Happy Holidays and Blessings in 2022!

It’s hard to believe that another year has flown by.
It’s been such a difficult one for so many people, around the world. We are living in such strange times right now. It’s hard to hold onto hope that things WILL get better but when there is no hope, all is lost.
I’ve been trying to stay as upbeat and hopeful as possible and has been the case during so many difficult times through the years, writing and the creative process have made a big difference for the better.
After a long hiatus from writing for a variety of reasons, I am finally back to the “work” that I enjoy most of all.
I have a new Kindle eBook being released in January:
A book project that I had “percolating” in my mind for many years.
After that, I hope to complete two more Kindle eBooks before the end of 2022.
Got to make up for that long hiatus, right?? š



I hope that my readers/followers here at Veggies (past and present) are staying well, and that the New Year is a much better one for all of us.
I’m trying not to dwell on all the doom and gloom news, it can be SO depressing and serves little purpose. Especially watching some of the misguided and life-changing decisions that so many of the “leaders” continue to make, in response to this pandemic.
We can’t give up now and there is light at the end of this tunnel if we hold on to what really matters, even now. Family, friends, real values, integrity, kindness, health and wellbeing….those things that never change, even when we are stressed to our personal limits.
I will leave you with a couple of holiday “goodies” that I hope will bring a smile to your day.
One of my favorite Christmas CDs continues to be:

I noted that it is once again at the top of the charts over at Amazon Canada again this year. Talk about staying power! Guaranteed to lift your spirits, especially when you sing along. I’m guessing a lot of you already have this one in your collection.




CRANBERRY MANDARIN CHRISTMAS LOAF
Enjoy the recipe and perhaps learn a thing or two about cranberries in my post:
IF I can find some organic fresh cranberries here in BC (supplies have been rather limited with the flooding, weather…) I hope to make a couple of these “beauties” this holiday season.
They make a wonderful hostess guest too. Great for fruitcake haters too!
Have some other news pending but I’ll wait til it’s a “done deal” before I share it here and at my other sites. I read a quote recently that I thought was very wise: “tell me what you have done, not what you are going to do“. That I thought was very good advice. Suffice to say for now, it is a BIG move in the works already and hopefully will be a “done deal” and a “have done” before my birthday in April. It won’t be easy with all the restrictions in place right now, but where there is a will, there IS a way.
Wishing you peace, love, prosperity and all the good things in 2022.
Hugs and All the Best!
PS: My apologies for the less than stellar formatting, I didn’t have time to “fight” with WP any longer today. Blogger is SO much easier to navigate, at least it is for me.
On the Menu: Mushroom Stroganoff with Herbed Pasta
I made this simple but elegant main dish again, last night. It was SO delish!š
For a bit of a change, I used orzo in the herbed pasta. It worked out great.
Joe and I hadn’t eaten much during the day and ended up polishing off all of it. Suffice to say, snacks were cancelled in the evening !!šĀ
If you ⤠mushrooms, you will ⤠this recipe.
Happy Cooking!
If you are looking for an easy and elegant supper entree that everyone (meat-eaters too!) will love, you may want to give this veggie version of classic stroganoff a try.Ā Quick, delicious and added bonus: NO oven timeā¦..great during these hot and hazy days of summer.
This recipe has been a real favorite from my cookbook, Not Just for Vegetarians. Hope you will enjoy it too.Ā Ā Ā š
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On the Menu: Beet and Fresh Dill Layered Salad
I Ā ā„ BEETS! š
And the simple marinated beet salad (see recipe below) featured in my cookbook:
The Groovy Green Kitchen I: Weeknight Veggie Slow Cooker,
and is one of my fav ways to prepare and enjoy them. š
Beet and Fresh Dill Layered Salad
A flavorful marinated salad, especially good to make when garden dill and beets are at their peak. Keeps for several days, covered in the refrigerator. A perfect side dish with all kinds of main dishes. Adds a brilliant color contrast on your plate too. Serves 6.
12 medium fresh (preferred) beets: precooked, peeled and cut into thin circles (or use equivalent amount of whole canned beets with no salt added, thoroughly rinsed and drained, then sliced)
1 medium red Bermuda onion, thinly sliced in rings
3 -4 T. chopped fresh dill-weed
Red Wine Marinade:
1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil
5 T. red wine vinegar
1 teas. Mrs. Dash Original Blend Seasoning
1/2- 1 teas. sea salt
½ teas. freshly-ground black pepper
In a large bowl (that has a secure cover) layer 1/3 of the sliced beets, topped by ½ of the onion rings, then ½ of the dill-weed. Repeat layers, ending with the last 1/3 of the beets on top.
Combine marinade ingredients in a jar and shake thoroughly. Pour over vegetables, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Shake container gently to re-distribute marinade evenly before serving, especially if storing for a longer period of time.
*****
Last night, I made this beet salad, along with an orzo salad for supper. It was soooo good. š
I also like to serve this with my: German Sauerkraut Feast (click to enjoy that slow cooker recipe).
If you ā„Ā beets too, you might want to give this one a try! š
Happy Cooking!
Beached Ched! ;<)
This summer “Cheddie post” from the archives came to mind this morning.
Hope it brings a smile to your day. š
Happy Wednesday!
HELPā¦ā¦ā¦
now where did those kids go with that plastic shovel?
Oh Ched!!!
You do get yourself into some tight spots, donāt ya! š
Ā
Simply, Super, Summer Salads!
“Salad Season” is definitely here again! š
Thought this would be a good time to share this recipe post again from the Veggies…archives, featuring 4 of my all-time fav salads.
What is your favorite salad?
Happy Cooking and Weekend! G
For me when it comes to food, nothing says SUMMER like a beautiful, fresh SALAD! š
Here are some of my fav salads from the Veggie archives.
Hope you enjoy one or all of them soon.
Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
(this post includes some handy tips for salad doās and donāts)
(a winner in one of my recipe contests! so delish)
(ifĀ you like fresh dill, try this one for sure)Ā
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
(from a recent post, in case you missed it. IĀ ā„ this salad!)
ā
What is your favorite summer salad/food/recipe?
If you can, do share a link.
Happy Summer, itās almost here! š
A Long List of Oh So Cute Baby Hats to Make
This is one of the most popular posts recently at Veggies….and on a consistent basis, with 1000’s of hits to date.
In case you’ve been looking for that perfect baby hat to make , hopefully this list will give you some inspiration!
I still think they are all “oh so cute”. š
Have a great day and happy crafting! G
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I want to make a couple of baby hats for friends who are recentĀ grans, for the first time.
Of course, the hats are actually for the babies, not my friends. LOL
Iāve been looking at some knitting blogs in search of those oh, so fun baby hat patterns that are ātransformedā into things like strawberries, pumpkinsā¦and found this post.
I thought it was very helpful and so nice that this blogger atChemKnits took the time to assemble all these patterns in justĀ one post.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
In case youāve never seen one of these hats, hereās a photo of one fromFlickr
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So adorable I think!
And the only time in lifeĀ any of us would actually look cute wearing a fruit or veggie hat. š
I guess the guys who wear real hollowed-out watermelons at football games would tend to disagree. LOL š
Hope youā¦
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How Do I ā„ My Slow Cooker…
….let me count the ways! š
-IĀ ā„ how many types of recipes I can make in it.
-IĀ ā„ how I can “set it and forget it” and free up time to do something else.
-IĀ ā„ the oh-so-tasty and consistently good results.
-IĀ ā„ that it’s energy efficient.
-IĀ ā„ that foods cooked in a slow cooker are often healthier than when using other types of cooking methods.
– I love cooking once and enjoy twice. There’s usually plenty of yummy leftovers.Ā
the list goes on and on!Ā
Here’s my review of the Hamilton Beach 6 QT. slow cooker that I use all the time, pictured above. š
And some of my fav slow cooker recipes for you to enjoy too!
-Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Fragrant Orange Basmati RiceĀ Ā (from the Groovy Green Kitchen Volume I)
-Southern Nights Slow Cooker Veggie-Sausage Gumbo(sample recipe from the Groovy Green Kitchen II)
PS: I’m on the home stretch for the Groovy Green Kitchen II! Will be available at Amazon by the end of February. š
Do you have a slow cooker? Do youĀ ā„ yours too? Any fav recipes to share?
Happy SLOW Cooking! š