The Tasty Travels of the Swanky Budgeteer.

Thursday, September 25, 2014


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Thursday, September 18, 2014

MY KITCHEN TO YOURS: SAVORY SOUPS

FashionCrazedFoodie
Soups using my very own recipes

Both of my children suffered from sniffly noses and scratchy throats this week. My son wanted a Mexican food on the night he was feeling under the weather, so I created a "South Western" style soup for him. I knew that the immunity building, antibiotic properties of the garlic, the vitamin c boost from the fresh lime juice, and all healing attributes of all the other carefully planned ingredients in my soup would aide in a quick healing. By the way, my family LOVED this soup. My mom came over and had a bowl, and boldly stated that this was the very best soup I'd ever made! Heeeyyy!! Cullen was only ill for about 48 hours. (I'll share my go-to homeopathic medicinals in a later post. No Tylenol or Motrin over here! Soup recipe below.

The constant rain here left me longing for a light, yet, hearty (if that makes any sense) chili. I was in a rush, and cooking rather late so for Wednesday and Thursday's meal, I made a savory White Bean Chili. Recipe to follow.

Please note, I prefer to use fresh herbs and spices purchased in bulk from local stores and vendors. I do, sometimes use good ol' bottled spices, but for these recipes, I tried to keep those to a minimum.

WHITE BEAN CHILI approx. 30 mins

  • 5 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
  • Olive Oil
  • 1/2 White Onion (chopped)
  • 1 Bunch of Kale
  •  Ground Cumin
  • Granulated Onion Flakes (hey, why not?)
  • H-E-B San Antonio Chili Powder Fiesta Blend
  • H-E-B Low-Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth or H-E-B Low Sodium Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth
  • 1 Cup of Water
  • 1/2 cup Pabst Beer (sue me, judge me)
  • Ground Turkey Breast
  • 2 Cans (yes, I used canned beans in an effort to speed things up) Goya Small White Beans
  1. Start with a medium to large pot, and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat, and add garlic, and onions and sauté, add kale a few minutes later.
  2. In a small frying pan (preferably a cast iron skillet) brown the ground turkey until done, and drain what little fat that may be left over.
  3. After browning turkey, add it to the pot with the onion and garlic. Add cumin, and San Antonio Chili Powder Fiesta Blend, granulated onion and season to taste. 
  4. Stir vegetables, spices and turkey together. 
  5. Add broth of choice, and a dash of beer. I always use beer in my chili for added flavor, and it is always a very small amount.
  6. Next, drain and add both cans of Goya Small White Beans.
  7. Place lid on the pot, and allow flavors to combine over medium heat. 
  8. Serve on with brown rice
Feel free to make this your own by adding cheese (not a good idea if you're suffering from a cold), avocado slices, fresh onions for garnish and tomatoes.


SYRETTA'S SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SOUP

  • Olive Oil, or oil of choice
  • 1 Entire Garlic Bulb
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
  • 2 Tomatoes
  • 2 Limes (freshly juiced)
  • 1 Large Avocado
  •  Ground Cumin
  • Taco Seasoning
  • 1 Large Can Goya Black Beans
  • HEB Low Sodium Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
  • Halal Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (cubed)
  • 1 Bag Saffron Rice
  1. Heat, olive oil in pot, and add garlic and onion. 
  2. Begin to cook chicken in a separate pan. Be sure to cook chicken completely.
  3. After cooking chicken, combine onion, garlic, tomatoes, and all seasonings to pot.
  4. Add chicken broth, water and Goya Black Beans
  5. Squeeze the lime juice into the soup.
  6. In a separate pot, cook Saffron Rice.
  7. Cube avocado, and chop fresh tomatoes and cilantro as a garnish for the soup.
I sincerely hope you try my recipes and enjoy these two delicious soups as much as we did! Feel free to modify the recipes as you wish, and please share come back and share with me!!!


Keep in touch with me via social media!

@FashionCrazedFoodiedotcom (Instagram)
@Sywitta (Twitter)
@Fashion Crazed Foodie (Facebook)

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Friday, September 5, 2014

Family Fun with Fashion Crazed Foodie: A Fascinating Visit to MFAH


I am Pro-Arts, and Anti-Boredom. My educational background is performing arts, (violin & classical vocal music from the age of 5), but I also love visual arts. My son is enamored with visual artistry. He is a very talented artist, and a fan of pointillism.

 When we think of family fun, it isn't usually a trip to the amusement park, as we don't have one here. Our ideas of fun range anywhere from trying a new restaurant with interesting menu items, (crispy pig ears, anyone?) to taking a quick road trip to Austin, or hopping on a plane for a last-minute trip to California (something my children ask to do every single weekend, lol), or simply visiting one of our favorite museums. The children's favorite museum here is The Museum of Natural Science, and mine is The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Not sure which museum my husband calls his favorite.

A few weeks ago, we decided to hop in our car and head to The Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Though we have been there several times, on this particular day, we stayed for hours, dissecting every detail of every exhibit, and savoring each treasure.

My favorite experience? The Light Inside, (1999, James Turrell). The MFAH uses Turrell's phenomenal vessel as a tunnel/walkway to connect the museum's Caroline Weiss Law Building to the Audrey Jones Beck Building. As described on The MFAH website,
"Transcending the traditional confines of built spaces, The Light Inside acts as both a passage and a destination. The raised walkway guides visitors forward and gives them the sense of floating in space, while the changing cycle of illumination (which shifts from blue, to crimson, to magenta) further invites contemplation. The Light Inside makes the experience of moving between the Law and the Beck Buildings not only an exploration of light and space, but also a profound and awe-inspiring experience."
 My son spent most of his time in the tunnel inspecting the floors, and instructing me to stay on the main path, so as to not fall into the blue abyss. I was amused by the fact that he thought that stepping into the blue meant that we would fall, never to be seen again.

Soto: The Houston Penetrable 
My husband and children were most fascinated by the Jesús Rafael Soto exhibit, The Houston Penetrable. The MFAH describes this artistic wonder perfectly,
"A vast, floating sea of plastic strands suspended from the ceiling, the Houston Penetrable is completed only by the viewer’s participation. Intended to be touched, handled, and waded through, the strands compose a floating yellow orb on a transparent background. The 24,000 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) tubes, individually hand-painted and tied, hang two stories high from the ceiling to the floor in the Museum's Cullinan Hall. "
We became absorbed in the mass of yellow and white PVC tubes. This piece, or these pieces (you choose) stand 28 ft. high, hand painted, and took ten years to produce.
 Unfortunately, this exhibit ended on September 1, 2014. 

I also enjoyed the Charles Marville exhibition. Charles Marville was a 19th-century French Artist. The exhibit features nearly 100 photographs spanning the length of Marville's career. I simply stood and stared in awe at the exceptionally preserved prints. While standing and marveling, I was taken back to France by simply studying Marville's spellbinding views of Paris. Quick! You have until September 14, 2014 to witness this exhibit for yourselves.

Thanks to an amazing visit to Houston's Museum of Fine Arts, our Sunday Funday was an artful adventure!
Visit and discover MFAH. Children 12 and under are FREE, Student Admission is just $7.50, and General Admission is $15. Thursdays are FREE, courtesy of Shell.


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