Wordless Wednesday- Broadway Anatasia

  Broadway Show Anastasia. 

November is a great time to go into NYC and see a show. 
I stood on the two fer line and got tickets for Anastasia, 
The acting, the singing, the dancing, and the music was outstanding! 
I enjoyed the show immensely!!
( No, not the children's show) 

      The play is based on Russian history and the murder of Czar Nicolas, his wife, and children. The story of Anastasia is based on a legend that one of the children actually survived, had amnesia, and discovers herself in Paris to start a new life! The music and singing was outstanding. LIsten to the Youtube I found.

Watch this delightful trailer for the show from Playbill to hear the amazing singing

    

                           Look what was playing next door!

                     My first choice was Hello Dolly with Bett Midler but I couldn't get tickets.

                 

Here is another YouTube from the 2017 Macy Day Thanksgiving Parade where the cast of Anastasia performed 
( watch the other YouTube first-it's better)

 I'm linking a Russian Recipe to go with this show

                                   Russian Herb and Farmer Cheese Salad 

Will be shared on shared on Beth Fish Reads Wordless Wednesday  

Create With Joy 

Wordless Wed on Tuesdays wordless on tuesday http://thesimpleyear.com/, 
image in ing, 
ClaireJustine linky 
West Metro Mommy  

Create with Joy 

bethere2day nanahood

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Shitake Mushroom and Cauliflower Rice Casserole

 I am obsessed with this Shitake mushroom and cauliflower rice casserole!

 I love its taste, its texture and its ease and low carbs of cauliflower rice.
 Cauliflower rice a great substitute for white or brown rice in almost any recipe.

Cauliflower rice after I sauteed it for 5 minutes in a skillet

You can make your own cauliflower rice in the food processor using a whole cauliflower or simply buy a of frozen or fresh bag in most stores.

My personal preference is Trader Joes' frozen organic cauliflower rice.
It works best for me in my recipes and has an excellent mild taste.

Remember , it tastes like rice not cauliflower - so keep reading!!

This low carb and low calorie mushroom casserole is the perfect side for your holiday table because it works for those who are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free , nut free.. etc. ( and who doesn't have guests with have eating restrictions or allergies??) It is a mix of shitake and white mushrooms.

It's a healthy recipe that will allow everyone to indulge without the bloat and guilt.

This delicious casserole calls for two different kinds of mushrooms ( Shitake and Cremini or White)  that make their own juicy sauce while cooking and add a fabulous flavor to the simple pilaf.

slice the mushrooms before cooking

Adding the mushrooms to the cauliflower rice results is a rich tasting side dish that everyone will enjoy! I brought this casserole to my son and daughter in laws for Thanksgiving and there were no leftovers- not one morsel!

I forgot to get a photo of the finished product-
so I can only show you mushroom or cauliflower rice photos

This recipe takes less than 20 minutes and makes a lovely presentation.

More and more heath practitioners are suggesting that we add more plant based recipes to our diet. Try this easy recipe ; you won't regret it!

Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen cauliflower rice
8 ounces of shitake mushrooms
8 ounces of white mushrooms
Olive oil spray
Himalayan salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions

Spray a large skillet with olive oil spray. Add the bag of frozen ( or your own cauliflower rice)  cauliflower rice to the skillet on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper .Cook down for about 5 minutes until the cauliflower rice is heated and fluffy! Remove, spoon into a casserole and set aside.
Clean your skillet and spray again with olive oil spray. Add shitake and white mushrooms and sautee until mushrooms are soft. Add with any juices to the cauliflower rice and mix together.
Eat immediately. This will keep in the refrigerator as well. To reheat- bake in pre- heated oven at 350
for 10 minutes.

WW- Carriage Ride in Central Park in NYC

Went on a carriage ride through Central Park in NYC

The horses line up on the street near the entrance

I'll take the carriage decorated in purple

Look at the pigeons that are in the feed bucket

Taking a Break and Sharing Some Feed with the Pigeons

In the Park

Will be shared on shared on Beth Fish Reads Wordless Wednesday  

Create With Joy 

Wordless Wed on Tuesdays wordless on tuesday http://thesimpleyear.com/, 

image in ing, 
ClaireJustine linky 
West Metro Mommy  
Create with Joy 
bethere2day nanahood

Hate to Peel and Chop Garlic and Ginger? Try This

Do you hate to peel and chop garlic and ginger? 

Do you ever reach for a piece of garlic or ginger for a recipe only to find out that it has completely dried out? I hate when that happens.

It's frustrating to need to stop your recipe and run to the store to get more or not make the recipe. Or perhaps your recipe just calls for a little bit of herb and you just don't want to buy a full bulb or bunch.

Whether you do not like to chop or peel,  your garlic or ginger dries out, or you just don't have any in the house, I have found a really easy way to always make sure I have some fresh ginger, garlic, basil, parsley, and cilantro available for any recipe!

I have found an easier way that I love!!

I buy freshly frozen cube packages of herbs that keep in my freezer for at least 6 months. They are easy to use, take up very little room in the freezer, and are very convenient.
There is no peeling, grating, chopping, etc.
The frozen cubes are made up of 100% fresh herbs that have been blended and frozen.

I buy these convenient packages at Trader Joe's or most supermarkets.

The brand I have found ( I think there are other brands too) is called Dorot. The price of the cubes ranges from $1.99 -$3.99 depending where you purchase. I have found Trader Joe's is the most reasonable.

The frozen herb cubes are available in ginger , parsley, garlic, basil, cilantro, etc.  If you turn the package over, it looks like 20 little ice cubes. You can pop one or two out to use in a recipe and then return to the package to freezer for future use!

I love the ease and taste of this 100 % no additive pure product. It can be used in almost any recipe that calls for fresh garlic, ginger, cilantro or basil. I love it..and what a time saver!!!Note: you must keep it frozen at all times for the cubes to pop out.

I love to use these cubes in my easy Asian Broccoli Crowd Pleaser Recipe

Buy the garlic and ginger cubes ready made for ease or

How to make your own basil, parsley, or cilantro cubes

You will have to use a mini ice cube tray -
I've used this one Silicone Ice Cube Trays BPA Free  or
this one Mini Ice Cube Trays with Flexible Silicone Bottom For Easy Release Pop out | Set Of 3 Ice Molds BPA Free

The object is you want the cubes to be small and pop out easily- both of these are BPA free.

During the season when herbs are prolific , parsley, cilantro, chives and basil are economical to freeze in this manner.  You want the consistency to come out like pesto or actually you can freeze your favorite pesto recipe for a delicious use for basil in other recipes.

Ingredients: 
2 cups of basil, parsley,  or cilantro
4 Tablespoons of water ( or a little more if needed- you want it to be thick)

Directions: 
Blend to thick consistency like a pesto
Freeze in cube tray
Pop out as needed in recipes - no need to defrost to use in recipes

Garlic and ginger are similar but you need quite a quantity of each. 
That is why I just buy the garlic and ginger - it is easier and I believe ends up costing much less.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to evaluate Dorot frozen herb cubes- I use them, like them, and just wanted to share. I have no affiliation to Dorot company.

This post does contain Amazon affiliate links. If you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, I will receive a very small compensation at no cost to you. Like most bloggers these Amazon links help to defray the cost of running a blog. Thank you for your support.