A Contented Sigh

I had one of those days today that all other days just strive to live up to.  It was a GREAT day.  Beautiful sunshine, started the day running with my friend, Rachel, got most of my to-do list done and enjoyed a healthy and delicious dinner with the hubby.  Seriously, how could life get better?  These are the days when at the end of the day, I can put my head down to sleep and sigh one of those deep, contented sighs that comes from a life well-lived and appreciated.  I wish that for all of you.  :)

But, in the meantime, I did mention dinner...

I have been craving something with marsala in it ever since watching the Barefoot Contessa show on Food Network and she mentioned it.  Chicken Marsala used to be one of my most favorite dishes, but since going veggie completely, I've not had it over two years.  But, then, inspiration hit me.  Mushrooms.  Marsala.  Kale. Perfection.

And this was created...



Again, a contented sigh.  Because it was such a comforting type of dish that it deserves a sigh.

Hmmm...so about the recipe....I don't really have one.  I just sort of winged it.  I sauteed some mushrooms in a pan with butter, some Chef Tess all purpose seasoning, and salt.  Then I used the pan drippings to mix with a bit of flour to thicken it and then deglazed the pan with the marsala wine.  Then I put some chopped tuscan or dinosaur kale in the bottom of the strainer and strained my cooked fettuccine noodles over it to wilt it.  Then I tossed the kale with the mushroom and wine mixture and served it over the cooked pasta.

I love kale because it has a meatier texture and has so much healthy stuff going for it.  We are watching the quantities of it because of cutting back a bit on Vitamin A overload for the hubby's eye condition but knowing what foods go best with the Vitamin A seems to be another big piece of the puzzle.  I feel like I am forever researching...but if it helps him even a little to slow the deterioration, it's worth my time.  :)

And, since I've been all about the single serving desserts lately, I decided to make single serving bread pudding tonight!  Yummmmmmm!!

This was the perfect end to the meal.  Sadly, I again barely have a recipe for you.  But this is so easy, you can do it!  I had some leftover baguette to use up that I cubed.  It was about 1/3 of a baguette.  I mixed one egg, a splash of vanilla, about 1/4 cup of milk and a dash of salt together in a small bowl.  I added the bread cubes until all of the liquid was pretty much spoken for.  Make sure to really push the bread into the egg mixture to absorb it or you'll be eating egg coated bread crumbs.  Not the desired outcome.

Then, I lightly greased 3 small souffle cups, and poured the mixture into each one.  At this point, I set them aside and made my caramel sauce...a few tablespoons of brown sugar, melted into two tablespoons or so of butter and then a splash of milk added in and brought to a low boil, stirred constantly and then set aside.

I chose to cook my bread pudding in the microwave for time savings, but it could be baked - maybe 350 for about 20 minutes...You'd just have to watch them and judge time.  Microwaving was about 45 seconds each.  Topped off with the caramel sauce and it was just the right size and flavor.  I know if I'd have had more, I'd have eaten more.  Built in portion control is always a good thing!  So, one more contented sigh for the evening.

I live a blessed life.  That's for sure.  I hope I am always as thankful as I should be for it because it's a good one.  :)

Sheri