Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Archive for May, 2021

Rain Chain

Posted by terrepruitt on May 28, 2021

I have always wanted a rain chain.  They are so cool, but you have to remove your drain/gutter.  And in order for them to actually be “cool” you have to be able to see them.  They are cool and beautiful and if you are not able to see them then they are not as fun.  This one is PERFECT!  It is shiny!  It is multicolored!  It is hearts!  But for us to use it like it is supposed to be used it would be in a spot we would never see.  So for now it is just hanging outside the window not doing a portion of it’s job (being a rain gutter) but being beautiful and something we look out that makes us smile – that is the bigger part of its job anyway.

Do you like rain gutters?  I hope you can enjoy this one that is my Friday Photo.

 

Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Faux Cheesecake

Posted by terrepruitt on May 26, 2021

We had neighbors observing Ramadan and they were so kind as to bring us some treats. One of the treats was an individual sized “eggless” cheesecake which tasted like something I used to make. I call it Faux Cheesecake. I looked up the recipe and I found several, all with different toppings. I don’t like the toppings and was just interested in making the “cheesecake”. In this case, when I say I “looked up the recipe” I actually mean in my recipe book. All of the recipes were from a specific magazine (I don’t even know which one because these were the pages ripped out). But there was also a handwritten (by me) recipe. It doubled one of the ingredients. So when I made this in the past I decided that I need TWO bricks of cream cheese not just one as the recipes stated.

Also the recipe includes the making of the crust. When I made this (these) recently I didn’t make the crust, I used those little individual graham cracker pie crust that are premade. I also . . . . as usual, didn’t plan on posting this so I didn’t take pictures. but I realized I wanted to post it so I would use the correct recipe.

What makes this a “FAUX” cheesecake is there are no eggs and no baking which I think are two things normally done with a REAL cheesecake, but it is delicious!

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Faux Cheesecake

CRUST Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 7 graham crackers)
1/4 cup sugar

FILLING Ingredients:

2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla

CRUST directions:

Melt the butter in a pan over low heat. Stir in the cracker crumbs and sugar, mix well. Once the mixture has cooled a bit press it into an 8 or 9 inch square pan. Then chill.

FILLING directions:

In a large bowl us a  electric handmixer to beat the cream cheese, then add the lemon juice and vanilla. Keep mixing the cream cheese, scrapping the beaters as necessary. Add in the condensed milk. Mix until smooth and creamy and everything is incorporated. Then pour into the graham cracker crust. Chill for about four hours before serving.

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I spooned the mixture into the individual graham cracker crusts. There were six in a package. I had a lot of filling left over so I put it in my mini-muffin pan. So now we have little tiny “faux” cheesecake bites. We have to eat them out of the muffin pan because they don’t pop out. They might if they are frozen.

I kind of like the little bites because they are a good way to portion control.

This is a really quick and easy way to get the cheesecake texture and flavor you may be craving without making and baking a cheesecake.

Do you like topping on your cheesecake?  Like what?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Tiny Yellow Roses

Posted by terrepruitt on May 14, 2021

Years ago one of my bosses gave me one of those little rose bushes in a pot.  The roses are tiny.  My husband planted it and twelve years later it still produces roses.

Here is a small yellow rose from my rose bush that used to be small for my Friday Photo

Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Things I Put Ricotta On

Posted by terrepruitt on May 10, 2021

You may be familiar with the story from last year: My husband has been doing the shopping since we have been sheltering-in-place. One time I asked him to get ricotta . . . the only kind I know comes in a specific container and is in a specific spot in the store . . . I described both to him. He came back with different kind. He said that the one I wanted wasn’t there and I have experienced that myself so I am not saying he didn’t see it. He said he got some other kind from the deli case (THE DELI CASE? $$$) It doesn’t matter, what he brought home is heaven in a tub and I love. (It turns out is doesn’t cost more than the other brand.) Since I think this new-to-me-brand is so yummy I have been putting it on many things. While I used to put the other kind on things when I remembered I am going out of my way to put this stuff in and on things.

Things I put ricotta on:

My Quesadillas as you may have seen.
My breakfast sandwich
Our salads
Our pastas one was just the cheese and the other one I added to the sauce
And, our pizza, of course, that is what started this whole thing

I wish I would have taken a picture of what I used it on today for lunch. I toasted some sliced sour dough bread, spread on some ricotta, then piled on some chicken, sprinkled on a little shredded mix of cheese and toasted it more – to warm up the chicken and melt the cheese. It was so good. I was eating so late and was so very hungry I didn’t think of it being a great addition to “Things I Put Ricotta On”.

It is yummy.

Do you put ricotta on anything?

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Flower Friday

Posted by terrepruitt on May 7, 2021

Sometimes I wonder if I should call if Flower Friday instead of Friday Photo.  It IS that time of year!

I love our orange yard roses.

Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: , , | 7 Comments »

A Good Idea

Posted by terrepruitt on May 5, 2021

The exercise dance I teach provides us with routines. So when we pay our membership fee we have the option to purchase a tier that includes licensing to teach and routines. Nia releases four routines a year. Since Nia had been around for 25 years before I even started it, there are a lot of routines available to me. I do not always do the latest routine. I tend to wait until the newness has worn off and there are less classes out there that are the same routine. That and I just don’t learn routines as fast as some of the amazing instructors. All this to say that there is a new routine out, but I am just now looking at the routine that was released before that. Sometimes it takes me a bit for the music to grow on me. Or the routine itself. And I just discovered something about the routine that piqued my interest. So I was listening to the first song and when I can I like to look up the lyrics. I feel like the lyrics to this song are so sweet. I also feel that, yeah, many of us could use to slow down, close the curtains and have some tea.

Herbal Tea by Velvet Moon

Gravel road, I’ve been asked to slow down
Fireplace do you know how?
Pass the paper, my help desk is out
Who will care for the world now?

Rest with me
Close the curtains
Brew some herbal tea
Reach out for me
Take my hand and lead, even when I disagree

Oh, how I love when it rains outside
And it’s okay to slow the ride
Discover books I forget about
And who will care for the world now?

Rest with me
Close the curtains
Brew some herbal tea
Reach out for me
Take my hand and lead, even when I disagree

Maybe then I can relax
(Maybe then I can relax)
Braid my hair, loosen my back
Oh, just rest with me
Close the curtains
Brew some herbal tea
Reach out for me
Oh and take my hand and lead even when I disagree

Hmm, rest with me
Close the curtains
Brew some herbal tea
Reach out for me
Take my hand and lead, even when I disagree

—

“Who will care for the world now?” Right? So many of us think we can’t step away from something because WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF IT? As a instructor of fitness, this is one of my fears. Not so much who will take care of it, but more the fact that exercise is a habit and I always fear if I take time off then my students will get out of the habit and not come back.

Then, “Take my hand and lead, even when I disagree”, sounds to me like “make me take time off even if I fight it”, right?  So I think this is a good idea, “Close the curtains -Brew some herbal tea”.

When I really listened and then looked at the lyrics, I really was able to sink into this song and I love embracing the choreography in a smooth relaxed kind of way.

Have you hear this song? Are you familiar with Velvet Moon?

Here’s were you can give it a listen:  Velvet Moon on Epic Sounds – you have to scroll down, I couldn’t find a direct link to artist/song (not someone on Youtube).

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Spaghetti Pie

Posted by terrepruitt on May 3, 2021

I saw this on Facebook.  It was a Tasty recipe.  I did a few things different:  I used salt when cooking the spaghetti, I increased the amount of Italian Seasoning from 1 teaspoon, and I added the garlic.  And I oiled the pan.

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Spaghetti Pie

16 ounces of dried spaghetti
Salt
4 eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese – divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Olive oil
1 cup ricotta
1 1/2 cup mozzarella – divided
1 1/2 cup sauce

Cook the spaghetti (with salt if that is how you regularly cook your pasta).

While the pasta is cooking, beat the eggs.

Drain the spaghetti.  Mix the cooked, drained spaghetti with the beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the Italian seasoning, and the chopped garlic.

Oil/grease a baking dish/pan*.  Put the spaghetti mixture in a baking dish/pan.  Make a well in the middle, as if the pasta is a pie crust.  Put the ricotta cheese in the middle.  Sprinkle the ricotta with 3/4 cup of the mozzarella.  Put the sauce on top of the ricotta**.  Sprinkle the sauce with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes.  Then broil for 2 minutes.

Slice like a pie and serve.

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We liked this.  As we were eating it I thought it was a bit dry so I was trying to think of what to do to make it a little more flavorful and/or moist on the outskirts of the “pie”.  But when I was cleaning the pan I noticed that most of the egg/moisture had seeped out of the bottom of the pan.

*I used a cheesecake pan.  I noticed when I picked it up to put it in the oven that it was leaking.  I was hoping that I put it in quick enough that the egg would have solidified before all leaking out.  I think most of it leaked out.  Because I noticed it leaking I put the pan on aluminum foil while baking.

**The recipe shows the sauce being added on top of the ricotta in the “well” . . . I think when I make it again I might put a little on the outside of the well.

I will make this again because it was easy and it was good.  And we will be eating it for three nights.  You know how I love leftovers.  But . . . and I know this will “complicate” it . . . I think next time I am going to add meat.  I just wanted it to be a little heartier so I think ground beef will do it.  I will probably add more cheese to the spaghetti before I put it in the pan . . . probably some ricotta.  I did like how the spaghetti was crispy on the edges.

What do you think?  Spaghetti pie?  Do you have a recipe for a version of this?  I know it is basically just spaghetti with read sauce, but ricotta really makes it yummy.

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