I wish I had a lot of time on my hands but it has been SO BUSY around this musician’s home. The year has started and I have a stack of new music to start learning for 4 ensembles and I yet to receive one more packet of music. I think it feels pretty wild around here because of Ryan’s recital practices and all the planning that it has taken and WILL take to make it happen.
Tonight was evening #1 out of 4 of our providing dinner for those who so wonderfully volunteered to be part of Ryan’s recital. What to make for close to 30 people? Yikes, I know! I have only cooked for 14 at the most but this was a test. I had one gluten-free, dairy-free student and another who was vegetarian but the rest were easy.
I thought the simplest yet delicious option would be to make my own home-prepared Burrito-in-a-Bowl meal for them. I totally miss family being around for help but the Lord gave me strength to pace myself out and plan well. I figured that making my own meal would be cheaper made from home than having something catered from Chipotle, so I decided to actually calculate it. A Fajita Bowl is $6.95 and that did not include a drink, chips and salsa, and dessert. I wanted to include all those items. After I added everything, I divided it and it came out to $3 a person for a full spread. Incredible!! I love saving and this happened to be one of my biggest savings. Here is what the spread looked like:
It was a success, thanks to God! I continue to amaze myself at how organized I can get for the bigger the party. It is kind of scary, but I am enjoying brainstorming the best meals for such big parties. Here was the set up:
I will be SO glad to dive into bed, even though this post is getting longer as I write.
I quickly leave you with a recipe I have been dying to try for close to 4 months. Even though I have been enjoying the wonders of Daiya cheese, I have been wanting a creamy cheese-like substitute for sandwiches, wraps, crackers, and veggies, so when I saw Tasha’s recipe on The Clean Eating Mama, I decided to tackle it with a few more modifications.
The result was an FAB cheeze spread that even Ryan liked. I spread some on Mary’s Crackers and chomped away. It had SO MUCH flavor and demanded to be used it so many different ways, but since I have not yet, I leave you with the recipe.
Parsley Cashew Cheeze Spread
1 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 12 hours in plain water
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons miso paste
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of Herbare (seasoned salt)
Drain and rinse cashews. In a food processor, blend cashews until chunky – use your “S” blade. Then add garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, miso, nutritional yeast, and parsley. Blend until smooth.
To mold the cheeze, take a 2 cup bowl or anything that is round, and fill the mold with plastic wrap. Scrape cheeze into the mold; fold the plastic wrap tightly around the top. Place on a plate and refrigerate before serving. I kept mine in over night and it enhanced the flavor immensely.
