Roasted Spaghetti Squash With Garlicky Tomatoes & Mushrooms

Good morning and Happy Monday to you!

Did you have yet another beautiful weekend? Saturday was cool and rainy here, but Sunday was right back to the sunshine and warmer temperatures that we've been enjoying!

Did you do anything exciting? My friend, Lisa, and I headed off to the Women's Lifestyle Show on Saturday. The show opened at 9 a.m. and we thought we'd go early and arrived at 9:15 a.m. Apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing because I'd guess there were about 500 women there already! It was a fantastic morning where we checked out tons of local vendors, tasted lots of delicious samples and came home with some super fab swag. I was stoked to get a new Tupperware orange peeler, some new fridge magnets, some soap & lotion samples, magazine samples and lots of brochures and coupons to use this Spring and Summer!? Have you ever been to a trade show that focuses on all things girlie? If you get the opportunity, you should definitely go; it's a lot of fun!!!!

On Saturday night we headed out to support our local hockey team in the semi-final games. It took 2 overtimes and 4 1/4 hours, but WE WON!!! We Canadians love our hockey and can't wait to cheer on our team in the finals.

Yesterday I could barely move when I got up. I was on my feet on cement for soooooo long on Saturday that I was sore, so I decided to take a rest day and skip the gym. It felt nice to have a day at home and my body definitely appreciated the break.

Derek had pizza plans on Sunday for dinner, so I was on my own and I made this awesome spaghetti squash 'pasta'. My squash was teensy weeny and was the perfect size for just me. You could easily double this recipe to make it a meal for your entire family. I loved this because it was such a healthy, fresh AND low fat dinner!

Roasted Spaghetti with Garlicky Tomatoes & Mushrooms

Serves 1 or 2

1 small spaghetti squash

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

pinch sea salt & black pepper

2 1/2 c chopped tomatoes

1 c sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 - 3 tbsp extra virgin oil

3 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 375.

Cut your spaghetti squash in half. Scrape out the seeds and then brush the squash with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt & pepper. Roast for 50 minutes. (the cooking time might vary depending on the size of your squash)

While your squash is roasting, mix together the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of olive oil and another pinch of sea salt & pepper. Pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 30 minutes.

Once the squash is done roasting, remove from the oven and scrape out the spaghetti strands of squash using a fork.

Once the tomato mixture has finished roasting, stir in your fresh basil. Then top the spaghetti squash with the tomatoes. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Serve!

This was the cutest l'il baby squash you ever did see!

I froze some fresh tomatoes last summer and these were the last of them.

The taste is still so fresh and fabulous!

...and fresh basil?! Oh heaven!

Perfect meal :)

What is your favourite sport to watch?

Best meal you ate this weekend?

Have a great Monday!

Andrea

Best Scramble Combo EVER

I love going out for breakfast. It's my favourite meal to eat out and Derek & I often go on the weekend to our favourite greasy spoon spot. I especially love going when we're on vacation in the US because I love biscuits, shredded hashbrowns and fried apples.

When we were in Las Vegas we only got up in time for breakfast twice! Let's just say we vacationed like rock stars and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning almost every single night. The first morning we had breakie was the day that we took a roadtrip to California. We stopped at a 50s-themed diner called Peggy Sue's Diner and had a traditional Southern breakfast. It was delish! 

We also got up early on our last day of vacation. We asked around about where a good place to eat was and were sent off to Hash House a Go Go in Harrahs.  If  you're planning a trip to Las Vegas and you're looking for a place that is rockin' awesome, Harrah's is it. We love to spend time at The Piano Bar, the Carnival (an outdoor bar) and Toby Keith's Bar & Grill.   The Hash House is yet another reason to love it there!

The menu at the Hash House is outrageous and the portions are HUGE. I ordered a scramble combination of eggs, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and goat cheese. It was soooooo gooooooodddddd!!!! I knew it was something I was definitely going to have to re-create when I got home. What I didn't expect was that my scramble was going to be amazing! I'm pretty confident in saying that mine is the absolute best and I promise that it's going to leave you weak in the knees.

Tomato Basil Scramble with Goat Cheese
Serves 1

2 eggs
1/4 c almond milk
4 sundried tomatoes, sliced
2 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tbsp creamy goat cheese
pinch salt & pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and almond milk. Add the tomatoes and basil.

Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add your egg mixture and cook until scrambled. Once the egg mixture is cooked, fold in your goat cheese. Add salt & pepper to your preference.

Serve immediately.

The Cast

I served mine with some homemade shredded hashbrowns.

{DROOL}

{EAT}

{SWOON}

What's your favourite scramble combo?
Do you have a place you love to visit when you're on vacation?

Happy Thursday!!!

Andrea

Barbecued Bruschetta

Happy Monday! Did you have a fabulous long weekend? We've had a good mix of R & R, barbecues, visits with friends and downtime with the poochies.

Today I was planning to putter around the house and do some long overdue closet organization, but what I ended up doing was flipping between a marathon of The Big Bang Theory and a marathon of Two Guys, A Girl & A Pizza Place. Our weather has gone through a dramatic change from hot, sunny and humid to cool, gray and rainy. It was the perfect day to veg out and do a whole lotta' nothin'! 

I really had nothing planned in terms of meals for today, so I pulled out a pizza dough that's been thawed since Saturday. I've been dying to try a pizza dough on the barbie and there seemed like no better time than the present.

Earlier this summer, Lisa did a guest post for Cait at Beyond Bananas giving instructions on barbecuing a pizza. I followed her directions for the crust. It was super easy! If I can have success on the barbie, trust me when I say so can you (we uh, won't talk about that time I almost singed my eyebrows off) :-D !!!!!!

Andrea's Kick Butt Bruschetta

The thing I absolutely love about this bruschetta is the addition of sundried tomatoes. It kicks up the flavour and puts this bruschetta over the top. Today I used all fresh ingredients from my patio garden and it tasted absolutely dreamy! I used a barbecued pizza crust today, but often I slice up a baguette and bake it in the oven. This make a great appetizer that you can get ready before the party and takes just a few seconds to finalize so you can WOW your guests!

2 c. diced tomatoes
1/3 c. sliced sundried tomatoes
1/2 c. thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt & pepper, to taste
1 - 1.5 c. shredded mozzarella

Add all ingredients, except the mozzarella, into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the barbecue pizza dough according to Lisa's directions. Once the crust is cooked on one side, flip it and evenly spread the bruschetta mix over the crust followed by the mozzarella.

Close the lid to the barbecue and let the crust finish baking. Once the crust is cooked and the cheese is all ooey gooey and delicious, remove from the barbecue.

Let sit for a few minutes. Slice into squares and serve.

Hint - the one thing I would do next time is use a slotted spoon when spreading the bruschetta mix onto the pizza crust. Mine ended being a little runnier than I would have liked.

mmmmm.....fresh basil & tomatoes.......

Lightly oiling the dough helped it not to stick to the grill ~ it worked perfectly!

So, I think I need to work on even cooking. It still worked out great, but didn't make for a real cute pic!

Have I ever told you how much I love bruschetta?

I could eat the tomato mix with a spoon :-D

So Good! I couldn't wait to take a bite!

Everyone will love this appie and will be asking you for the recipe!

What is your fave appetizer to serve ~ link it up and share your recipe with me!
What was the best thing you did to celebrate the last long weekend of the summer?

Have a great evening - Enjoy the last few hours of this marvelous holiday Monday,
Andrea