When I arrived at Maria’s house we visited for a while and I made the mistake of opening her pantry. You know you’re good friends when you can just open someone’s pantry and help yourself. OH MY GOSH… check out all this food. Unfortunately I sampled many things from Maria’s pantry, with her blessing, of course. I cannot have this much food in my house. I would eat it all in one weekend.
Since Maria invited me to stay with her and her family, one night I purchased groceries and made dinner. Maria and I both have the Hungry Girl cookbooks but we don’t always have time to make the recipes. I figured staying with Maria would be the perfect opportunity to try a few Hungry Girl recipes.
I made the Turkey Bacon-Bundled BBQ Shrimp, Miracle Mashies (mashed cauliflower & potatoes), and Caramel Apple Tartlets for Dessert. The recipes were from Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200 . I also whipped up a side dish of zucchini. Considering its health food, it was really good. I wish I could eat at home more often. It’s so nice to have control of what’s going into the food.
Turkey Bacon-Bundled BBQ Shrimp
Caramel Apple Tartlets with Fat Free Cool Whip
The recipe for Turkey Bacon Wrapped Shrimp called for a few tablespoons of ketchup. When I was purchasing the groceries I figured Maria had ketchup. When I started cooking, Maria told me they didn’t have ketchup but she had ketchup packets. She opened a drawer in the refrigerator and it was full of fast food packets. We started digging for ketchup. When we found a ketchup packet among the Arby’s sauce, Taco Bell sauce, BBQ sauce, Honey Mustard, and Ranch, we’d get super excited and cheer. It was funny!
I asked Maria where her dry measuring cups were located. She gave me a liquid measuring cup and told me she didn’t have dry measuring cups. I love Maria, she cracks me up. She doesn’t cook or bake often so her kitchen is missing the oh-so-essential dry measuring cups. Before I left town, I bought her a “thank you” gift for letting me stay at her home. Guess what I got her?
I love how you took a picture of her pantry!
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to stay at a friends house where you feel comfortable just being you and helping yourself to things. I love that you prepared an entire meal of Hungry Girl recipes. I have both of her cookbooks and love them. The turkey bacon wrapped shrimp looks so good!
ReplyDeleteThat was very sweet of you to buy her dry measuring cups :)
That food looks great! I should get that cookbook!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of food! I wish I had a pantry that big to even have the option of storing so many snacks!
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about getting that cookbook but I'm just not keen on things like coolwhip and artificial sweeteners...I should look at it in the book store and see what I think!
ReplyDeleteYour friend's pantry looks as full as mine lol!
That shrimp looks so good!! I'm definitely getting hungry now, and it's not even 9 AM!
ReplyDeleteHolycow at all the food in that pantry! My husband would be so happy if ours looked like that! You are a great houseguest - cooking and a gift!
ReplyDeleteawlll that is good you could stay with a friend!! And that food looks delish!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like great fun - cooking all those treats with a friend!
ReplyDeletePS. That pantry is absolutely amazing!
can you come to my house and visit? i'll let you take pictures of my pantry and closets too!
ReplyDeleteI am loving that you took a picture of her pantry - it makes my pantry look SO sad! But like you - I'd eat it all - and we def. don't want that!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you got her the dry measuring cups so sweet!! And I REALLY want one of those caramel apple tartlets now!!! :)
You did a awesome job cooking, YUM! That was so sweet of you to buy her measuring cups. You are such a big sweetie. I got my "Thank You" card. I'm happy that we are blogging friends too! Hope all is well. Sorry you're on the road a lot this month. This month I've been on the road too. I've missed church two Sundays in a row. I hate that!
ReplyDeleteThat is one seriously stocked pantry! WOW!!! I need that mashed cauliflower recipe!!
ReplyDeleteThat food looks awesome... I'm going to have to check out that book!
ReplyDeleteyummy! how sweet of you to cook for them!
ReplyDeleteoh my I am JUST the same way. I could never have that much food in my pantry. I'd eat it all myself, or my brother who has the appetite of a 15 year old would eat it first!
ReplyDeleteI had a friend growing up whose pantry looked like that. Except it was ALL junk food and dessert. I was always so excited when I got to go to her house.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of desserts, those tartlets do look amazing!
Cute thank you gift & so appropriate! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is one stocked pantry! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are such a good friend! The meal you made looks delish!
ReplyDeletelove the pantry! i've never stop eating.
ReplyDeletethose tarts look good. i have that cookbook and haven't dived into yet. i'll have to look that recipe up.