Sights of a Togo Beach

I love the beach

 sound of  waves crashing on the beach

the birds chirping

the sound of tranquility.

Palm Trees

Selling drinks and food

Children Playing

Everyday Life

                                              

my feet in the Gulf of Guinea - Bight of Benin

the sight of mother and child playing

Sights Of A Togo Beaches!

Peaceful and Simple!

Beauty!

til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys 

Corn, corn, corn

I love corn... it is probably one of my favorite vegetables.... especially during the summer when I can eat corn on the cob... I always had boiled my corn until I met my husband... now I grill it and it is amazing.  Even corn that is old taste good grilled.  To grill corn I remove all husks and place the corn on the grill, turning frequently until it becomes a golden colour. Just before removing, baste corn with a salt water bath.  I usually put 1 tbsp salt to about 1/4 cup water.  Grill corn for about a minute or two longer after the salt water bath.... MMMMM.. my mouth is watering all ready.

Corn grilling on the BBQ

A couple of weeks as I was going through my wall on facebook and  I came across a recipe for Grilled Corn Salad that looked amazing.  I knew that the next time I made corn I would have to make a couple extra cobs just for this salad.  On Sunday I made corn and also made extra so was able to make this salad.

This salad is originally made by Hun... What's for Dinner? and Cindy has some wonderful recipes on her blog, so jump right over and take a look see, I am sure you will come back to thank me for sending you over there.... Right?  To find her original recipe for Grilled Corn Salad go Here, but if you know me at all... I can't leave a recipe like it is written... I do have to change it a bit.  So here is my version of this wonderful recipe.

                                                        Grilled Corn Salad.

Ingredients:

4 grilled corn on the cob ( I used slightly more)

1 can chick peas

1/2 can black beans

2 roma tomatoes - remove seeds and dice

onions - I used about 1/4 cup but you could put whatever amount you would like

1/8 cup dried cilantro - I didn't have any fresh.

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

juice of one lime - I also added 1 tbsp of lime juice as I didn't get very much juice from my lime

zest from 1/2 of the lime

salt and pepper to taste

Add the first 5 ingredients to a bowl.  In a small bowl or jar add the rest of ingredients and mix until thoroughly mixed and add to the veggies. Toss until dressing is well mixed in with veggies.  Place in refrigerator for an hour or longer before serving.

I ate mine alone as Meatless Monday, but could also be a great side dish to anything that you are grilling. This is a very filling and flavorful meal. Thanks Cindy of Hun... What's for Dinner? for a great summer recipe.

Enjoy!

                        Til next time <3<3<3   Marlys

Links : Keep it Real Thursdays

Kielbasa and Vegetable Casserole

Washing dishes is one of my worst jobs and I wish upon a star every night that the dish fairy would come down and wash my dishes. But does she come.... NO! I am not so lucky and I have to wash my own dishes.

So, the days that I feel really lazy I make meals that are one dish so that I don't have so many dishes to wash...

 But then most of the time I leave those few dishes for the next day, so there is always a sink load to wash anyways. I do have a dishwasher but as there is only 2 of us, most of the time it is easier to just to wash them then basically wash them and load them into the dishwasher... yes, I prewash my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

I have found a one dish meal that is so good ~~  Kielbasa and vegetable casserole that I found on Allrecipes.com.    But like most of the recipes that I use... I don't really do what it says so, here is what I do and every time I make it, it has different vegetables in it.

Use your imagination and make this dish truly yours. 

Kielbasa and vegetable casserole

Kielbasa and Vegetable Casserole

The original recipe calls for frozen veggies but I use both fresh and frozen.  I have never made it with just fresh vegetables but I am thinking you may want to add a little water if you do make it with just fresh veggies.  Let me know if you do.  So, this is how I made it this time

Ingredients:

5 -6 mini potatoes cut into even smaller pieces

5-6 baby carrots diced

mushrooms - I just put a handful in

small wedge of cabbage

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup frozen broccoli

onions to taste

3 tbsp butter (this time I tried a little less then the original recipe).. I cut it up in 6 small slices

1tbsp (or so) greek seasoning

1 tbsp (or so) maggi liquid season

1/4 cup cheese ( I use a little less... just sprinkle some on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place kielbasa and veggies in oven safe dish (I use my 9X9 glass pan).  Place butter strategically around veggies.  Add greek seasoning and maggi liquid seasoning (I just sprinkle both on top).  Cover with tinfoil and place in oven.  Cook for 50 minutes or until vegetables are soft.  Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top and place back in oven for about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve.

after cooking for 50 minutes, remove tinfoil

ready to go into the oven

add cheese and cook for another 5 minutes until cheese
is melted.

enjoy!

We usually eat only this when I make it but it would also be good with fresh bread... The last time I made this it must have tasted pretty good because I had taken out a small portion and left the rest for my husband and went to work.. When I came from work the pan was empty and in the sink.... Once again no dish fairy came to my house.

                          Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

Linked to Simple Supper Tuesdays

Addictive Blog Award

I have received another award... and am very excited and honoured to receive it from Cindy at Cindy's recipes and writings and Nel at The Papercup Kitchen.
  I meet Cindy through Foodie Friends Friday and as I go through her blog, my thoughts is that my blog doesn't even come close to hers.  She is a professional cook and a freelance writer, I just throw things together and pretend that it is cooking and my writing is more rambling than writing.  So to get this award from someone like her is a great honour and Cindy I do thank you.  So, if you would like to see how a real writer and cook do their stuff, go over and check out her blog.  She has some wonderful recipes, articles on gardening and much, much more.
I have been following Nel  for  awhile.  She has some wonderful recipes and also photographs of those recipes on her blog and I also don't feel that I am in the same league as Nel.  It is a great honour that she nominated me for the award as she said on her blog ~~ blogging is addictive.  Hopefully in a couple of years my blog will be as wonderful as hers... so go over and check it out.  Nel, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this nomination.

And with any other award there are rules that go along with it and here are the rules for this award:

  

• Thank the person awarding you
• Share a little about why you blog and how the journey started
• Paste the blog award on your page
• Nominate 10 other bloggers you feel deserve the award

As many of you know, I have only been blogging for a short time.  My husband had always told me that I should write down my recipes as when there is something that he really likes, I have no idea what I did to make it so good.  I cook like my mom did, throwing in a little of this and a little of that. So now even though I still do that I pay a little more attention to what I do so that I can blog about it.  I also wanted a place that I could promote African cooking as the flavours in African cooking as wonderful.  Another reason for blogging is to share my story on my love for Africa and how the people and the culture are so unique and happy.  I hope that I can bring some of that to you my followers.

Now for the hardest part of receiving an award, nominating 10 other bloggers that deserve this award... I feel that all the blogs that I follow deserve this award not only 10 but here it goes:

1.  Basilmomma  

2.  A Virtual Essence

3.  My little home and garden

4.  Lark's Country Heart  

5.  Ellen B Cookery

6.  Isabelle at Home

7.  Hot Eats and Cool Reads

8.  Inspired and Pretty

9.  Walking on Sunshine

10.  A French Family Cooking 

These are all great blogs and I hope that you will go and check them out.  While you are there let them know that I sent you.

            Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #5

It is time again to have another party... It is summer time and that is the thing to do... So let's party with Foodie Friends Friday.  Last week was a blast and there were many great recipes and bloggers to check out.  I think I did get to everyone's blog and had a look around.  I now have more blogs to follow and I think I need to quit my job so that I can just blog and read blogs for the rest of my life.
Before we get into the party and what to do I want to thank everyone for their recipes.  Each one of you shared a great recipe and I hope that one day I will be able to make them all... I do have them all in one place, easy access for me :).  I also want to congratulate the recipes that won Top 3 Votes and the Top 3 Clicks and here they are:

                          With the most votes...

#1 Jams and Pans with Apple Walnut and Coconut Cake with Baileys Fudge frosting
#2 Spatulas on Parade with Hodge Podge Salad
#3 Baked in the South with Margarita Cupcakes

Don't forget to grab your "prize" on the "Page of Fame"

And the recipes who got the "Most Clicks" were:

#1 Flour Me With Love with Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
#2 Family Food Finds with Hawaiian Style Chicken Katsu
#3 Diddles and Dumplings with Crockpot Mexican Pork

Don't forget to grab your "prize" on the "Page of Fame"

From last week's Linky Party I have featured Sheena from Hot Eats and Cool Read's recipe - Cheesy Summer Squash Rice Recipe that I made and it was delicious.  You can go here for my changes that I made to the recipe.  My plans is to make one recipe from each party and feature it on the next weeks linky party.  Maybe next week it will be your recipe.

Summer Squash Rice

This party is  great and it is you who makes is so great with all your recipes.  Remember when you link up your recipe to one member's blog it automatically links up to all the members of Foodie Friends Friday... so just think of the exposure, that in it self makes this so great.  Come and join the fun!

                     Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

Members of Foodie Friends Friday and the blogs that the recipes will be linked to this week:

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn's View http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com

Angie at A lil Country Sugar  http://alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com/  

Sarah at Everything in the Kitchen Sink  http://everythingkitchensink.blogspot.com/  

Michelle at From Calculus to Cupcakes  http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.blogspot.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com

Cindy at Cindys Recipes and Writings  http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com

Keira at Luscious Delights www.lusciousdelights.blogspot.com.au

Tami at Food Forays http://www.foodforays.com

Pooja at Saffron N Appetite http://saffronnappetite.blogspot.com/

Also the directions for linking up your recipe:

Step 1:  Make sure that anything you link up is:

• A Recipe...and is made and photographed by you
• Not part of a sponsership/sales/giveaway or other promotions/linky parties
• Linked to a specific page of your recipe, not your homepage
• Please limit your link-ups to 3 per party

Step 2:

• Show some love and link back to my blog and Foodie Friends Friday (http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com ) on the post of the recipe you are submitting.

* for example:  This recipe is featured on "Host Blog Link" and  http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com  Linky Party)

If you want to be the very best Foodie Friend Ever...

• Grab our button at http://foodiefriendsfriday.com and put it on your page and share Foodie Friends Friday!
• Take some time and check out other submitted links and the blogs of all of our gracious hosts
• Come on over and "like" us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest

***Please note that by linking up you are transferring rights to Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications to use photos/links/recipes for any reprint, republishing and distribution without monetary compensation to you.  If photos/recipes are used, proper credit/ linkbacks will be published with them.  We just want to share your amazing recipes and spread some foodie <3 !

Have Fun and Thank You for Visiting!!

Turkey Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

We have been in a mushroom craze lately... I put mushrooms in just about everything... So when I went shopping this week, I decided that I would buy some portobella mushrooms and see how they taste.  To find recipes, I usually do a search either on-line or else through my cookbooks and magazines.  Today I decided to do an online search.  I found a few recipes but  not one of them did I have all the ingredients for, so I combined them... and this is what happened.

 I liked them but I don't think my husband was to keen on them but he did say that he would eat them again if I prepared them... so may have to do some more searching for more recipes and try something different for the next time.

Turkey Stuffed Porobello Mushrooms                                                              

This recipe is for only 2 portobella mushrooms.

Ingredients:

2 portobella mushrooms

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 lb of  ground turkey or you can use left over turkey cut up in small pieces

1/4 cup of cream cheese ( I used light)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp sage

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 red onion (I had a very large onion) A sweet onion would be better but I only had red onion

2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider Vinegar

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Remove the stem and gills of the portobella mushroom and clean.  Brush 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce to the inside and outside of the mushroom.  Set aside. 

Cook the ground turkey in a little oil. (if using left over turkey you don't have to cook it)   While turkey is cooking, mix together cream cheese, lemon juice, thyme, nutmeg and sage.  Add this mixture to the cooked turkey and add salt and pepper to taste.  Divide into two portions and stuff into center of mushroom.  Cook in 375 degree oven until mushroom  begins to soften ~~ about 20 minutes.

While the stuffed mushroom is cooking, cut up the onion in thin slice and cook in 2 tsp oil until softened and turning brown.  Stir in vinegar.  When mushroom is baked, remove from oven, spread the onion mixture on and top with the parmesan cheese.  Replace back in oven for another 5 minutes.  I did turn up the oven to 425 degrees for the last 5 minutes.

Enjoy.  We had our with a side salad.  You could also serve fresh bread with this.

This is one of the first recipes that I posted on facebook... Thought I would post it here now.  I hope you enjoy it.

                                              Til next time  <3 <3 <3  Marlys

Links:

      Manic Mondays   

Summer Squash Rice

I have decided that each week after our Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party I am going to pick a recipe to make and feature that recipe that was linked to the party. Last week, we received 134 links and everyone of them seemed to be better then the last.  There were many that I wanted to feature but I decided to only pick one ... So here is my pick~~~ Cheesy Summer Squash Rice Recipe from Hot Eats and Cool Reads.  Sheena has some marvelous recipes on her blog and this one jumped right out at me as I love squash and we eat alot of rice and I am always looking for rice recipes. So, I instantly went to this one and as I had most of the ingredients decided to make it.  The biggest change I made was that I didn't add the cheese.  My husband thinks that we eat too much cheese or that at least I do... and as the meat that I made with it had cheese I decided against it.  This recipe has lots of flavor and I will be making it again.  Thanks, Sheena of Hot Eats and Cool Reads for this recipe, we loved it.   Now for the recipe with my changes...

Add caption

                                                     Summer Squash Rice

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

3/4 cup jasmine rice

1/2 cup thin noodles - I used rice vermicelli

1 1/2 cup grated summer squash or zucchini - I used both

1/2 cup grated red onion

1 tbsp fresh parsley

2 cups chicken broth - I used 2 cups water and 1 maggi cube dissolved in the water

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp salt.

In large pan melt butter and add rice and noodles, saute on medium high until they start turning brown, about 5 minutes. Add broth milk, grated summer squash, zucchini, onions, parsley, and salt.  Bring to boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is reduced, about 20 minutes.  I cook mine longer as we like the rice brown and crunchy.  Remove from heat and serve.  

sauteing rice and noodles

grated summer squash, zucchini and onions

I served mine with a basil chicken and tomatoes! YUM!

This is one of the recipes from last week and this week we are again going to have a Linky Party and there is going to be some great recipes.  If you link up your recipe, maybe next week I will be making your recipe and featuring it on my blog...   So please come join us again this weekend.   This is one party you don't want to miss.

 

                                      

                                                   Til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys

                       
                                          

Who wants to be a Millionaire?

I do, I do.... wouldn't that be great ~~ no worries about money, but then again we will just have worries about other things wouldn't we

... So instead of being a millionare, why not try these scrumptious  Millionaire Squares.  This is one recipe that I have used many times.... it is easy and it tastes great... just like you spent a millionaire dollars preparing it.

                                                                      Millionaire Squares

Millionaire Squares

This recipe is from Company's Coming by Jean Pare

Bottom Layer

Butter or hard margarine                        1/2 cup

Finely crushed oatmeal cookies               2 cups

Filling

Semissweet chocolate baking squares,   3 X 1oz

      cut up (or 1/2 cup chips)

Butter or hard margarine                        1/2 cup

Large egg                                                1

Icing sugar (confectioner's)                     2 cups

chopped walnuts                                     1/2 cup  -- I don't use

Reserved crumbs for topping

Bottom Layer:   Melt butter in saucepan on med-low.  Stir in crushed cookies. Measure 1/4 cup crumbs and set aside for topping.  Press remaining crumbs in ungreased 8 X 8  pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.   This baking step can be omitted if you make crust ahead and allow it to stand a few hours to harden and dry.  When crust is baked fist the filling is much easier to spread without the crumbs lifting.

Dad's Oatmeal cookies make these squares taste the best

my cooling place...

Filling:  Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring often, until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add egg and beat.  Add icing sugar beating until smooth.  If too soft to hold shape add 1/4 cup more icing sugar ( usually the 2 cups is enough).  This will set up a bit when chilled but not much more than when you spread it in the pan  

stir chocolate mixture until smooth

Filling layer over bottom layer

Top Layer: 

sprinkle the reserve crumbs over the chocolate layer..

After filling is smoothed over crust, sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Refrigerate. Cut into 36 small squares or 25 large squares..... ( I cut mine bigger about 20 squares.)

         The final product    Rich... just like a millionaire     

                              til next time <3 <3 <3  Marlys










Links: