Blueberry Lake
Last weekend Jon and I went to Blueberry Lake to pick wild blueberries. It was a gorgeous Saturday morning (which we seem to have had too few of this summer).

It was my very first time picking blueberries (or anything for that matter). Now I can appreciate why they cost about $3.99/pint in the store. Jon was a picking pro, and if it wasn't for his excellent clothing recommendation I probably would have been miserable. I returned home with several scratches and mosquito bites, but no sunburn. Two out of three isn't bad.

He also picks a lot faster than I do which is how we managed to gather 4 quarts in a mere hour and a half.





I was going to preserve jars of jam with our blueberry booty, but instead decided to freeze the majority and bake some Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins.

Cold Sesame-Peanut Noodles
On weekends I often make a soup or salad and portion it out to have for lunches during the week. I don't like to spend money on lunch and eating out is so fattening. So, every week I try to develop a new and healthy lunch option that I won't be tired of eating before Wednesday. Today I combined a few recipes that I found online to create Cold Sesame-Peanut Noodles.

Cook: 7 oz. of Barilla Plus Spaghetti according to directions.
Meanwhile: In a separate bowl whisk together; 1 Tbs. Reduced-Fat Jif Peanut Butter, 1 Tbs. sesame oil, 1 Tbs. vegetable oil, 1 Tbs. soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 1 Tbs. chili powder, a pinch of red chili pepper flakes, and 6-8 dashes of Tabasco.
Drain and Rinse: Cooked pasta in cold water until cool.
Combine: Cold pasta and sauce, toss well.
Add: 1 Tbs. sesame seeds and two diced scallions, toss to combine.
Enjoy!

This weekend I also made Tangy Mustard Coleslaw from the June 2008 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. It was really good!

Whole Wheat Cheese Tortellini with Spinach and
Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
Cook 9 oz. of fresh whole wheat cheese tortellini according to directions. (Shown: Buitoni Whole Wheat Three Cheese Tortellini).
Meanwhile: In a separate bowl whisk together; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, the juice and finely grated rind of one lemon,
1/2 tsp dill (dried), and a generous pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add: 2 cups organic baby spinach (remove stems, cut as thick chiffonade).
Drain and Rinse: Fully cooked pasta very briefly in cold water.
Add: Warm pasta to spinach/vinaigrette mixture and toss to combine well.
Add: 4 oz. shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, toss to combine.
Enjoy!

Scandinavian Almond Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle sliced almonds on bottom of pan.
Beat well: 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract, 2/3 cups milk
Add: 1 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder
Add: 1 stick melted margarine
Mix well.
Carefully pour over sliced almonds. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, until edges turn golden brown. Cool cake completely before removing from pan. (Cake will break if removed too soon.) Sprinkle with confectionery sugar.
Merry Christmas!