With E.J deployed for the next year, I’ve decided to try some recipes that might not exactly be his cup of tea… which inexplicably includes pineapple! I happen to love pineapple, and have had this recipe pinned in Pinterest for years now, but hadn’t actually tried it. Let me just say, wow! If you’re looking for a fairly quick weeknight meal, this is a good option. The prep is easy, and the flavors go great with the warmer temperatures we’re starting to see down here in the south.

Shout out to PaleoGrubs.com for this paleo gem! I’ll be adding this one to the Favorites page.

As I’ve mentioned before, E.J. and I do a lot of entertaining.  We have 3 major parties every year (New Years, Summer Birthdays, and Halloween) and many minor ones scattered in between (St. Patrick’s Day, July 4, Memorial Day, etc.) and then there are the big family holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.  All in all, we do a lot of big meals and big party spreads on a fairly regular basis, which is particularly challenging when it comes to a major shift in your diet like our transition to Paleo.

More and more of our close friends have made the transition, or are at least trying to eat more like E.J. and I do, so that takes the pressure off a bit, but in the end the goal is to make a tasty spread without a ton of leftovers we can’t eat.

Here is what the menu looked like for the Halloween party we had this past weekend

• 2 chafing dishes with dividers for a total of 4 hot meat options:
  • Honey Garlic Chicken Wings (finished off on the grill)
  • Bacon Wrapped Meatballs 
  • Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Chorizo (I left off the maple syrup, and I think it was actually better)
  • Grilled Sliced Smoked sausage (no sugar added)
• Deviled Eggs
• Boiled Shrimp
• Paleo Blackberry Jam over Cream Cheese
• Beet Dip
• Savory and Sweet Crackers (Rosemary and Raisin)
• Summer & Dry Sausage tray
• Cheese Tray
• Veggie Tray with Paleo ranch dressing
• Caprese skewers
• Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Oranges
• Red Velvet Cake Bites
• Paleo Spiced Dark Chocolate Cake Bites (cut into small squares)
• Sweet potato chips & Paleo salsa

For the non-paleo folks, I added:

• Tortilla & potato chips
• Green onion dip
• Rice Krispy treats

These last few items were special request from my mom on the understanding that any leftovers would be quickly handled so they wouldn’t tempt me or go to waste.

There were lots of compliments on the food options, and all in all, I think the party was a success.  Special thanks to Elaine and Anita for their help getting ready Friday so I could get all of it done!

 

It’s day 3 of our annual spring welcoming storm, and it looks like we have 2 more days of cloudy weather to go.   That’s the bad news.

The good news is that it looks like we’re going to have a nice weekend again, so hopefully I’ll get to plant some herbs in my herb garden.  I love having fresh herbs to cook with in the spring & summer.  Typically basil and oregano grow like weeds here, but I also like having rosemary (if I can keep it from drying out and/or drowning to death), thyme, sage, & parsley.

I usually try to grow tomatoes and peppers too, but end up fighting the birds for the fruit, so I don’t know if I’ll plant them this year.  Maybe I’ll just rely on our local farmer’s markets.  There’s nothing better than a fresh vine ripe tomato.  Mmmm.

One thing I get to enjoy year-round though is green onions.  Did you know that when you buy green onions at the store, if you leave most of the white part with the roots, and cut just into the green, you can plant the root part and it will grow?  I’ve done this now with several bunches of onions, and while not all of them will grow, about half will if I do it soon after I purchased them from the store.   I now have a nice bunch of green onions that produce for me pretty much year round if we don’t get any severe freezes.  Whenever I need a couple of tablespoons for cooking, I just head outside with the kitchen shears and cut off a few “leaves”.  They taste so much brighter in your recipes when they’re fresh from the garden.

Anyway, there was a short break in the rain this morning where I was able to take Buddy for a 15 minute walk in the neighborhood.  I really could just use a good run though.  Today I’ll probably head to the mall again at lunch so I can at least stretch my legs and keep moving.