous. i wasn't sure what to expect b/c i'd never made sauce before. it blew my mind. i am proud of this particular concoction even if it was simple. i just used white wine, one onion, 5 garlic cloves, tomato paste, and a can of diced tomatoes. it was sooooo good! also, i would just like to post this pumpkin ale picture from buffalo bill's brewery. it wasn't yummy. it was not good at all. i am highly disappointed b/c there was absolutely NO pumpkin taste and the spices were too little to count. boo buffalo bill.

nothing new

unfortunately, i have been terrible at taking pictures of my food these last few days. i was working friday and saturday, then was out with my roommates and their friends. and i have been working on group projects and other course work. BOOOOOOOOOOOO. and not in the fun haunting way.

i have had pizza w. pineapple; mushroom; black olives; onions&garlic [each separately of course], baked potatoes w. salsa [so yummy], and leftover cupcakes and pumpkin seeds. not very exciting.

i'd like to share with you some items i am planning on making, however::

*homemade baked french fries
*mashed potatoes && mushroom gravy
*homemade bread
*french toast
*granola or granola bars [haven't decided yet]

these are just a few that might actually get accomplished this week. no promises though...

i hope you all had a fantastic halloween! i went as little red riding hood. it was a blast!