Monthly Archives: May 2018

dinner, Pantry Challenge, Pasta, pasta, Recipes

Sundried Tomato Garlic Noodles – A pantry meal (Vegetarian)

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My aunt came into town and helped me rearrange my pantry. Once I knew what was in my pantry, it was easy to decide what to make for dinner.

I had some Pasta Roni’s Butter and Garlic noodles, sundried tomatoes, black olives, chickpeas, and canned chicken in the pantry. What could I make for dinner?

I cooked up one box of the butter and garlic noodles and added the drained chicken to the noodles.

Once I cooked up the other box of the noodles, I placed half of it in the other bowl. With the other half, I added sundried tomatoes, black olives, and drained chickpeas. YUM! It sort of reminded me of my favorite dish at Piada.

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Sundried Tomato Garlic Noodles

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Pasta Roni, Butter and Garlic
  • ¼ c. sundried tomatoes
  • ¼ c. black olives or Kalamata olives
  • ¼ c. drained and rinsed chickpeas
  • 1 to 2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese, optional


Directions

  1. Make the Pasta Roni according to the directions on the box.
  2. Once the Pasta Roni is cooked, add the sundried tomatoes, olives, and chickpeas.
  3. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.
  4. Enjoy!



Happy eating,
Traci

Charleston, photograph, travel

Fort Moultrie Part 2 – Day 9 Part 5

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Click here and here for more information about the tour of the fort.

This video covers 1794 until the Revolutionary War era. We also walked around the park next to the fort. We were able to see Fort Sumter from the harbor which was cool.

I hope you enjoy this video.


Join me next week for a tour of Sullivan’s Island where Fort Moultrie is located.

Have a magical day!
Traci

Memorial Day, Recipes, Salad, side dish

Classic Coleslaw (V, GF)

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Here is a vegetarian side dish for your Memorial Day dinner.

Here is what you need:
  • Coleslaw mix (14 oz.)
  • Mayo
  • Trader Joe’s seasoning salt or celery seed and dry mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Sugar

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Classic Coleslaw

  • Servings: 6 to 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 14 oz. bag of coleslaw mix
  • 2 c. mayo
  • 1 to 2 tsp. seasoning salt or 1 tsp. of celery seed and 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the mayo, vinegar, sugar, and seasonings.
  2. Add the coleslaw mix to the mayo mixture.
  3. Stir until combined.
  4. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
  5. Enjoy!



I used coconut sugar instead of refined sugar in my dressing.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Fourth of July/Memorial Day, Lunch, Memorial Day, Recipes, Vegetarian

BBQ Tofu – A Vegetarian Memorial Day Recipe (GF, V, DF)

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As we are getting ready for Memorial Day, it is tough being a vegetarian when the holiday focuses on eating grilled meat. Or is it really that tough?

Today I’m bringing you a quick and easy recipe for Barbecue Tofu. You can enjoy the tastes of barbecue while staying plant based. Win-Win.

Here is what you need:
  • Pressed, firm tofu – Since I’m new to cooking tofu, here is the method of how to press tofu.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Garlic Salt or Powder, Trader Joe’s Seasoning Salt, or Penzey’s Galena Street Rub
  • Your Favorite BBQ sauce

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BBQ Tofu

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • Pressed, firm tofu
  • 1 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Garlic Salt or Powder, Trader Joe’s Seasoning Salt, or Penzey’s Galena Street Rub, to taste
  • ¼ c. bbq sauce


Directions

  1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
  2. In the meantime, cut the tofu into 32 rectangles.
  3. Gently add the tofu to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other spice blend.
  4. Allow the tofu to cook for 5 minutes. Flip.
  5. Sprinkle the other side with the spices. Cook for additional 3 to 5 minutes.
  6. Remove from the skillet. Place in a bowl. Pour the bbq sauce over the tofu. Stir until all the tofu is covered with sauce.
  7. Enjoy!



My favorite BBQ sauce is Carolina Gold. Yum!

Have a bemagical day,
Traci

Charleston, photograph, travel

Fort Moultrie Tour Part 1 – Day 9 Part 4

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The rain stopped while we were in the museum. So, although it was wet outside, we were able to enjoy checking out the fort.

The fort tour begins with the World War II era and continues onto the Revolutionary War era. Today’s video only covers until 1794.

Click here and here for more information about the tour of the fort.

We enjoyed walking where the cannons were located. Since they were higher than the rest of the fort, the views from the cannons was remarkable. I also loved the fact the cannons had wheels and were able to be moved around easily.

I hope you enjoy this video.


Join me next week for the remainder of the tour of Fort Moultrie and the park next to the fort.

Have a magical day!
Traci

dealing with grief, Dear Tanya, Recipes, travel

An Impulsive Road Trip

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The other day I went to a Mother-Son brunch.  We were asked to list 3 things we did before we had kids.

I forgot to put I took impulsive road trips.  One memorable one was with Tanya on March 30 to April 1, 2002.

I had forgotten when I took the trip until today.

On March 30, I called Tanya and told her to pack her stuff.  I was going to pick her up in an hour.  There was no destination in sight.  It was just us enjoying time together.

We drove to just on I-70 until just past the Illinois border.  Then we stopped for the night.

The next morning was Easter morning.  She was given the choice.  Either we could continue west to St. Louis or we could go north towards Chicago.

She choose going north.  We ended up in Chicago.

Things we did while in Chicago were visiting the Navy Pier.  We found some free parking with a shuttle that took us to the Navy Pier.

We also drove on Lake Shore Drive before continuing to head north towards Wisconsin.

I can remember stopping at a travel station and getting us dinner there.  One memory that sticks out is eating a salad from Burger King.  Don’t know why I remember that little detail.

Once we got to Wisconsin, we stayed in a town called Kenosha.  Since it was Easter, we stopped at their K-Mart and bought our Easter candy.

If you ever watched That 70s Show, they would visit Kenosha in several episodes.

After we woke up the next morning, we drove back home.

It was a nice little impulsive road trip that will forever stay in my mind.  The road trip was a great bonding time for Tanya and I.

10 years later, I would once again visit Kenosha.  This time with Hubby on our second kid free trip.  It’s an interesting little town.

14 years later, I would meet my current pastor.  He’s from Kenosha and was surprised that I had been there.

No photos exist of that road trip.  Just ones in my mind.

The feature photo is from my visit in 2012.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Charleston, photograph, travel

On the Way to Fort Moultrie and Inside the Museum – Day 9 Part 3

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Since it was very rainy, we could not play on the beach. We had already decided to take the boys to Fort Moultrie. With the weather, it was the perfect day for this activity.

Fort Moultrie was the fort built during the Revolutionary Time period. When the British fired on the fort, it was half built. The fort was made from palmetto trees and was able to withstand the cannon balls. The battle was the first victory for the 13 colonies.

The fort was built and rebuilt over the course of almost 170 years. It was in use until after World War II.

We had to cross the Ravenell Bridge in the rain which was crazy.

Enjoy my video of our drive to Fort Moultrie and the museum part of the fort.


Next week, I’ll share the video of some of the fort. The rain ended up stopping while we were in the museum.

Have a magical day!
Traci

disney, photograph, travel, Writing Workshop

A Magical Birthday – Throwback Thursday

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Around my 39th birthday, I realized my 40th birthday was going to be on a Friday. It was at that moment that I began to make a plan to travel to a new destination. I did not want a party.

Hubby and I began to make plans of where we could possibly travel. Disneyland, San Diego, and Seattle were all thrown out as destinations.

Finally, in January of 2015, Hubby made the final decision for where we would travel on my birthday. We were going on a Disney Cruise with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay.

On the morning of my birthday, we got to the airport at the same time as the TSA agents. I was also the first person to get coffee from the airport Starbucks.

Once we landed in Orlando, it was time to get on the Magical Express so that we could get to Port Canaveral. At Port Canaveral, we checked in and then waited and waited and waited. We were in group 15, I believe, so it was a long wait. Hubby and I decided to help the Cast Member who oversaw crowd control, so she let us go in before our group was called which was magical.

My birthday consisted of eating a delicious lunch, riding down the Aqua Duck while yelling “I’m 40!,” exploring the ship, and getting pixie dusted.

Here are some photos of my fortieth birthday:


With the Donald Duck statue


Sophie – The Crew Member who Pixie Dusted me on my 40th birthday


Sunset on my birthday


The cool circular bathroom


More birthday sunset


Dressed up for my birthday dinner


The menu from the restaurant where we ate on my 40th birthday


My dinner – Scallops (I really did not like the scallops.)


My birthday cake


The crab that our blanket was folded into

I took many more photos. I had to be picky about which ones I was going to share today.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Charleston, Family, photograph, Recipes, travel

Around the House – Day 9 Part 2

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As I said in my previous post, we had a rainstorm.  The outdoor photos in the video I am sharing today were taken before the rain began.

Enjoy my video of my of what we did at the house before leaving for the day.

Join me next week for our visit to Fort Moultrie.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Hubby, photograph

Toledo Zoo Part 1 – Post #1

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A week before I went to Hershey with the Imaginative One, Hubby and I were childless for almost a week.  We decided to go to the Toledo Zoo which was the last zoo I needed to visit in Ohio.  A couple days later, we visited the Newport Aquarium before heading down to the Boy Scout camp to pick up the boys. Continue reading Toledo Zoo Part 1 – Post #1 →